Exhibition and visiting locomotive at North Tyneside Steam Railway

Throughout June, North Tyneside Steam Railway is celebrating North Shields 800 with an exhibition, talks by guest speakers and now a visiting locomotive!

We’re excited to announce that 1958-built T.I.C. No.35 has returned to North Shields for the first time in over three decades, thanks to Tanfield Railway. This is the locomotive’s first trip away from Tanfield in preservation! No.35 will be the star exhibit of the ‘North Shields by Rail’ Exhibition (1st-29th June) before appearing in a Photographic Evening (4th July) and Diesel Gala (5th & 6th July).

The Tyne Improvement Commission (T.I.C.) owned a sprawling network of tracks covering Whitehill Point and the docks, fanning out across the land almost immediately south of the current Percy Main terminus.

No.35 was one of five diesel electric locomotives purchased by the T.I.C. to replace the steam engines at Albert Edward Dock in North Shields (the area now covered by Royal Quays Marina). Here, it worked with bolster wagons like T.I.C. No.21, which has been a resident at our railway since 2022 and will appear alongside No.35 in the exhibition.

Come and see the exhibition yourself to learn more about the history of railways in North Shields, from wooden waggonways right up to the Metro of today!