One of the fortunate few able to take a brief ride on the Locomotion No. 1 wonders aloud which way we'll be going. The reply comes: "It's a bit of a surprise actually. We'll see."

The steam billows, the bell rings, you hear a deep chug and feel a jolt beneath the 'Experiment' passenger carriage - it's forwards. "We're off."

The working replica picks up pace and passes its namesake railway museum. It's a treat for the senses with the bumps and judders, the clank, grind, whir and roar of immense shifting metal under your feet, and the undulating pistons and rods up ahead.

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It's only a 10-minute journey back and forth along t

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