NORTH ROAD RAIL MUSEUM

I READ Gordon Fraser's letter (HAS, Dec 9)) while on a weekend visit to the North Road Railway Museum in Darlington.

His admirable sentiments towards the National Rail collection at York and the Hackworth Museum at Shildon must surely be extended to include the North Road site.

The Shildon museum is named after that great early railway engineer, Timothy Hackworth, in whose house it is displayed, while the North Road Museum occupies the Stockton and Darlington Railway's original station. The station is still in "active service", used by Bishop Auckland-Saltburn trains which therefore offer direct rail access to the museum. Road access is from North Road, parking is ample, admission is but £2 from 10am-5pm every day.

The museum contains original early locomotives and rolling stock and a wealth of railway models and related material. At weekends there are brakevan rides behind a real steamer very similar to Merlin at Shildon, and you can see a real express steam locomotive actually under construction!

But North Road also houses the Ken Hoole Study Centre, named after the man who brought together an invaluable collection of North Eastern railway books, documents and photographs, and, indeed, of the nation's unique Industrial Revolution in which our railways played such an important part.

When in the North-East visit North Road. - NW Hill, Hitchin, Herts

MIND

I AM writing to ask your readers if they will take part in the experience of a lifetime by cycling 460km through breathtakingly beautiful Vietnam for Mind, the mental health charity.

Here are four good reasons why: 1. You only pay an initial £299 fee and have to raise a minimum sponsorship in return for which flights accommodation, meals, and bike are provided; 2. You will enjoy a fascinating and specially designed itinerary on a ten-day trip from the Majestic Marble Mountains to Saigon; 3. Sponsorship from one participant would pay for the cost of the entire Mind Infoline for four working days, helping and advising 400 people in distress; 4. Top fundraisers win £50 Argos vouchers.

Call 0870 012 9001 for an information pack, e-mail vietna