IN YEARS gone by, the scene was very similar. Rows of railway lines spread across the sidings at Shildon, County Durham, the town known as the cradle of the railways.

In 2002, work is expected to begin on an offshoot of the National Railway Museum, boosting efforts to preserve that heritage.

The artist's drawing above shows how the development could bring all that back, with a difference. Unlike the days before the railway works closed in 1984, there will be a more modern look to the town.

The museum, which will join with the Timothy Hackworth Victorian and Railway Museum, will be glass-roofed and walled, allowing the surrounding scenery to become part of the bustling scene.

Sedgefield Borough Council has been given multi-million pound National Lottery support for the scheme to bring a large part of the National Railway Museum's collection to Shildon.

On Wednesday, the Heritage Lottery Fund announced initial support for a £4.57m bid, which would go a long way towards making the £6.1m dream a reality.