A RAILWAY which preserves the unsung heroes of North-East steam is to build a museum for its carriages.

The volunteer-run Tanfield Railway, near Stanley, County Durham, is planning a £100,000 storage building for wooden carriages that were made for the North Eastern and Great Northern railways at the end of the 19th Century.

The carriages are kept outside along with other old rolling stock the railway has collected.

Visitors to the railway, part of which dates from 1725 and is the world's oldest working railway, can walk around the siding where the trucks are kept and the new building will be open to the public.

The railway has set up the Tyneside Locomotive Museum Trust to carry out the project, which has won £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The three-mile line preserves the tank engines that were once common sights in docks, mines and big factories across the region.

It attracts 40,000 visitors a year and has featured in television period dramas such as the Catherine Cookson stories.

Trust chairman Richard Charlton said the railway's collection of rolling stock and steam and diesel engines had been recognised as being of national importance.

He said the eight restored carriages were in regular use on the line, but were currently left outside.

He said: "They are subject to weather and vandalism.

"A couple of years ago, there were 60 windows of carriages broken.

"If we can get them better protected, they will not need so much protection. It is not really intended as a museum.

"The whole idea is geared to protecting them but, as a spin-off, if we have public access, we can have guided tours. We are very pleased to get the grant."

The line has several old engines awaiting restoration. They were all either built on Tyneside or used in the area.

The steel-framed building will mainly be built by volunteers.

Mr Charlton said: "We were recently surveyed by the National Railway Museum, and they said there was no finer collection of things built on Tyneside.

"We have been around for a long time, and the Heritage Lottery Fund grant is a big vote of confidence in our efforts.''

The line is holding a Victorian themed day, with two trains running from 11am today.