Since opening in September 2004, Locomotion – The National Railway Museum at Shildon has attracted one and a quarter million visitors to a part of County Durham which is steeped in railway history. From the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825 through the long heritage of the North Eastern Railway and latterly British Railways wagon works, the museum celebrates both the local and national story through its location, buildings and being home to some 70 vehicles from the National Collection.

The display varies on an almost weekly basis, and no two visits are the same. A vibrant programme of events ensures that there is always something to see, and operating steam train rides on selected occasions brings the site to life. Over the last eight years, Anthony Coulls the National Railway Museum’s Senior Curator of Rail Vehicle Collections has been intimately involved with the setting up and operation of the museum and his camera has never been far away. In this handy-sized hardback book containing over 60 photographs, he presents a selection of the everyday and the special occasions, giving a unique insight into the life of the museum – the first National Museum in the North East of England.

Anthony has worked in industrial and transport museums since graduating from the Ironbridge Institute in 1997. He worked initially at the National Railway Museum as a Curatorial Assistant, then as a Research Associate working on railways as World Heritage Sites. In 1999 he moved to become Assistant Keeper of Working Life at Leicestershire Museums, which included rebuilding the colliery railway at Snibston Museum in Coalville. 2001 saw a move north to be Curator of Energy at the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester until he moved eight years ago to the National Railway Museum’s second museum at Shildon in County Durham. Late in 2009 he became Senior Curator of Rail Vehicle Collections and works between York, Shildon and wherever the collection happens to be. He has also been an active volunteer on the locomotives of the Talyllyn Railway since 1990.

Imprint: PiXZ Books. ISBN 978 0 85710 064 1, hardback, 110x155mm, 64 pages. Published May 2012.