A NORTH-EAST museum was again under the spotlight from judges this weekend as it looked to scoop a major award.

Locomotion: the National Railway Museum in Shildon, County Durham, was visited by two judges from the European Museum of the Year selection committee.

Taja Vovk Cepic, director of the City Museum in Ljubljana, and Ulla Keding Olofsson, formerly of Riksutstallningar/Swedish Travelling Exhibitions in Stockholm, looked around the museum on Saturday.

The museum was one of four centres shortlisted for the recent £100,000 Gulbenkian award, and manager George Muirhead said he hoped for similar success this time around.

"We were delighted to welcome the judges to Locomotion," he said. "They were looking for museums of European class and we are convinced that Locomotion is that kind of museum.

"There are some incredible museums that are going to be looked at this year. It's helping to raise the standards of museums - but we feel that we are up there with the best of them."

Published: 21/06/2005