Locomotion is a railway museum in Shildon, County Durham celebrating the world's first railway town. It is free to visit (donations welcome) and open daily from 10am - 4pm. There is a large free car park and the attraction is accessible by public transport (just a 3 minute walk from Shildon train station and served by the Arriva Bus #1 from Darlington and #5 from Bishop Auckland).
We visited over February Half Term 2020 and I have to say, I was super impressed. There is lots to see and do and the museum has lots of thoughtful touches and is one of those places which seems to go the extra mile. If you have train-loving toddlers at home or even older kids (my three enjoyed looking around the various trains through history), it is well worth a trip.
During the pandemic, your free tickets should be pre-booked in advance via the Locomotion website. Currently, they are available to pre-book two weeks in advance. Also check to see if any areas / activities are not running before booking to avoid disappointment. The attraction hopes to reopen on 19 May.
During the first stage of re-opening, the following areas will be open (subject to change - always check direct for up-to-date info):
10 Reasons to Visit Locomotion Shildon
1 - It's FREE
Locomotion Shildon is completely FREE to visit (although please donate if you can at one of the donation points). If you need to get out of the house but are running low on funds, it is a nice place to spend half a day and will keep the whole family entertained. There is no pressure to donate and there is enough going on to fill a few hours.
2 - All Weather Attraction
Locomotion Shildon is mostly inside which makes it a wonderful spot for rainy days. There is even an indoor picnic area. If the weather is fine, there is also a wonderful outdoor play area (more on that later) and a few trains to explore outdoors too.
3 - Train Themed Cafe plus Indoor & Outdoor Picnic Areas
We dined at the on-site cafe during our visit and it was decent - everything seemed to be homemade and it was nice and tasty. They have transformed old train seats into booths which is a quirky touch (I couldn't get a pic as they were filled with people eating).
I can only name a couple of attractions who offer indoor tables for picnics and Locomotion Shildon is one of them! Find the indoor picnic area on the opposite side of the museum to the cafe. Brilliant if you are trying to keep costs down / need to prepare food at home.
There is also an outdoor picnic area by the park which is filled with cherry blossom in the spring. I bet this area is super popular in the summer.
4 - Lots of Interesting Trains & History
We aren't exactly train geeks in this family but Jack does have a soft spot for them (throwback to his Thomas the Tank Engine days) and the rest of us do like to learn facts etc... Locomotion Shildon provides facts in the bucket loads and it was really interesting to see the history of trains in front of us and how they have changed through time.
We especially enjoyed peeking inside of the Royal Train which was very similar to the Royal Yacht Britannia in style. There was even a full-sized double bed in the bedroom carriage. Very fancy.
There are fact boards next to each train which are interesting for all and give you a little insight into the train in front of you.
You cant access the carriages inside but you are able to sit in some of the cabs as they are opened up at various intervals throughout the day. Jack is keeping it classy with his fruit shoot here!
5 - Special Events
As well as the regular trains, hands-on fun and exhibitions, Locomotion Shildon run lots of special events across the year. These include:
- Little Locos - free hands-on activities and crafts for under 5s
- FREE guided tours and expert talks
- Workshop tours
- Shunting demonstrations
- Extra activities in school holidays (during our trip during February Half Term there was a special engineering week running with hands-on demos, experiments and crafts)
Find out more about what's on over on the Locomotion Shildon website.
6 - Hands-On Fun, Train Sets & Model Trains
It was busy during our trip over half term so difficult for me to take lots of photos but there are lots of opportunities for little ones (especially under 8s) to get hands-on. There are train tables to play with, towers to build, sounds to listen to , buttons to press, model trains to watch, colouring in to enjoy - lots going on.
7 - A Fantastic Train Themed Playground
There is an enclosed train-themed playground just by the train tracks in the grounds of the museum. It is brilliant for all ages and as it is so close to the tracks, toddlers can spend hours waving at trains as they go past too. Our kids loved the park and it is worth a trip for the park alone I would say.
8 - Train Rides at a Small Cost
9 - Fantastic Staff & Volunteers
10 - Accessible Attraction
Locomotion Shildon takes accessibility seriously. The museum is wheelchair/pushchair friendly and I noticed there were wheelchairs available to hire from the front of the building. You can read more about accessibility here.
There are wheelchair-accessible toilets , there is a unisex changing room for parents with babies and accessible parking. The museum also opens early on selected dates for visitors with sensory needs. See here for details.
Not related but I also wanted to mention the museum is home to this cute free library where you can exchange books free of charge.
There are wheelchair-accessible toilets , there is a unisex changing room for parents with babies and accessible parking. The museum also opens early on selected dates for visitors with sensory needs. See here for details.
Not related but I also wanted to mention the museum is home to this cute free library where you can exchange books free of charge.
- Locomotion Shildon is open daily from 10am - 4pm
- Address: Locomotion. Dale Road Industrial Estate. Shildon. DL4 2RE
- Website: https://www.locomotion.org.uk/
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Please follow social distancing rules & Government guidelines , respect the local area, leave no trace, take litter home, park responsibly and if somewhere is busy on arrival, please consider leaving and returning at a later date.
Remember face coverings are required for indoor attractions / shops for those aged 11+ (usual exemptions apply)
Check for local lockdowns / travel restrictions before visiting anywhere.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed after this post was published.
Remember face coverings are required for indoor attractions / shops for those aged 11+ (usual exemptions apply)
Check for local lockdowns / travel restrictions before visiting anywhere.
Always check updated opening hours / protocols with venues direct before setting off as things may have changed after this post was published.
If you are looking for more ideas for things to do in County Durham, make sure you read this post: The Best Days Out in County Durham
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Great review! Do you know, I've heard really great things about this place but never actually visited and it's only up the road from me! Will have to put it on the to do list for a weekend trip with my little girl :) x
ReplyDeleteI visited a while back and was impressed. I was there when Tim Peake’s spacecraft, the Soyuz module that he and his colleagues returned to earth in, was on display.
ReplyDeleteWe visited in the summer holidays for the first time and were as equally as impressed. Every point you made in your blog was exactly how we felt when we visited. I didn't know about the train rides though, so will check the train ride times and see if we can time that for next time we go!
ReplyDelete