A North East railway museum has been gifted a piece of iconic transport history from Metro operator Nexus.
The Stephenson Steam Railway Museum, located on Middle Engine Lane, North Shields, is soon to be the new home for the 4001 Metro car. This was the first Metro prototype.
The 4001 was also the first Metro to travel to South Hylton after the opening of the Sunderland line in April 2002.
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Geoff Woodward, museums manager at Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums said: "The other exciting thing that is about to happen is the Metro car 4001 is coming home to Stephenson Railway. At one stage the site was the Metro test track for a number of years and they tested out the Metro service and rolling stock with people from the local community.
"Nexus has very kindly gifted us one of the prototype cars. So we will be taking delivery of that. We will accommodate it on our premium new section of track.
"The long-term vision is we will secure some funding to build a new small museum building which will accommodate the Metro car and also some of the other Metro material to tell the story of the Metro, which is such a big part of this area."
North Tyneside councillors were informed however, the museum is unable to run the historic Metro as the site is not equipped with suitable tracks.
A Nexus spokesperson said: “The current Metro fleet has served the people of Tyne and Wear extremely well over the last 43 years, so it’s only right that some of those trains are preserved for heritage purposes.
“Both Nexus and Stadler are committed to this happening, alongside the hard work that is going on to get the first new Metro train ready for service later this year.
“The first prototype Metro train, carriage 4001, is being donated to the Stephenson Railway Museum in North Tyneside. This will happen in the coming months.
“It will be a bit of homecoming for the train, as the museum is on the site of the old Metro test track, where that train was first delivered in May 1975 for trials and driver training in advance of the Metro system opening in 1980.
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“We are looking forward to the team at the Stephenson Museum taking receipt of the old train and putting it on display for their visitors.
“These old trains have been real workhorses over the last four decades. They helped to change the face of public transport in our region, and when they first came into service they were the envy of other UK cities.
“They have given us outstanding service and have clocked up many thousands of miles, running for 20 hours a day, seven days a week. These trains are iconic and many people will be sad to see them go.
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“The driver’s eye view that you get from the front passenger seat, something which is always very popular with families who use Metro, is just one aspect that will be missed.
“While we rightly celebrate the service of our trains, it’s vital that we look to the future. They have become an increasing maintenance challenge and the new Stadler trains will transform the service for our customers and secure Metro’s future for future generations.
“The old trains will continue for now, and they do have a heritage value that will be recognised.”
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