It has been 200 years since the first steam-powered passenger train on a public line departed from a small, northern mining town.
On September 27, 1825, 450 passengers piled on top of coal – in true northern style – for a 26-mile journey from Shildon to Stockton in the north east.
It was a small but significant milestone, which led to rapid changes in the way Britain, and subsequently the world, lived, traded, travelled and communicated.
The Stockton and Darlington Railway line was initially built to transport coal from mines in County Durham to Darlington.
Though it was not the first railway, it was the first to incorporate the standard-gauge, steam-hauled features that would become the foundation of railways around the world.
The train which took the famous journey was called the Locomotion No. 1.
In Darlington, a holiday was declared and people travelled from all over the country, selecting different parts of the route to observe from.
And two centuries later, history repeated itself.
On September 26, a replica of the Locomotion steam engine once again ran along the original tracks between Shildon and Darlington as par of the 200th anniversary celebrations
The steam engine, with three coal wagons and a passenger carriage, set off from the Locomotion Museum in Shildon, which is part of the National Railway Museum
On September 26, a replica of the Locomotion steam engine once again ran along the original tracks.
The steam engine, with three coal wagons and a passenger carriage, set off from the Locomotion Museum in Shildon, which is part of the National Railway Museum.
The museum in Shildon is home to the original Locomotion No. 1 and provides in-depth information on the history of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
Organisers said the event attracted an estimated 40,000 spectators, including Prince Edward.
Now, the Modern Tees Valley line that largely traces the route of the old Stockton and Darlington Railway is operated by Northern Rail.
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Where to find the 26-mile railway that changed train travel forever – and it’s right here in the UK
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