Darlington Railway Centre & Museum

Darlington has a lot of history of which it’s people should be rightly proud; our role in the birth of passenger travel by rail is one such event. Built on the oldest passenger line which really ran from Shildon through Darlington to Stockton this is one of the oldest stations still in use. Although eclipsed by the new museum built by the National Railway Museum in Shildon it was Darlington money and enterprise that brought about his transport revolution. The building is so atmospheric, you can almost hear the noise and feel the hustle and bustle of porters trying to get passengers and freight on board in double quick time. The Engines and carriages on show give you a glimpse of past and brings some of the old black and white photos to life. All in all a great way to spend an afternoon before catching a train to the next stop.

The Darlington Railway museum is great for giving the local history of the railways, and is good for kids as there are lots of big locomotives they can wander around and look at. One special occassions there is a steam train goes up and down a stretch of track outside. There is also a fair that goes in the field outside once a year. Darlington’s second railway station (lot of people who live there don’t even know there is a second one!) is at the museum and serves local trains.