STAFF at the North-East's first national museum are facing the challenge of putting back together one of its locomotives after it arrived in several parts.

The Avonside 0-6-0 Locomotive Woolmer had to be taken apart to have asbestos removed from the lining of its boiler.

It was delivered to Locomotion: National Railway Museum, in Shildon, County Durham, in parts and now staff are looking forward to re-assembling the engine so it can take pride of place among its exhibits.

The Woolmer is one of a number of engines that have arrived at the multi-million pound museum in the past few weeks.

One of the main attractions will be the P3, which is the last Great North Eastern engine to have been built at the North Road Works, in Darlington, in 1923.

The turn around in exhibits comes as museum bosses wait anxiously to find out if it has won Britain's biggest art award.

The winner of the Gulbenkian Museum of the Year award will be announced tonight on BBC Radio Four's Front Row programme, at 7.30pm, and later on the Culture Show on BBC2.

Shildon is facing stiff competition from the Time and Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth, the National Mining Museum of Wales and the Coventry Transport Museum.

Published: 26/05/2005