The Stockton and Darlington Railway 200 festival organisers have announced that their recent Anniversary journey was extremely successful.
The event attracted around 100,000 visitors from the local area and across the globe.
For the event, they reenacted the original journey, which happened on the 27th September 1825.
There was a series of set-piece movements over ten days, keeping the celebrations going as they marked the defining moment.
Locomotion No. 1 lined up against an Azuma train at Darlington, highlighting how far railways have come.
The event brought together numerous groups and communities, and even featured a royal visit.
“The S&DR200 anniversary celebrations were a powerful recognition of our legacy, our people, and our future. From the thousands of people and media outlets who attended the various activities, to the communities and volunteers who took part, the energy and pride were truly inspiring. We’re incredibly proud of this region and its pioneering heritage — this celebration was a fitting tribute to everything we stand for and once again showcased us to the world. But we’re not finished yet. There’s so much more to come in the months ahead — including a new exhibition at Preston Park Museum, exciting public art installations as part of the Discovery Trail game, a world record attempt, and of course WOW NE and the full WOW Legacy programme. The festival still has something for everyone to get involved in and enjoy.”
Niccy Hallifax, SDR200 Festival Director
Responses
I was one of the many volunteers at Hopetown helping out with The Titians OF Steam event between 20th September to 5th October, in the 1861 shed and on two of the NELPG locos, J27 and Q6. Very enjoyable and met people from many countries visiting Hopetown.
Peter William Robinson, NELPG Patron Member.