A RARE piece of British industrial history has found a new home in a west Cumbrian railway museum.

The nameplate from a former British Rail locomotive known as ‘Calder Hall Power Station’ is now on display in St Bees, thanks to a donation by Sellafield Ltd.

The item was unearthed by Sellafield's Heritage Team, led by Martin Denvir, as part of their work documenting the nuclear site’s history.

The Calder Hall Power Station name adorned two different Class 31 locomotives. Both began life ferrying coal to power stations but later switched to taking spent fuel to Sellafield.

It was this link that gave them their name after the world’s first full-scale nuclear power station, opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.

Mr Denvir said: "We think the nameplate was given to the Sellafield site as a keepsake at the time the loco was named.

“Spent fuel was delivered to Sellafield by train for many years so the site has had long links with the railway.”

One of the locomotives has since been scrapped and the other is used on a heritage railway in the Avon Valley. 

Peter Rooke, a retired civil engineer, has been amassing railway memorabilia for 20 years, collecting so many items he opened a museum to show them off.

Mr Denvir continued: “Peter has had his eye on the nameplate for a long time. It made sense for us to donate this to the museum so it can be enjoyed with his other exhibits.”

Mr Rooke added: "I’m grateful to Martin and the team for kindly donating this piece to the museum.

“Cumbria’s industrial history is intertwined with the history of the local railway network. They’re one and the same story really.

“I have always been interested in railways, where they went, and how they were built.

"They fascinated me when I was small and I have never grown out of them.''

Peter spent two years converting the museum's building which was previously the village's police station, and hairdressers.

For more information on opening times email him on petergrooke@btinternet.com