A DESCENDANT of railway king George Hudson - the magnate who made York a vital rail hub - has travelled from her home in Canada to York’s National Railway Museum to uncover the story behind his controversial past.

Nancy ‘Nan’ Hudson, a fifth generation descendant of the railway investor, met researchers and archivists at the museum to discover more about the Hudson family legacy.

A museum spokeswoman said Hudson was one of the most mercurial figures in railway history and was responsible for persuading George Stephenson to route the rail line from Newcastle to London through York, rather than bypassing it on the way to Leeds.

“As a result, York became a key part of Britain’s burgeoning rail network,” she said.

Nan Hudson said her visit to York and the National Railway Museum had been a “deeply moving experience.”

She said: “I’ve wanted to delve into the family legacy for a while and now I’m in my sixties, and nearing retirement, I felt it was time to make a start.

“Seeing historic portraits, objects and documents of the time up close was so insightful. I had no idea for instance about the petition signed by hundreds of investors begging George to take over the Eastern Counties Railway.

“There has been a George in the Hudson family for five generations now, so to be able to put together a picture of the person who played such a significant part in our family, and to see the city he loved, was just wonderful.”

Museum senior curator Ed Bartholomew said Hudson had been one of the most controversial figures in the history of Britain’s railways.

“Known as the ‘Railway King’, in the 1840s he was responsible for financing, creating and controlling a major part of the railway network - but his unscrupulous business practices led to his downfall and he died in disgrace in 1871,” he said.

“Yet Hudson’s legacy lives on. He made York a vital railway hub and, ultimately, that’s one of the main reasons why the National Railway Museum is located in the city today.”