Sculptors help rail museum take steam trip into holidays of the past

World-renowned sculptor Jamie Wardley has been joined by artist Zara Gaze to create the giant artwork using 20 tonnes of sand at the National Railway Museum in York.

The locomotive, City of Truro, which is pulling daily steam rides during the summer holidays, is acting as a real-life model for the train in the enormous work of art due to be finished today and on display until September 5.

Mr Wardley has travelled the world making sculptures from ice, snow and sand, and was looking forward to crafting a rail-related piece on home ground.

He said: "Being surrounded by 200 years of railway history at the National Railway Museum should push me to create something really spectacular.

"It's the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Great Western Railway, which promoted itself as the holiday line, so I'm feeling really inspired by that, especially having seen some of the museum's poster collection.

Mr Wardley, a former environmental scientist, discovered his talent while visiting Norway after seeing an artist creating figures.