Anniversary Journey 1825–2025: Shildon, Darlington & Stockton 26-28 September

Details of Locomotion's anniversary journey are now available on https://sdr200.co.uk/article/17840/Anniversary-Journey-1825-to-2025

On 26 September it will pass:

• Locomotion
• Shildon Station
• Aycliffe Station
• Heighington
• Hopetown Darlington

To book tickets for the Locomotion viewing area go to https://www.locomotion.org.uk/whats-on/sdr-bicentenary-weekend

On 27 September it will pass:

• North Road Station
• Skerne Bridge

To book tickets for the Skerne Bridge viewing area go to https://tickets.hopetowndarlington.co.uk/#event_100

On 28 September it will pass:

• Dinsdale Station
• Eaglescliffe Station
• Stockton Station

 

Thanks Paul. I, and my family, managed to book tickets for some Darlington events today, but it was a struggle with the confusing websites and their being free.

 

I made it down to Shildon this morning to see Locomotion and its train, and a fantastic sight it was too. Photos to come at some point.

Unfortunately the organisation of the event was lacking, some very unhappy comments from locals on the S&dr200 Facebook page and I have to agree with them. Seems the organisers expected the whole of County Durham to turn up today (not the case) and concerns over crowd control lead to road and footpath closures which made it less accessible to the local public. I can only relate my personal experience. Didn't book any tickets for viewing areas. Used the train to get to Shildon at about 8am, was able to walk down to the museum and have a look at the train. Then went up over the Spout Lane bridge and on to the cycle path that runs alongside the line, where I could see that the Spout Lane ticketed viewing area was going to be on said path. This was not detailed on the website at all, locals I spoke to didn't know what was going on with closures either. Also not good to be closing off public paths in my view. At that time there was no one manning that entrance, so I walked on. Got to the other end of the viewing area where they had just finished erecting the temporary fence gate, was opened so I could continue on through. I did ask the security guy what time the path was closed, he wrongly said 9-11am as the train was not due to leave until 1145. Carried on down the path, found a good spot. After the train had passed, tried to walk back to Shildon but they would not let me through the gate with no ticket. They had been ordered not to open it until 1pm in another 20 mins. This was despite the official Facebook page having earlier announced that tickets were not required for the Spout Lane viewing area, as presumably it was no where near capacity. I instead walked to Newton Aycliffe to get the train from there, a little further than the walk to Shildon but not by too much.

Something else I heard from a local was there had apparently been no communications to local schools about the event. Haven't had a chance to check the livestream and see if there were school kids out to see it. All in all does not reflect well on the organisers, and this unfortunately includes the NRM. Regardless of how much input they had into these decisions, as their name is on it. What I've described above is in complete contrast to the local Network Rail staff who were at the foot crossing I viewed the train from, they couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful!

 

So we 'did' the Hopetown, Darlington events today and did, eventually, enjoy the experience. But my early comments, and those of David above re Shildon, were born out. North Road Darlington was closed to all but pedestrians from a point halfway to Hopetown, so
we had to walk from our town centre hotel. I thought buses should be allowed through - obviously!! But there were airport-style walk-between-the-detectors type things right across the road; long, separate, queues to Hopetown site and to the viewing area by Skyrne Bridge. Lots of us walked back from there to Hopetown expecting to get back in but it was closed over the lunchtime for over an hour though they did relent before that was up.
I won't go to more detail beyond saying the event itself was great and well organized. Well done to all! But the separately timed bookings for the Museum, Skyrne Bridge, and Titans of Steam was complex, ill-explained and confusing.
I took a lot of pictures and will put some up later this week, when I'm back home and have downloaded them.
I do hope those who attended the yesterday's Shildon event and tomorrow's Stockton one can post pix or videos too.

 

Locomotion during testing at Weardale

 

Couple of videos from a very enjoyable two days in the North East:



Passing under Spout Lane Bridge at Locomotion, Shildon, with the VIP party in 'Experiment' and Guy Martin on the footplate (26/09/2025).




Pausing on Skerne Bridge on the actual 200th anniversary of the opening day run (27/09/2025).

Regards,

Dan

 

Excellent, many thanks. What a glorious sight, and distinctive sound.jI

 

Video of Locomotion from across the weekend

 

Excellent footage Lee, good to chat while waiting on Friday morning.

I have to say that they did do a good job of livestreaming the event on Youtube, can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/@SDR200Anniversary/streams
Interesting to watch back as you can see where they've closed off over bridges or stations and small groups of people are straining to get a view from nearby. In an age obsessed with both 'safety' and accessibility, it appears they completely overrode the latter in the name of the former. I remember reading a facebook comment from someone with tickets for Saturday who has mobility issues, unsure if they were going to be able attend because they wouldn't be able to park anywhere near Hopetown and Skerne Bridge.

Anyway, photos from Friday.

Shildon early morning, reversing to the coal drops.



Middridge Quarry foot crossing, not far south of Shildon.

 

Great, marvellous record of this great event, many thanks.

 

Steve Davies has said that following these events, Locomotion No.1 will be based at Hopetown and will run in Darlington.
It's currently at Hitachi's at Newton Aycliffe for display and to run on their test track this weekend I think, after which it's going to the NYMR for a longish stint.

 

The live stream ran out on sunday afternoon as Locomotion hit trouble on the bank out of Stillington up to Mordon further up the Skerne on the Durham branch of the Clarence Railway, with the 4 official drones completed and ground videographer out of battery unable to show the 1 mph climb to the bends at the summit, neither the original nor the replica were intended for anything other than level track. The David Horne notion of posing Locomotion with the Azuma in (the former) Bank Top on early sunday morning was inspired, a great publicity shot of a never to be repeated scene.

 

I was saying to someone at Goathland on Saturday that they wouldn't have it here, would never get up the hill! Presumably will be limited to shuttling up and down within station limits or maybe kept and Newbridge and running Pickering to Levisham?

 

I would assume it would have to be with station limits or a short stretch. It would be great to see it tour around heritage lines, but a good chunk of them have some gradients that would prove tricky to run it on as well.

 

David's middle photo looks remarkably similar to mine below. It's hard to believe that I took it half a century ago ......
Ray.

 

This past weekend will certainly be one to remember, a wonderful time spent in the North East, here's a couple of videos of Locomotion's runs on Friday and Saturday at both Shildon and Skerne Bridge respectively

 

Is there anything anywhere noting what had to be done to get her restored and then certified to go on the main line?

 

I think that there is a TV program coming up about it sometime soon.

Peter

 

Former Isle of Man TT racer turned part time TV Presenter Guy Martin was on the footplate for parts of the journey on Friday.

The Northern Echo did a quick interview with him and he said he was making a TV programme on it and had been helping out on the overhaul for a year or so.