How the North East Transformed Railway Travel Forever

To mark the occasion, and the anniversary of the first journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway, a new festival will take place across County Durham and Tees Valley this year: S&DR200 is a nine-month series of events designed to showcase the spectacular railway heritage of the area. Festival Director Niccy Hallifax tells Living North more about how the North East became a game-changer in the industry, the legacy of the railway, and just what visitors can expect from S&DR200.

Culminating in the first passenger steam train journey in the world in 1825, the road to the first passenger train was a long one, full of innovation and grit. Spurred on by a desire to improve how coal was transported through the area, industry leaders were invited by Darlington-local Edward Pease to come up with innovative solutions. ‘Edward Pease, George Stephenson and other influential figures wanted to ensure that whatever they put in place would get their goods, as well as people, to the market faster,’ Niccy explains.

Ideas flooded in, from a new canal to a horse-drawn railway. This was when leading engineer George Stephenson stepped in. Hailing from Northumberland, Stephenson had been designing locomotives for decades and argued for the use of steampower over horsepower, or a canal. ‘George Stephenson actually walked the route,’ Niccy explains, and he decided that whatever was created needed to be powered by an engine rather than horses. ‘We know that engines had been produced for the collieries, but they hadn’t travelled much further than that.’

The rest, as they say, is history. Although the incredible feat of engineering can be attributed to a few individuals, Stockton & Darlington Railway was able to succeed because of the invaluable help of the local community. ‘It was decided that it would be a really good opportunity for people to get involved, and even as a woman you could buy bonds,’ says Niccy. ‘It’s a really big story in that local people funded it, and they were very mindful of the fact that they wanted it to benefit all and hopefully, at the time, they felt like it did.’

Two centuries have passed since then, and Niccy feels it’s important to keep the local community connected to this heritage. ‘I think internationally it’s very well known. People come to visit the region to see where that first train travelled from,’ she says. ‘I think people should be really proud, and stand up and shout about the achievement and continue to shout about their history.’ 

For Niccy, the 200th anniversary celebrations should be about local pride. ‘To me, it’s about having a sense of pride in the North East. What also needs to be showcased is the tenacity of the people who not only lived here, but live here.’

Looking into the future, Niccy hopes that this year’s celebrations (including the S&DR200 festival and smaller local celebrations) will become a significant moment in the railway’s history in their own right, for future generations to look back on with fondness and pride. ‘I always say this is just the first word of a sentence,’ Niccy explains. ‘A lot of the stories have been handed down through families and what we want to do is make sure this 200-year anniversary makes its own memories. In 200 years’ time they can say these were the people who took part, and this was their story.’

As part of the UK-wide celebrations, and to honour that first rail journey, S&DR200 has events planned across the region, which began with the spectacular open-air show All Change in March. During the journey through 200 years of railway history, significant moments were brought to life with enormous set pieces, projections and music, and there’s much more still to come, including a brand new exhibit, Railway Pioneers, at Hopetown from April to June, and STEAM to The Future, an art exhibition blending the history of steam railway and the growing green sector in Teesside, in July. The S&DR200 Fringe will take place until November, giving art communities the chance to celebrate in their own unique way, and a new Trail of Discovery game will be available from May and continue beyond 2025. Explorers can undertake parts of a new 26-mile walking and cycling route, and using the online game, they can find out fascinating facts, listen to podcasts about the area and collect tokens to create their own cavalcade.

Particularly significant this year will be WOW North East in October at Durham’s Gala Theatre. ‘Women of the World Festival has never been to the North East of England before and it will be packed with talks, commissions and performances celebrating the stories and achievements of women from our region and beyond,’ Niccy explains. ‘I think that was really important to all of us on the board because the story of women in the archives when I was looking back has been somewhat lost.’

To mark the actual anniversary of the first journey in September, guests can expect a newly renovated replica of Locomotion No 1 which will travel along sections of the original S&DR line, which at its height ran 26 miles from Witton Park to Stockton via Darlington and Yarm (you can still see parts of the old line at Brusselton). As well as the official festival celebrations, Niccy hopes this year inspires people from across the North East to create their own celebrations. ‘We’ve put the marker in the ground,’ she says. ‘At the end of the day the community is at the centre of this.’