Understand
Tyne and Wear Metro drivers volunteer to keep steam heritage alive in the North East
Overview
Two Tyne and Wear Metro drivers, Michael Darling and Rob Kitching, volunteer as steam engine drivers at the Stephenson Steam Railway Museum in North Tyneside, operating the historic Ashington Number 5 engine. Both drivers highlight the significance of the region's railway heritage, noting that George and Robert Stephenson helped pioneer railways for the world.
Key points
- Michael Darling and Rob Kitching work as Tyne and Wear Metro drivers and volunteer as steam engine drivers.
- They operate the Ashington Number 5, the Stephenson Steam Railway Museum's only working engine in North Tyneside.
- The museum's rail line was rebuilt in the 1970s as a Metro test track before being taken over by the museum in the 1990s.
- George and Robert Stephenson created the first steam train to carry passengers on a public rail line, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, in 1825.
- Museum manager Geoff Woodward stated that volunteers are essential to the operation of the museum.