Head of Steam, Darlington

[alexl92]

From the Northern Echo, 19th Feb:

ANTICIPATION is growing over plans to regenerate a railway museum, but a council leader has warned there will be only "one chance to get it right"
Plans aimed at securing the future of the council-run Head of Steam museum, in Darlington, will be put forward in the coming weeks.
It is hoped they will take shape in time for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in ten years' time. The project is still in the very early stages and politicians say they are keen to hear the views of stakeholders – including businesses, rail enthusiasts and the general public – before a masterplan is formulated.

Among the options being considered for the site are a micro-brewery with family-friendly pub, as well as a revamped railway exhibit that appeals to Darlington residents and tourists alike.
Darlington MP Jenny Chapman and Darlington Borough Council leader Bill Dixon met with interested parties on Tuesday (February 17).

Mrs Chapman hopes the end result will be something similar to the popular Richmond Station development, while Cllr Dixon said he envisions something similar to the Black Sheep brewery attraction, in Masham. The MP said: "The people of Darlington care very deeply about the railway heritage of the town and the part it played in the birth of the railways. They want to celebrate that and to use it to promote tourism in the town. The Head of Steam, sadly, does not do that job adequately. Now we have a chance to work with artisans and railway enthusiasts to do a much, much better job on that site."

Cllr Dixon admitted that the museum, which is funded by the council, cannot survive in its current format.

He said: "There is a masterplan being put together, which will hopefully include not just a brewery, but an offer that will generate a revenue stream. The council has put aside £250,000 to keep the museum going, but as resources get more and more limited, it has got to stand on its own two feet. There is no way I want to see it close, but it has got to change to survive; it can't go on as it is."

Cllr Dixon said a public consultation on the plans would be launched once they are in place.

But he warned: "This is a one-shot game. We do not have the money to try again, we need to get it right first time."

I've visited this before and it's got a huge amount of potential as a celebration of the railway in Darlington and the North East, but it needs doing right.

I wanted to bring this into the consciousness of forum users, and encourage anyway with any thoughts at all to get in contact with the council or MP Jenny Chapman and share your ideas. I've fired off a long email tonight to Mrs Chapman with thoughts on what the museum needs but there are many on this forum with much better knowledge and expertise than I.

I'm not familiar with local politics but during my research I got the impression that Councillor Dixon is not particularly popular or highly thought-of, so anyone wishing to submit thoughts may be best advised directing them to Mrs Chapman, whose contact details can be found on her personal website.

Regards

 

[37038]

I'm from Darlington and personally, I think the place as it is now is an absolute joke. The birthplace of the railways should have something that fits this pretty damn important title. Instead, look at what we've got...

Hopetown works could so easily be integrated, showcasing the build of Tornado and the building of the P2. Increased publicity for NELPG and the P2/Tornado group as well. The original D&SR station is almost a forgotten building, the big grassed area hasn't been used for god knows how long for a proper event and the reinstatement of the mainline connection would help the cause of all the groups on site. Even a spruce up of the dull and miserable North Road trainshed and some more signage perhaps....

Darlo council have never been interested. Would be surprised if anything major comes from this.

Haven't been since the A2 left how many years ago...?

 

[alexl92]

I'm from Darlington and personally, I think the place as it is now is an absolute joke. The birthplace of the railways should have something that fits this pretty damn important title. Instead, look at what we've got...

Hopetown works could so easily be integrated, showcasing the build of Tornado and the building of the P2. Increased publicity for NELPG and the P2/Tornado group as well. The original D&SR station is almost a forgotten building, the big grassed area hasn't been used for god knows how long for a proper event and the reinstatement of the mainline connection would help the cause of all the groups on site. Even a spruce up of the dull and miserable North Road trainshed and some more signage perhaps....

Darlo council have never been interested. Would be surprised if anything major comes from this.

Haven't been since the A2 left how many years ago...?

Email Mrs Chapman! I suggested developing/strengthening partnerships with Locomotion and the A1 trust amongst others, as well as possibly trying to create some kind of short running line, not that I think they'll bother.

 

[cuccir]

It's very forgotten and out of the way, and many people in the North East are probably barely aware of it.

It'd be great to see them hook-up with the NRM at Shildon. The line between the two is not busy: could the museums help fund a shuttle between the two to up it to an hourly service during opening times? Promoting each-others' exhibitions etc is only going to increase visitors to both.

 

[37038]

Email Mrs Chapman! I suggested developing/strengthening partnerships with Locomotion and the A1 trust amongst others, as well as possibly trying to create some kind of short running line, not that I think they'll bother.

Don't think an email would work. She lives directly opposite me and talking in the past hasn't produced anything

 

[alexl92]

Ahhh like most of them then. What about Cllr Dixon?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Emailed the council today and have had an email back from the curator. They're in the process of collecting ideas and want ideas from anyone interested.

Contact
headofsteam @ darlington . gov . uk

(minus spaces) with ideas or if people want to post them here and are happy for me to email them on their behalf I will?

 

[DarloRich]

for god sake please try to make the suggestions sensible!

DBC are fairly skint so have very little to spend on the site but dont seem to want to close the museum which must be a good thing. It is a nice little museum but is getting tired and needs to be upgraded.

There are some pictures here which may give an idea of the museum:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/darlo2009/sets/72157641776521944

Access is poor from the conjoined station to the museum - The station is fenced off from the museum and you have to walk right round the site to gain access. Surely being able to arrive by train and easily enter the museum would help!

The station itself could do with a tart up as it is tatty to say the least as is the line side environment in the area.

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum: Head of Steam by DarloRich2009, on Flickr

If TOCs like Virgin TPE and XC could be brought on board with some helpful PR such as social media nudges, on board magazine articles etc. public knowledge of the site could be increased

Northern also need to be involved and help promote travel to the museum by train. The proximity of both North Road and Shildon to their museums should be highlighted. Perhaps a special ticket could be created to allow travel between the two and another station on the Northern network.

There needs to be closer working between the 2 local museums with cross advertising and joint activities suggesting a visit to one is not complete without a visit to the other. After all items from the National Collection live at Darlington

The site itself is home to more than just the museum and these separate ventures should be incorporated as part of the visitor attraction and offer a chance to understand how steam trains were built, how they are looked after and repaired now, show off some of the vehicles built in Darlington, tell something more of the history of Darlington as a works town and explain how Tornado was built.

Hopetown Carriage Works is the home of the The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust & NELPG while DRPS are in the old Stockton and Darlington goods shed on the other side of the site

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum: Head of Steam by DarloRich2009, on Flickr

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum: Head of Steam by DarloRich2009, on Flickr

The was a short running line at the museum but i am unsure if that is still in use. Moving trains always attract more interest so getting this going again would be a good idea.

As for other commercial options i do worry that they will take over and the museum will get squeezed into a much smaller space but the council have no money so short of shutting the site down i cant see an option.

The best option is the one that sees more money come into the site through more people visiting. The station at Richmond is a well used cafe/bar and exhibition space so this might be a good example to follow but i cant see how anything can be incorporated into the existing building without drastically reducing the size of the museum.

To me the echo article reads like the museum being pushed out to be replaced by a much smaller exhibit within a pub! The key paragraph for me is:

Mrs Chapman hopes the end result will be something similar to the popular Richmond Station development, while Cllr Dixon said he envisions something similar to the Black Sheep brewery attraction, in Masham.

Neither of those options has space for a railway museum! I wonder if there is an offer on the table from a developer keen to use the station building?

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum: Head of Steam by DarloRich2009, on Flickr