Date: 2006-02-22, Publication: The Journal

The reopening of one of the North's most historic railway buildings will be marked by getting as far away from it as possible.

The Grade II-star listed Monkwearmouth Station Museum in Sunderland, built in the Greek style in 1848 for local MP and "Railway King" George Hudson, has been closed since last summer for a £1m overhaul.

Staff came up with the idea of plotting how far it would be possible to travel by rail from Sunderland.

The answer is Saigon in Vietnam, and are now planning to send two of three "ambassadors" for the North-East on the 9,000-mile journey to coincide with the re-opening of the museum and its new galleries at the end of this year.

The party would include a film maker to send back dispatches so that museum visitors would be able to keep track of the stages of the journey through Russia, Siberia and China. The travellers would create links between the North-East and other countries and cultures en route, linking with other museums, railway staff, passengers and schools while collecting items to bring back to the North-East.

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