Simon Dowling, aged 38 from High Heaton in Newcastle, has paid his own tribute to the outgoing Metrocars on the Tyne and Wear Metro – by getting a tattoo of one! He has had the train tattooed on his calf and it will now be a forever reminder of the historic fleet ahead of their final withdrawal in 2026.
Simon, who already has 29 other tattoos, took inspiration from the original prototype, 4001, which has now entered preservation at the Stephenson Steam Railway,
Simon commented: “I saw someone else getting a train tattoo and that’s when I suddenly thought about getting one of the Metro. I love the Metro. It’s been a big part of my life, getting me to university and then to places of work. In the Covid lockdown me and my son would walk down to the local Metro station to watch the trains going by.
“That first ever Metro train was a big inspiration for me as well, and my great aunt was actually there on the first day that the Metro opened in 1980.
“A lot of people go for tattoos of local landmarks like the Tyne Bridge, or football club crests, but I wanted to do get something a bit different, and still show off that I’m proud to come from Newcastle and proud to be a Geordie.
“I have a fond memory of getting the Metro on the day that the Sunderland line opened in 2002, we even bunked off school to ride the trains.
“I don’t class myself as some kind of superfan but it’s fair to say I’m fond of our Metro system. The old trains are iconic, and I’m also really looking forward to all the new ones being in service too.
“The tattoo is my own little tribute to the old trains given that they’re being phased out, and there won’t be any left in service in the next year or so.
“I got the tattoo done at the Start Today Tattoo studio in Gateshead. A big shout to Zach who did such a great job on it. It’s a stick and poke tattoo, which is where a needle is manually dipped in ink and poked into the skin, one dot at a time, without needing the use of an electric tattoo machine, so it’s less painful.
“My wife Dawn did joke with me about the fact I was getting a Metro train, but I really like it and I’ve had many people complimenting me on it.”
Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said: “This is a unique tribute to our old train fleet. We’ve not seen someone celebrate Metro through body art before, so fair play to Simon for getting it done. It looks amazing. It’s a lasting reminder of our very first train, which we recently donated to the Stephenson Steam Railway in North Tyneside.”