George and Robert Stephenson spent twenty years in North Tyneside developing pioneering ideas that helped spread railways and locomotives across the world. The Stephenson Steam Railway Museum celebrates their achievements. It is located on a standard-gauge, single-track railway that runs on the same route as an early wagonway for carrying coal. The outstanding exhibit is ‘Killingworth Billy’, the third-oldest surviving steam locomotive in the world, built by George Stephenson in 1816. Other highlights include a section of early wooden railway discovered in excavations in 2013, an electrically powered parcel van (1904) from the Tyneside suburban electric railway system, an electric locomotive built in 1909 for use on a colliery line and a fleet of passenger coaches from the 1950s. Films and displays explore how trains work and the impact of coal and electricity. On scheduled days, visitors can take a ride on a 1950s passenger steam train or heritage diesel locomotives, which run from the museum to Percy Main.
Stephenson Steam Railway
Middle Engine Lane
NE29 8DX North Shields
United Kingdom
+44 (0) 191 - 2777135
Homepage