MUSEUM bosses were given the keys to their new £4.8m station showroom.

With Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon, County Durham, on track for a September 27 opening, the first of 60 carriages and engines due to go on show will arrive next month at the new collections centre recently completed by contractors Balfour Beatty.

Museum manager George Muirhead said: "This is a real landmark and a great success for all those involved."

Locomotion boasts a number of environment-saving features, including an electricity generating photovoltaic roof, a wind turbine and a rainwater harvesting system.

Work will now concentrate on landscaping and interpretation of the site, as well as the arrival of exhibits from across the country, including the Sans Pareil.

The Heritage Lottery Fund provided funding for the new building.