What? A train sculpture and a sculpture park.

Why? Why go to Darlington to see trains, when York has such a splendid collection? Well, have you ever seen a brick train in York? This has to be one of the most imaginative modern "sculptures" I have ever seen.

It was designed ten years ago by David Mach to celebrate the town's rich railway heritage but built by brickies from York builders Shepherd out of more than 181,000 bricks.

It weighs 15,000 tonnes and is 130 ft long. We found it situated slightly incongruously up an embankment from a bypass, and close to a Morrisons supermarket (the retailer commissioned the sculpture) where you can park easily.

The structure is a life-size re-creation of the famous "Mallard" locomotive coming out of a tunnel, complete with smoke billowing.

It commemorates Darlington's role in the development of the railways, and is situated only 1,000 yards from the world's first railway line, which ran from Stockton to Darlington.

We climbed a gentle slope to a viewing platform overlooking the train from above.

Anything else to see? We had earlier seen a range of other contemporary sculptures in a newly created park in Darlington, West Park Sculpture Park. This family-friendly park is a great place to let off steam, where children can climb gentle slopes to get close to the sculptures.

When? Train sculpture can be visited free of charge at any time. Park open 9am to 5pm daily.

Refreshments? They can be bought at the retail park near the train sculpture.

Family friendly? Yes - plenty of space to run around at both sites.

Wheelchair friendly? Yes

How much? Free.

Parking? Some available at both locations.

How do you get there? To get to the park from the A1(M), take junction 58 and follow signs for Darlington A68. Travel straight over the first roundabout, turn right at Mill Garage, and look for limited parking near to the entrance to West Park. Train sculpture is situated on the outskirts, by the A66 bypass.

For more information: call 01325 388666.