national railway museum

This was very much unexpected. The steam train ride, although only 1km in length, was excellent. The 5 year old kids loved it. The museum itself is great. For me it was extra spec due to the huge number of model railway stands and enthusiasts. Really amazing. More for the little boys and big boys though. The trains themselves are amazing too, especially the royal carriages. There are other sections to the museum that we didn't even get to see.Well worth a few hours.

This is a nice railway museum with many different waggons and locomotives. The locomotive that was in the film The Railway Children is there. There is a shop and a café with the soup of the day, sandwiches and lunchboxes for school Children if you need. Prices are reasonable, The museum is free of charge and there are different events throughout the year. We had a day out from Newcastle and took the train to Darlington main station where we changed for the line to Shildon and Bishop Auckland and got off after 3 min at North Road station. There we paid a visit to the Railway museum in Darlington for a couple of hours. That museum is just a few minutes' walk from North Rd Station. Then it was easy to get on the train again for Shildon. There were signs so we could easily walk to the Railway museum from the station. On the way there is a play ground with a Railway theme,

The museum is fantastic and a must for all railway enthusiasts. There are all manners of rail vehicles there from Stevenson's Rocket all through the ages to the Inter City coaches of the 80's and 90's as well as the APT which was a disaster for British Rail. You can also take a short ride on a steam train sometimes.The cafe is so so. The food and drink is just acceptable but I came here for the museum and the trains. The cafe was secondary.

yes it fall short of the near-universal appeal of its York 'parent' museum that too high a standard to judge it by: it is a very good railway museum in its own right with splendid exhibits and much thought has gone into making it of interest to more than rail 'buffs'

I was there on December with no so many people but I enjoy of view all trains but specially one that was a prototype of high speed train with Gas turbine as unique train in the world with this design.After that I'm colaborating to be repaired completely to make other people enjoy of it.Incredible Train Museum

excellent palce.. a history of world railways... 1st train of word rum fro stckton to darlinton........................................

One of the few places you can visit which is free. They have different demonstrations through the day. Make sure you go to the she to hear the talk, it is both amusing and informative. A great day out for all ages

Some oringinal parts from the birth of the railways plus a modern shed and a walking trail. Free entry and some great special events like the assembly of A4s. Magnificent and well worth supporting with a donation

What a great (and free) little railway museum Shildon is. Packed full of engines and carriages you can get up close to. Well informed, but not over the top. Great way to spend a couple of hours in the dry on a wet a miserable winter day

Looking for an activity to entertain my 5 year old grandson during a Teacher Training Day this was perfect. Free entry, too. Loads of restored railway carriages. Hands on activities such as shunting, signals, loading goods and 'rubbing' railway plates kept him entertained. Railway themed outside play area. Plenty of picnic tables. We had a wonderful day out. Will definitely return. Recommended

Great site for the kids. Most interesting was the Princess Queen Adelaide's carriage that she used to tour the north when she wasn't the Queen any more because her niece Queen Victoria was. Something to do with a dead husband and no heir. Well worth the visit.

Some well restored old trains with information boards, you can climb onto some of them,activities for children

Fantastic variety of trains. The Mallard was brilliant. There is so much to look at. We went on a trip with the U3A and everyone enjoyed it. There is a cafe so you can stop half way round for some refreshment.Very good.

fab day out with the kids only part we don't like is the parking but that's more to do with location of centre

We visited Locomotion at Shildon one Sunday, it is excellent - free parking and free entry (although you can make a donation). The trains and carriages are all shining, well polished, and well spread out so it is easy to see every thing. In some cases you can climb steps and see into the cabins.There is a good cafe serving meals & drinks and a well stocked shop.Well worth a visit.