The world’s railways are celebrating an important anniversary at the end of September 2025 with special events to mark 200 years since the first ever passenger steam train journey.
On 27 September 1825 in County Durham in the northeast of England, the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) officially launched Locomotion No.1 (originally called “Active”). It was built by Robert Stephenson and Co – a family team that included Robert’s brother James as the inaugural driver, and their dad, George Stephenson, aka the “Father of the Railways.” The nearly seven-tonne, cast iron construction with a timber frame ran on a line that connected collieries near Shildon with the stations of Darlington and Stockton. Tragedy struck just three years later when the train’s boiler exploded and the driver was killed, but the locomotive was rebuilt and soon entered into railway legend, becoming one of the first to be restored for preservation in the mid-19th century.
Now, two centuries on, a renovated replica of the engine and passenger carriage called “Experiment” will reincarnate the historic moment the train made its maiden outing. Starting out on Friday 26 September from the Locomotion Rail Museum in Shildon, and ending on Sunday 28 September in Stockton where it will be welcomed with a 21-gun salute from the Royal Artillery, the “Anniversary Journey” will give history buffs and railway fans a blast from the past.
Selected guests will have the honour of a seat in the passenger carriage and for everyone else free but ticketed viewing areas are available in Shildon, Darlington and Stockton, including the site of the rail museum in Spout Lane and the oldest railway bridge still in use, Skerne Bridge. Local media are reporting that the bicentennial event can also be witnessed from spectator zones at Preston Road, Darlington Market Place and Hartburn Fields. A celebratory picnic will take place in Hackworth Park in Shildon on Saturday, complete with a brass band, singers, and a theatrical performance of STEAM, an original show by Southpaw Company.
Robert Pritchard, the editor of Today’s Railways UK has described the proceedings as “shaping up to be an unmissable event,” but for those who can’t make it, the Anniversary Journey is not the only opportunity to celebrate such a momentous turning point in railway history. Almost £100 million (€114.5 million) has been spent on regional cultural infrastructure ahead of the occasion, including on Preston Park Museum and Grounds, Darlington’s Hopetown attraction, and The Story history museum in Durham.
As ever, it is not possible to please all the people all the time. Unfortunately, some modern rail commuters on Northern will have to be content with replacement bus services for parts of their journeys over the anniversary weekend, as some of their usual lines will be taken over for the occasion.
