This year, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the North East of England, a programme of events will take place across Britain under the banner “Railway 200”. 

When, on 27th September 1825, George Stephenson’s Locomotion No.1 hauled a full trainload of passengers for 26 miles between the towns of Shildon, Darlington and Stockton, it captured the imagination of the public and so began the rapid development of railway transportation across the world.

Within less than a decade, on 17th December 1834, Ireland’s first passenger railway opened between Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) and Dublin, a line widely recognised as the world’s first commuter railway and still a core part of Iarnród Éireann’s DART network today. Within a further five decades, railways had touched the lives of people in almost every corner of the world. 

So I’m sure many IRRS members in Britain and Ireland, and some from much further afield, will be interested in the Railway 200 programme and perhaps in attending some of the wide range of activities and events that will be happening throughout Britain to commemorate the 200th anniversary.

The Railway 200 Exhibition Train – “Inspiration”

Arranged specially for the Railway 200 Programme in partnership with the National Railway Museum in York, an exhibition train called “Inspiration” embarks on a tour of Britain from 27th June until the end of the year. It will mark the anniversary by highlighting railway achievements over the past 200 years, and look forward to the further great potential that the future may hold for railways throughout the world. 

The Exhibition Train will visit several well-known heritage railways in Britain, like the Seven Valley Railway in the Midlands, the Bluebell Railway in the South East and the North Yorks Moors Railway the North East. It will also visit some major main line railway stations such as Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley in Scotland, and Paddington and Waterloo in London. 

Full details of the “Inspiration” Exhibition Train tour itinerary, along with many of the other Railway 200 events planned, can be found by visiting the Railway 200 website: www.railway200.co.uk   

Events in and around Stockton and Darlington

A must for many railway enthusiasts and others interested in the great historical importance of this anniversary, will be a visit to Stockton and Darlington in the North East of England, where the whole story began. The S&DR Festival will be a programme of many local events and activities in the area, to explore in more detail the heritage of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. 

The website: www.sdr200.co.uk gives all the details of the local programme of events, culminating in one special event that I for one do not want to miss. Over the weekend of 26th and 27th September 2025, exactly 200 years since the opening of the S&DR, a newly renovated replica of the steam loco ‘Locomotion No.1’, along with the passenger carriage ‘Experiment’, will travel along sections of the original S&DR line, to be cheered on by hundreds of spectators who will be enabled to watch the train pass by from the safety of lineside viewing areas. 

I do hope IRRS members who wish to engage in some way with the Railway 200 programme in Britain this year will have a most enjoyable and memorable experience.                   

Dick Fearn

Hon. President, IRRS