We are taking part in the Collections Trust’s Hidden Treasures event this Bank Holiday (22-27 August). You will have an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of our less known and less seen railway treasures on twice daily tours we are running throughout the event.
Some of the treasures we are lining up for you include the famous “Backhouse letter”. John Backhouse wrote back to his sisters describing and illustrating the first ever train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
And we will have out our earliest item (1795) which is a manuscript of the 1797 published edition of John Curr’s coal viewer that we have in the library.
Plus some of our notable engineering drawings, early timetables and tickets.
Aside from the Treasures on show you will also get a chance to see and hear about the vast collections that are looked after in our stores by staff who work with them everyday.
If this has whetted your appetite, please come and join us. The tours are free but you will need to book as we have a limit on the number of people we can accommodate in the stores. For more information on bookings, please see our website here. At present there are places available every day during the event, but these are getting snapped up so, to avoid disappointment, it’s a good idea to book your tour sooner rather than later!