Locomotion trials on the Weardale line
A fifty-year-old replica of the first passenger train in the world has been put through its paces along
the Weardale Railway.
The world famous Locomotion No 1 locomotive, which would have such an impact around the
globe, enabling people to travel further in much shorter timeframes, is currently being celebrated in
its 200 th anniversary year.
It was in 1825 that Locomotion No. 1 was built by the pioneering railway
engineers George and Robert Stephenson at their manufacturing firm, Robert Stephenson and
Company . It became the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public
railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR).
Locomotion was ordered by the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company in September 1824;
its design benefitted from George Stephenson’s experience building his series of Killingworth
locomotives . It is believed that Locomotion No. 1 was the first locomotive to make use of coupling
rods to link together its driving wheels, reducing the chance of the wheels slipping on the iron rails. .
In September 1825, Locomotion hauled the first train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the
first locomotive to run on a public railway. On 1 July 1828, it was heavily damaged when its boiler
exploded at Aycliffe Lane station, killing its driver, John Cree. It was rebuilt, but as a consequence of
the rapid advances in locomotive design, Locomotion became obsolete within a decade. It was used
on the railway until 1850, after which it was converted into a stationary engine .
In 1857, as a consequence of its historical importance, Locomotion was preserved and put on
display. Between 1892 and 1975, it was on static display at one of the platforms at Darlington Bank
Top railway station , and was then on display at the Head of Steam museum based at Darlington
North Road railway station between 1975 and 2021. It was then moved to the Locomotion museum
in Shildon. A working replica of Locomotion was built, and following years of operation at Beamish
Museum was put on display at the Head of Steam museum.
The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-
east England from 1825 to 1863. The world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives , its first
line connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton in County Durham, and was
officially opened on 27 September 1825.
The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon
extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. While coal waggons were hauled by steam locomotives
from the start, passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam
locomotives were introduced in 1833.
On September 27 th this year, the Locomotion will ride the same route, no doubt with some famous
faces on board. In the meantime, the volunteers of the Weardale Railway Trust are making sure that
on the day, all will go to plan.
Excited on-lookers witnessed the locomotive on Monday as it arrived in Stanhope station and then
had a practise run to Bishop Auckland and back, calling at stations on the way. At Witton-le-Wear,
the Weardale Gazette was there to record it with young photographer, Lewis Langstaff-Wood, taking
these photographs.
