Later this month, it will be 200 years since the steam engine Locomotion No. 1 took its maiden journey along the world’s first public railway line, which linked the mining works at south Durham with Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington in north-east England. A local public holiday was declared and overseas visitors and on-the-spot reporters spread news of this giant technological leap to the world.
From 26 to 28 September this year, a newly renovated replica of Locomotion No. 1, pulling coal-carrying wagons and a replica of its passenger carriage, Experiment, will re-enact that first journey. The train was designed by George Stephenson, a mechanical engineer from just outside Newcastle who, despite being illiterate until the age of 18, became known as the “Father of the Railways”.
The replica, first built in 1975 for the 150th anniversary, has been restored by the International Heritage Railway Consultancy. The engine needed to be fully stripped back and refurbished to meet modern day regulations, enabling it to travel on live train lines. The original Locomotion No. 1 was heavily damaged in 1828 when its boiler exploded, killing its driver. Although it was rebuilt, the engine became obsolete within ten years. It has been a museum exhibit since 1857, now on show at Locomotion, a museum in Shildon—a town on the original route.
So many little things we now take for granted were first made possible by rail
Steve Davies, Locomotion No. 1 restorer
“Our world was really shaped by the railways, not by roads,” says Steve Davies, a former colonel in the British Army who is overseeing the restoration and running of Locomotion No. 1. “Rail made the country much smaller. So many little things we now take for granted were first made possible by rail. Fish and chips were only made possible by railways getting fresh fish into the middle of the country. Horse racing events used to be much smaller because people had to ride their horses to the races and didn’t want to tire them out on a long journey.”
Railways became a huge export business. “For many years the British Empire was run on tech built in Darlington,” Davies says. Today, there are more than 1.3 million kilometres of railway track in the world—three times more than would be needed to reach the moon. The global rail industry is worth £440bn and is expected to grow to £582bn by 2030.
Military fanfare
The train’s arrival in Stockton on 28 September will be greeted by a 21-gun salute from the Royal Artillery, replicating the military salute given to the original train on its maiden journey. A small number of invited guests will get a seat in the passenger carriage and spectators will have a unique train-spotting experience as the train replicates the original journey with stops along the way.
“This is shaping up to be an unmissable event,” says Robert Pritchard, the editor of Today’s Railways UK magazine. “It will be great to see the newly renovated replica in action.”
The train’s restoration was financed through a grant from Tees Valley Combined Authority. The wider S&DR200 festival, which includes a range of events throughout the year, is funded by Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. The organisers are hoping to attract people from the local area, particularly families with children, as well as heritage and railway enthusiasts from across the country and around the world. Turnout so far is encouraging, the organisers say.
“With S&DR200 we have an amazing mix of science and engineering heritage from the past which enables us to understand the challenges we face now in order to find future solutions,” says Niccy Hallifax, the festival director. While the birth of the railways and the industrial revolution changed the world in many positive ways, she says, it also began the process of climate change through the burning of fossil fuels.
Hallifax says the electrification of modern trains can now be a part of tackling a problem their predecessors began. “You could easily envisage a new age of trains, one that is green and helps us with the biggest challenge to our existence yet,” she says. “Through celebrating Locomotion No. 1 we are, we hope, going to inspire the next generation to dream big, for the benefit of all.”
Money train: Locomotion, a museum in Shildon, County Durham, has received a £14m upgrade Science Museum Group
Cultural overhaul in the region
Leading up to the festival, nearly £100m has been spent developing the region’s cultural infrastructure, with a host of local museums and heritage attractions receiving support.
Preston Park Museum & Grounds is building a new large, flexible exhibition space for nationally significant touring exhibitions that will open in summer or autumn this year. This project got the green light after Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council secured £20m from the Levelling Up Fund.
A further £37m has been secured for Hopetown, a visitor attraction in Darlington encompassing North Road Station Museum, an immersive experience ride called Experiment!, a Stockton & Darlington Railway-themed outdoor play park and live engineering at Darlington Locomotive Works.
£14m has been spent upgrading Locomotion in Shildon, making it Europe’s biggest undercover collection of heritage locomotives, restored historic buildings and structures relating to the early railway history of the area. As well as improving the visitor facilities, it has relocated the original Gaunless Bridge, designed by Stephenson, whose “Stephenson gauge” became the standard for railways worldwide.
The Story, a museum that opened in Durham in June 2024, received £23m. It is the new home for some of the region’s most important heritage collections, including the County Durham archives, local archaeological finds and uniforms, and medals and artefacts from the Durham Light Infantry Brigade. These are housed in the restored Grade II-listed Mount Oswald manor house, built in 1800.
