New signs are to be installed along the surviving parts of the 1825 Stockton-to-Darlington line to inform passengers of the historical significance of the line.
The signs will appear between Shildon and Stockton, and are based on designs used on the East Coast Main Line in the 1930s.
The celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway this year include a festival to be launched with a drone show later this month.
Maurice Burns suggested the ‘S & D sign project’ idea to Network Rail two years ago, and received full support.
He has since developed the idea with help from friends Richard Barber, Gordon Best and Nick Carter. Network Rail committed to install and maintain the signs if Maurice coordinated the design and sourcing of materials and oversaw the order for fabrication.
Darlington sign // Credit: Maurice Burns
The five signs will be located at:
Shildon
Heighington
Darlington North Road
Urlay Nook (near Allens West station)
Bowesfield in Stockton.
Niall Hammond, Chair of Trustees for the charity Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (FSDR), secured grants from The Railway Heritage Trust, Durham County Council and Northern. Network Rail and its sub-contractors Amco Giffen, Construction Marine Limited and QTS Group gave in-kind support.
Agreement has also been reached for a sixth sign to replace a ‘lost’ sig which indicated the branch westwards north of Darlington. This originally pointed towards ‘Lake District, Teesdale and Weardale’. However, when the Stainmore route to Penrith and the Lakes, and the branch to Middleton in Teesdale, were closed in the 1960s, British Rail removed the sign.
The new sign will be located on the East Coast Main Line, and will promote the route to Shildon, Bishop Auckland and Weardale. Passengers can still travel from Darlington to Stanhope in Weardale using the heritage line from Bishop Auckland to Stanhope.
The signs have been ordered, and are being manufactured by Northern Heritage Engineering, which is based in Darlington, close to the location where the original signs were made at Darlington North Road works.
There may also be a seventh sign installed at Stockton’s Preston Park alongside a preserved stretch of the 1825 line.
Once the signs are in place, a dedicated webpage will be added to the Friends of the S&DR website celebrating the project and encouraging those passionate about rail heritage to visit and look out for the signs as they travel along the world’s oldest public passenger railway.
S D sign at NHE works. Maurice Burns, left, shakes hands with Mark Ashton, director of NHE, watched by those who helped the project // Credit: Maurice Burns
“We are really excited to support and help with the partnership that is making this project happen, the original ‘Art-Deco’ signs are lovely in themselves and placing new signs along the 1825 S&DR is a fitting tribute as we celebrate 200 years of the modern railway. The S&DR got the world on track, and these signs and the support shown by our funders and partners will be a lasting legacy to keep that message in the mind of community and rail users.”
Niall Hammond, Chair of Trustees Friends of the S&DR
New lineside signs to mark Stockton and Darlington Railway bicentenary
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Great work Maurice, Niall et al! I look forward to seeing the signs in place.