FAMOUS periods in the history of the railways are to be brought back to life after enthusiasts secured a grant of more than £14,000.

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum is to become an even greater learning complex for the area's youngsters, thanks to the cash injection from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The money will go towards the creation of Time Trackers, a three-year living history project.

Under the scheme, the museum will be transformed to illustrate key times in the development of the railways.

In each case the museum, housed in an 1842 railway station and home to prize exhibit the Locomotion steam engine, will provide the background for a variety of stories and characters.

The Time Trackers project will run for two weeks, twice a year, for each of the next three years, starting with a Victorian event this November.

Characters involved will include a Victorian train driver, an Irish navvy working on building the railways and a schoolmistress newly-arrived in Darlington, who has come to teach the children of the rapidly-expanding town.

The size of the grant means that the project can be offered to schools throughout the borough free of charge, opening up learning opportunities.

Schools making visits will also receive teachers' notes and activity sheets for children.

Darlington Borough Council's cabinet member for leisure, Councillor Dorothy Long, said: "This is tremendous news for the museum and means we can now offer a free educational resource of the highest quality to all schools."

The Heritage Lottery Fund's North-East manager, Dr Keith Bartlett, said: "It's an excellent example of how history can be brought alive.

"It allows people to understand the past and how their ancestors used to live in a fun, yet informative, way."

The £14,283 grant is one of the first to be announced since the Heritage Lottery Fund opened regional offices in Newcastle.