CELEBRATIONS to mark 200 years of railway history began in spectacular fashion. All Change, an open-air show in Bishop Auckland, marked the official start of a nine-month festival to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR200).
All Change sped through 200 years of railway history, from the industrial revolution and two world wars to the present. The spectacle brought history to life with projections, music and 400 drones from Skymagic.
The show was made possible with the support of 140 volunteers, including 60 performers. All Change was created by performance company, imitating the dog, and movement directors Rocky Norton and Katie Pearson.
The world’s first fare-paying passenger rail journey took place between Shildon and Stockton via Darlington on September 27, 1825. It was the official opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. From then on, railways transformed how the world traded, travelled, and communicated.
The S&DR200 festival celebrates the region’s pioneering past and looks forward to its future with a series of events, exhibitions and art. The first of these exhibitions opens today (Friday) and features Railway Pioneers at Hopetown, Darlington.
This is an exhibition for anyone interested in trains or the stories behind them. Three iconic locomotives will be on display: Pen-y-Darren, designed by Richard Trevithick, 1804; Steam Elephant, designed by John Buddle and William Chapman, 1815, and Locomotion No 1, designed and driven by George Stephenson on the first S&DR journey, in 1825.
Locomotion railway museum in Shildon has a range of events running throughout the year. This weekend, in partnership with Shildon Model Railway Club, there is a model railways show featuring a range of different layouts and displays.
And from May 24, there is a week-long celebration featuring a line-up of North East steam locomotives, as well as family activities and steam train rides.
The Story, in Durham, looks at the social impact of railways in an exhibition using letters, diaries, court papers, and other day-to-day records at Durham’s new heritage centre. In All Change! The Social Impact of the Stockton and Darlington Railway opens May 25 and runs until next January.
In June, the S&DR Discovery Trail opens. This new public walk and cycle path traces the original route of the S&DR between Witton Park and Stockton. Users will find important heritage buildings, murals and artworks and an interactive accessible digital treasure hunt game.
In Bishop Auckland Mining Art Gallery, an exhibition, Fuelling the Railway Revolution, opens on June 27. It explores the inextricable link between coal mining and the railways. Born out of the necessity to transport coal, the development of the railways was powered by the mining industry.
On July 11, Hopetown, Darlington, opens Steam to the Future, an exhibition reflecting on the history of steam railways and how the rail industry is gearing up for a second revolution driven by the growing green technologies sector in Teesside.
Later in the year, The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, hosts Dressed for Departure: Fashion in the Age of Rail. The exhibition will showcase fashion, toys and artworks that reflect how the railway reshaped lives and culture.
It opens on September 25 and runs until next January. Highlights include the world’s first toy train set owned by “Father of the Railway” Edward Pease (born 1767), garments worn at key moments in the region’s railway history and artworks that capture its journey through the picturesque landscapes of Teesdale.
l More details about events can be found at sdr200.co.uk.
