New Hall – Locomotion

New Hall is a brand new 2,000 square metre building for Locomotion,  on the brownfield site to the West of the museum, and hosts the largest collection of historic rail vehicles, under cover on display in Europe.

Located in the world’s first railway town, New Hall is the hub of celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025.

The expanded collection allows Locomotion to tell the story of Shildon and the North-East’s role in the global railway story and early railway development, inspiring the next generation of engineers and scientists.

New Hall is part of ‘Vision 2025’, a multi-million-pound programme of investment, improvement and change that will transform Locomotion railway museum with new buildings, galleries, visitor attractions, outdoor spaces and vital conservation work.

The New Hall building draws on the aesthetic of an engine shed, linking it back to Shildon’s history as the world’s first railway town. Simple in design and occupying a footprint of 2000m2, the new building accommodates an additional 45 vehicles from the national railway collection. These are displayed on three pairs of tracks allowing visitors to easily see the vehicles and learn about their history and significance.

Alongside the New Hall will be the new Railway Garden, designed to increase biodiversity across the whole of the site. The garden will support volunteering for local communities and create a place for our visitors to connect with nature. The gardens will be constructed with sustainability and a reduced environmental footprint built in through the recycling and reuse of materials. The site boundary will be planted with a new native hedgerow, expanding habitats for hedgehogs, while existing trees will be fitted with bat boxes.