ONE of the railway industry's finest treasures has claimed its rightful place at the heart of a multi-million pound museum.

Sans Pareil, rail pioneer Timothy Hackworth's most famous creation, was standing proudly in the middle of an 1884 Sunday school last night, where it will become one of the star attractions at the new Locomotion: National Railway Museum, in Shildon, County Durham.

On Tuesday, it was returned to the town where it was built, but a last-minute hitch meant that it had to be stored in the museum's 6,000sq ft collections centre overnight, before it could be guided into the Sunday school yesterday.

Hackworth's two great-great grandchildren, Jane Hackworth Young and Ulick Loring, returned to the museum to watch as the engine was eased carefully from a low loader lorry on to "large roller skates".

Mr Loring, who travelled from his home in Twickenham, west London, for the event, said that it was a proud day.

He said: "I am pleased to be here. I remember when I was young, when my family took me to the science museum to see this engine that was built by one of my ancestors. It was like a pilgrimage.

"My grandfather, Robert Young, wrote about Hackworth and I have been brought up on his legend.''

Museum bosses and contractors were locked in talks for most of Tuesday afternoon as they scrutinised the calculations they had made on how to get the locomotive into the Sunday school.

A huge hole had been knocked through the wall at the side of the building and its floor had been reinforced ready for Tuesday's challenge.

But the task ahead was daunting and rescheduled for yesterday.

It took dozens of workers nearly six hours to prepare, unload and place Sans Pareil in the Sunday school, which is only yards from where Hackworth built it, at his Soho works in 1829, for the Rainhill Trials.

Museum boss George Muirhead said: "I think that it is really great that it is actually here.

"Now that it is in the building, we feel we are really on our way to having a great museum.''

Published: 29/07/2004