ORGANISERS of a new celebration of the North-East's railway heritage have pledged that all profits will be ploughed back into future events.

And they have promised not to make the same mistakes made by Rail 2000, the company behind the failed Cavalcade of Steam event.

Darlington's A Full Head of Steam and Teesside's Aria have been commissioned by the Darlington Borough Council to organise a three-day event at the end of September.

It will be centred on Darlington's railway museum and feature, steam railway rides, a funfair, a world record attempt at "doing the locomotion", and a firework display and a military concert by Darlington's Royal Signals Territorial Army band sponsored by The Northern Echo.

Vince Eckerman, managing director of Aria, said: "We don't want to go down the same route as Rail 2000 and make audacious promises. We won't prom-ise anything will be featured unless we have got the money to do it."

The focus of the event, timed to coincide with the 175th anniversary of the Darlington to Stockton Railway, will be a huge 110ft by 55ft marquee in the park next to the museum, which will play host to live bands playing music on a railway theme.

Tickets are expected to cost about £5 each for the whole three days or £2.50 for a single day.

It is hoped more than 20,000 people will be attracted to the celebration over the three days