Locomotion railway museum in Shildon, County Durham, has announced its programme for the bicentenary year of the modern railway.

The programme includes new exhibitions, a summer festival with Flying Scotsman in residence, and guest locomotives.

There will also be a visit from the Railway 200 Exhibition Train.

The first fare-paying passenger railway journey in the world took place on 27 September 1825 on the Stockton and Darlington Railway line. Locomotion stands alongside a section of the line.

Locomotion is already showing an exhibition, Railway Firsts, which opened last month.

The exhibition highlights important episodes in railway history, using pop-up displays with a signalling theme.

At the beginning of next month, the museum will install a statue of early railway engineer Robert Stephenson, which is owned by Network Rail.

The statue is made of bronze and is 8ft 10in high. It was first installed outside London’s Euston station in 1871. In 2020, it was removed and restored to its original condition by HS2.

Visitors to the museum will be able to see the statue from Tuesday, 8 April.

The museum will also run an expanded programme of activities for schools and families throughout the year, including STEM workshops and storytelling.

Over the Easter school holidays, activities will have the theme of ‘movement and journeys’. During the early May Bank Holiday weekend, activities will be themed around ‘trailblazers of the S&DR’.

The Young Railway Photographer of the Year exhibition will be on display at Locomotion from June until December. The exhibition will showcase some of the best entries from the competition.

Locomotion’s summer festival will run from Saturday, 19 July until Sunday, 31 August. It will include steam rides and a pop-up beach.

On Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September, a replica of Locomotion No. 1 will recreate the journey taken in 1825. The engine will pass by Locomotion on the Friday.

From Saturday 20 September until Wednesday 1 October, the Railway 200 touring exhibition train, Inspiration, will be stationed at Locomotion. This period of time includes the anniversary of the journey.

In October, the museum will host another exhibition – West Side Story – which explores the story of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

In November, the Brick Alley LEGO user group will present a weekend of creative activities, including railway scenes built from LEGO.

During the late May bank holiday, the summer festival, and during the bicentenary month of September, the museum will welcome loaned rail vehicles to add to its permanent displays

There will be a season of free talks at Locomotion during the year, presented by The Friends of the National Railway Museum North East.

“As the nation marks the bicentenary of the modern railway, Locomotion will right at the heart of the celebrations.

“This will be a year like no other. We’re excited to welcome visitors from all over the world to be a part of history in the making, as we celebrate the past, present and future of the railways in the place where it all began.”

Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion