DARLINGTON'S Railway Centre and Museum is allowing visitors to see its £1.7m refurbishment before completion.

As part of English Heritage's Heritage Open Days next month, the museum will offer two free, guided, hard hat tours on Saturday, September 8, and Sunday, September 9, at 11am and 1pm.

There are no places available on the 11am tours, but anyone wanting to join the 1pm tour is asked to contact museum staff on 01325-460532.

The museum, based at the grade II-listed North Road Station building, is home of the world's first passenger railway and George Stephenson's Locomotion.

It closed at Easter for refurbishment work, and contractors have been carefully moving historic locomotives in and out of the museum.

Locomotion, driven by George Stephenson on the first passenger rail journey on the Stockton to Darlington Railway in 1825, has moved from its old position on the platform to the tracks.

During the hour-long tours, staff will talk about the work and how the museum will look once the refurbishment is completed next March.

Refreshments will be provided.