Who are we?

The North Tyneside Steam Railway Association is a not-for-profit charitable organisation which was formed in 1977, originally as The Monkwearmouth Station Museum Association, for the purpose of assisting the then named Tyne & Wear Joint Museums Service to restore railway related items at the former Goods Shed at Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. 

 

In 1982/4 North Tyneside Council acquired the sheds that had been built for the Tyne & Wear Metro Test Track. A partnership was formed between Tyne and Wear Museums and the Council to construct a steam-hauled passenger railway rather than a static transport museum. The North Tyneside Steam Railway Association formed at the site after the Monkwearmouth Station Museum Association relocated to Middle Engine Lane, bringing with them some items of rolling stock they had been restoring in the Monkwearmouth station's goods shed, which was in a deteriorating condition. From 1987, volunteers conducted the works necessary to relay a single track from the museum to Percy Main. The line was completed in 1989 and the first passenger trains ran in early 1991.

 

The North Tyneside Steam Railway runs from Middle Engine Lane to Percy Main, running past Silverlink retail centre and roughly following the former British Rail lines. The Association aims to create a create a high quality and authentic evocation of the steam age in the North East for all ages. The railway operates with the dedication and commitment of volunteers.