When Locomotion, The National Railway Museum, opened in Shildon in 2004, the millionth visitor was on track to arrive later this decade. But the magic number arrived yesterday, ahead of schedule. Helen Smithson reports.

A TRAIN-MAD toddler and his family were bestowed with the honour of taking the museum’s visitor tally into the millions.

April and Stephen Lancaster, and their sons, Ben, two, and Sam, ten months, were given flowers, goody bags and a free meal on their arrival yesterday morning.

The family, from Greenside, near Gateshead, were also treated to a steam train ride with the National Railway Museum’s (NRM) director, Steve Davies, and stood on the engine’s footplate.

Mr Davies, whose role also covers the NRM, in York, said: “To reach 1,000,000 visitors in six years of operating is testament to how this museum has really taken off in this part of the world.

“People in the North-East, and particularly Shildon, have taken it to their hearts.

It’s a fantastic achievement.”

Mrs Lancaster said Ben was an avid fan of Thomas The Tank Engine and expressed their surprise at breaking the 1,000,000 mark.

“It was a bit of a shock when we found out,” she said. “I think Ben is a bit awe-struck.”

Staff expressed their pride at reaching 1,000,000 visitors only two weeks before the museum’s sixth anniversary.

When it opened in September 2004, the predicted number of visitors for the first year was 60,000, and it was estimated that the 1,000,000 milestone would be reached 12 to 14 years later.

But more than 60,000 passed through its doors during its first three months alone and, since then, people from as far afield as Australia, the US and Japan have visited the facility.

Anthony Coulls, senior curator, said: “This is really special for us and it is a real statement that the museum is here to stay.”

Sharon Thorburn, front of house officer, who lives in Shildon, said: “When the Shildon shops closed in 1984, the town had nothing going for it. This attraction has brought the place back to life again.”

Rosemary Laxton, head of libraries, learning and culture at Durham County Council, said: “The museum has more than doubled our expectations.

“The millionth visitor is a real landmark, and to reach When Locomotion: The National Railway Museum opened in Shildon in 2004, the millionth visitor was on track to arrive later this decade. But the magic number arrived yesterday, ahead of schedule. Helen Smithson reports it so early is really wonderful.”

To mark its sixth anniversary, the museum is hosting a steam gala on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI), which runs the NRM in York and Shildon, said last night that the company was working on ways to minimise the impact of inevitable cuts in Government funding.

She added: “We must await the outcome of the Government’s spending review, expected on October 20, to hear how these cuts in funding will impact on organisations like the NMSI.”