IT’S every schoolboy’s dream to be a train driver – but how many would jump at the chance to keep tabs on lots of trains as they move through our railway city?

Now visitors to York’s National Railway Museum (NRM) will be able to “track” train movements in and out of the city’s station on the East Coast Main Line, using the museum’s new signalling display, which portrays real-time train information from the York Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC).

The new display was opened by the chairman of Network Rail, Rick Haythornthwaite, at a special ceremony attended by 20 important supporters of the museum.

Situated by the NRM’s viewing balcony, which looks over the East Coast Main Line, the new signalling display will allow visitors to monitor a stretch of railway about 50 miles long, from Northallerton to Doncaster.

The NRM’s former signalling display was always very popular with visitors, so the museum is delighted to have been able to transform this old favourite into a brand new display.

Bob Gwynne, exhibitions and creative content developer at the NRM, said: “Many people think the NRM is all about railway history and forget that we actually have a number of exhibits and displays that tell the story of the railways right up to present day.

“The viewing balcony and new signalling display portraying train information from the York IECC means visitors can keep an eye on movements on the railways right across our region as they happen, and can learn a lot about working in the railway industry today. The really exciting thing about the new signalling display is that it is in real time and is therefore always going to be the most up-to-date display in the museum.”