Gateshead boy has a Metro adventure after creating model of new train

James Whitfield even went on a Metro themed adventure with his model, taking it on one of the real new Metro trains with his parents.

His mum, Rebecca, 38, worked with James to produce the accurate recreation of the new Stadler Metro.

Rebecca said: “James is always playing with his trains and he loves the Metro, going on it with his nana and granda since he was really little. A few years ago I made him a fire engine and we went to the station and got pictures, and he kept asking us to make a new Metro train.

“When we got down to making it, we got cardboard boxes and a super glue gun and made the main shape. We then had to get the correct coloured yellow paint because James was insisting that he wanted the model to be of one of the new Metro trains.

“He made sure that everything was accurate, and his attention to detail was spot on with all of the little bits we added. We put St James on it with that being his name, and attached straps so James could wear it out, and then in mid-November, we headed to get on a Metro with it.”

It was during a trip on the Metro system to Newcastle International Airport, to get photos of James with his model, that the pair were noticed by Nexus staff and he got to meet one of the Metro drivers.

Rebecca added: “We were told that the staff had seen us on our journey with the Metro model from the control room, and it was great that they took the time to make the whole day really special for James, I couldn’t have been happier with how it went.

“They also sent out a keyring and a magnet for him to keep, as a thank you for us going out of our way to do this. James has been excitedly telling all of the other kids about what happened ever since, he thoroughly enjoyed himself.”