The Science Museum Group (SMG) and Darlington Borough Council (DBC) have reached an agreement that will see the historic engine Locomotion No.1 move to Locomotion in Shildon in March, with a 6-month return to Head of Steam in the first half of 2025 – the bicentenary year for the iconic Stockton & Darlington Railway. The agreement also allows for two further loans of Locomotion No.1 to Darlington (totalling 12 months) between 2026 and 2030.
It has also been agreed that both DBC and SMG will actively seek opportunities for Locomotion No.1 to go on loan to the council beyond 2030 – for up to two periods of 12 months, or one period of 24 months, in each five-year period.
Signalling the determination of both organisations to work together for the best possible outcome for the region, SMG will renew 28 other loans to Head of Steam from the National Collection. These include the tremendously important Derwent, the oldest surviving locomotive built in Darlington, NER Tennant, NER Raven T3 and a number of smaller items which help to illustrate the incredibly rich and significant railway history of the town.
The announcement is part of a Memorandum of Understanding agreed by SMG (owners of Locomotion No.1) and DBC that covers the period until 2030. Both Locomotion and Head of Steam have ambitious plans to redevelop and grow their museums over the next five years, culminating in the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025.
At Locomotion, this includes a £4.5m project to construct a brand-new collections building that will significantly increase the amount of covered space available to visitors and house around 40 rail vehicles from the National Collection.
Recent developments at Locomotion have seen the repair and rejuvenation of Locomotion’s historic buildings – a collection of unique Grade II-listed buildings including the former home of Timothy Hackworth (the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton & Darlington Railway), as well as workers’ cottages and Soho Shed – the earliest surviving industrial building in Shildon, and arguably the oldest goods handling rail building in the world.
Darlington Borough Council, working in partnership with Tees Valley Combined Authority, plans to create a major new £25million visitor destination and museum around the North Road Station site, opening in 2024. This free-to-enter tourist attraction will be a central part of the bi-centenary celebrations of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) in 2025.
Locomotion No.1 will be part of that celebration at the Head of Steam. The development will combine multiple listed buildings into a unique visitor experience including major exhibition and interpretation space, café, archive, study area, and function spaces.
Also on the site will be a purpose-built facility for the creation and maintenance of steam locomotives by A1 Steam Locomotive Trust with public viewing facilities and interpretation, and the 1861 Building, a facility for the repair, maintenance, storage and display of locomotives and associated rail artifacts.
The 1861 Building will be occupied and operated by two separate organisations, the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group (NELPG) and Darlington Railway Preservation Society (DRPS).
