THE celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the Mallard smashing the world steam speed record are still making waves.

The National Railway Museum’s Mallard 75 activities have been named as a finalist in the Tourism Event of the Year at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

And the awards ceremony itself will this year be taking place in the North-East for the first time, at the Sage Gateshead on May 11.

Mallard 75 was a celebration of the famed locomotive setting its 126mph record in 1938 and included unique opportunities to see the engine re-united with its five remaining sister locos at the museum’s bases in York and Shildon.

The engines were shipped across from as far away as the USA and Canada and the “great gathering” as it was known sent visitor figures soaring.

The manager of the project was the NRM’s head of public programmes Tobias Lumb who said: “We are delighted that we are among the five finalists in these prestigious awards.

“It is great that our event and York tourism as a whole has been recognised at a national level.”