200th Anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway

The birth of passenger-carrying public rail travel is commonly traced back to the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825. The line was first promoted in 1818 by Durham colliery owners and a Darlington businessman, Edward Pease, as an economic means of transporting coal to the port of Stockton-on-Tees. In 1821 the engineer George Stephenson, given charge of the project, persuaded his employers that steam rather than horse traction should be used, and designed the locomotive engine ‘Active’ (subsequently renamed ‘Locomotion’) at a cost of £500. 

At its opening the line ran from Brusselton near Bishop Auckland via Darlington to Stockton, over 38 miles of single track with passing places; Brusselton is now part of the town of Shildon. Stephenson drove the train, achieving speeds of up to 15-16 mph, although its average speed was later calculated at about 8 mph. ‘Locomotion’ hauled a 90-ton load consisting of twelve wagons of coal, 22 wagons with seated passengers, and a special passenger vehicle called ‘Experiment’ described as ‘an elegant covered coach’, seating Directors of the Railway with other notables. At a conservative estimate some 500 passengers rode the train that day. 

‘Locomotion’ blew up killing its driver in 1828; it was rebuilt and eventually withdrawn from service in 1850 as a consequence of rapid advancements in steam locomotive design. In 1857 it was restored and put on display in various places. Currently it is housed in the Locomotion museum in Shildon.

Stamps issued:

13 August 1975 - 150^th Anniversary of Public Railways.

Thematic collecting of railways is very popular as many countries around the world have issued stamps involving aspects of locomotives, trains and railway infrastructure including some countries that have never had railways.

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