A TOILET that might have been used by Victorian civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and sit-on model trains from the 1950s are among objects on display at Newton Abbot Museum’s free Making Tracks exhibition.

The exhibition is part of the national Railway 200 celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and the start of a global rail revolution.

It explores the lasting impact the railway has had on Newton Abbot and its community since arriving in 1846.

The town and its locomotive repair facilities would become so important to the national rail network that it became known as ‘the Swindon of the West’.

Museum Curator Dr Charlotte Dixon said: ‘This exhibition is a celebration of the railway.

'Newton Abbot prides itself as a heritage railway town, from the coming of the railway in 1846, Brunel’s broad gauge designs to the importance of the railway in the war effort to the present day.

‘The museum has a significant collection of railway themed objects, from a toilet that may have been used by Brunel to railway workers clothing to tools, brochures, photos, plans and much more.

This exhibition ties in with Railway 200 and is a great opportunity to share a sample of the many railway artefacts looked after by the museum.’

Other objects on display include a 1930s GWR uniform, section of broad gauge track, a notebook detailing the 1940 air raids on Newton Abbot, 1930s holiday guides and a slide show of more than 100 historic rail photos.

The sit-on model trains once travelled along a 400ft raised track built by members of the Newton Abbot and District Model Engineering Society (NADMES) in the grounds of The Penn Inn.

They were in use from 1953 to 1961 when roadworks to create the Penn Inn roundabout demanded its dismantling.

Museum entry is free.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm and Saturday 9.30am to 1.30pm and the exhibition runs until August 30.