A THEMED walking tour will shed light on the growth and decline of the region’s railway industry.

Locomotion: The National Rail Museum at Shildon, County Durham, has organised the special tour as part of this year’s nationwide Heritage Open Days project.

The free tours will take place at 11am and 2pm daily from Thursday, September 8, to Sunday, September 11.

Participants will be accompanied by Locomotion’s knowledgeable guides and will be led around the exteriors of the historic buildings around the museum site.

They will also have access to materials such as maps and photographs so that changes in the heritage buildings and the town of Shildon can be clearly visualised.

The fabrics of the former railway buildings will also be investigated, as they are a fantastic source of archaeological evidence for the story this tour is to tell.

Tours start at the main Collection Building, last around one hour, and cover less than one mile. For more information, please call the museum team on 01388-777999.