The Stockton & Darlington Railway Company Ltd (trading as the Railway Station)
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Artists launch new works to kick off countdown to the railway bicentenary
New songs, poems and films by North East artists were launched in Darlington this week on Wednesday 27 September to mark the two year count down to the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.The performance, titled ‘Storylines live’, took place at The...
Historic England Right a Wrong
The Stockton & Darlington Railway’s Railway Tavern was built in 1826-7 to serve business customers using the adjacent railway depot at the terminus of the Darlington branch line. It is one of the earliest railway taverns in the country and therefore in the world....
Happy Anniversary Stockton & Darlington Railway
On the 27th September we will be celebrating the 198th anniversary of the Opening of the S&DR while looking forward to the 200th in 2025. Two hundred years ago, as plans took shape for the Stockton & Darlington Railway, Georgian Britain was a place of...
On this day (6th June) in 1857….
On the 6th June 1857, the foundation stone was laid for the plinth to display Locomotion No.1 outside North Road Station in Darlington. As the Stockton & Darlington Railway network grew, it was becoming clear to the S&DR pioneers that the role of the S&DR...
On this day (31st May), it would have been Edward Pease’s birthday
Edward Pease (1767-1858) was a wool merchant married to Rachel Whitwell of Kendal and is often referred to as “the father of the railways”. In fact, it was a family venture with his sons Joseph and Henry being actively involved in some of the more important decisions...
On this day (25th May) in 1821 the S&DR Company Seal was adopted.
The Stockton & Darlington Railway Company corporate seal featured a horse drawn set of four waggons with a highly stylised rugged and mountainous background, possibly meant to be the folly topped Brusselton Hill, or more likely, a colliery. A river wends its way...
Stephenson’s Gaunless Bridge Returns Home (Almost)
The Gaunless Bridge has started its return journey to Stockton & Darlington Railway territories. This bridge captures the genius of Stephenson - his willingness to give something tricky a go - and the pioneering vision of the S&DR. If you'd like to learn more...
On this day, the 16th September, 1824…..
On this day, 16th September, in 1824, the S&DR sub-committee ordered two locomotive engines from Robert Stephenson & Co costing £500 each. The first engine was delivered in time for the opening day on the 27th September 1825 and was known as ‘Active’, but...
On this day (6th July) in 1824….
On this day (6th July) in 1824, the foundation stone for the Skerne Bridge in Darlington was laid by Francis Mewburn, the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company's solicitor. This was the largest engineered stone-built structure on the line and technically one of...
On this day (22nd June) in 1799, Joseph Pease was born.
Joseph Pease (1799-1872) was the third oldest child of Edward and Rachel Pease. When he was 6 months old the family moved into a house on Northgate in Darlington and he presumably lived there until he married Emma Gurney in 1826. He started his S&DR career at the...
On this day (9th June) in 1781, George Stephenson was born
George Stephenson (1781-1848) was born in the village of Wylam in Northumberland and brought up in a tiny cottage shared with other families.[i] His parents, who could not read or write, couldn’t afford to send him to school and so he worked as a colliery brakesman....
On this day in 1857…
In 1857, the S&DR Company decided that Locomotion No.1 should be placed on a pedestal outside North Road station. Ceremonies were organised by Thomas MacNay and invitations issued. The foundation stone was laid for the stone pedestal on the 6th June. This is the...
On this day (31st May) in 1767, Edward Pease was born. He would help to change the face of the world.
Edward Pease (1767-1858) was a wool merchant married to Rachel Whitwell and is often referred to as “the father of the railways”. In fact, he was retired when he became active in the development of the railway and it soon became a family venture with his sons Joseph...
Happy Rail Day!
On the 23rd May 1822, 200 years ago today, the first rail was ceremonially laid for the S&DR at St. John’s Well in Stockton. It was put in place by Thomas Meynell Esq., who lived at the Friarage in Yarm. He was Chairman of the S&DR Company and led a local band...
Two hundred years ago today…railway works were underway
Two hundred years ago today (13th May 1822), construction work started on the Stockton & Darlington Railway under the supervision of George Stephenson (Holmes 1975, 8). By the 21st May, Stephenson was able to write to the S&DR Committee with an update on...
Sustainable railway souvenirs
I was dusting today to avoid editing a report on an S&DR branch line of 1830 (done now I’m pleased to say) and this little pink lustre ware cup was one of the lucky ornaments getting some very rare attention. It reminded me why we set up The Railway Station Shop....
On this day in 1843…
Photo caption: The two houses (there were two doors originally) next to the engine house at Etherley – one for the engine man and his family (Thomas and then John Greener) and the blacksmith and his family next door. The building was sadly demolished in the 1980s
On this day (8th February) in 1872, Joseph Pease died…..
Joseph was born in 1799 and was the third oldest child of Edward and Rachel Pease. He was brought up in the family home only purchased that year on Northgate in Darlington. He started his Stockton & Darlington Railway career at the age of 19, setting out the...
How to celebrate the Stockton & Darlington Railway way
Plans are afoot (atrain?) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the railway that got the world on track. Starting with the opening of the mainline and the two branches at Yarm and Darlington, the Stockton & Darlington Railway established a pattern of celebration...
George Stephenson appointed as the S&DR’s Engineer
22nd January 2022 Two hundred years ago today, the shareholders of the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company elected George Stephenson as their Engineer. He had previously been appointed as the surveyor to alter the route suggested by Overton so that it was more...
Self isolation in 1831-2 and how disease held up the railways
As Covid restrictions are due to lift and everyone returns to their workplace, here is an interesting and topical snippet of information. We all know that the S&DR opened as a single line with passing places (some very long!), but that the land surveyed in 1821...
Skew Bridges
Have you ever walked beneath a skew bridge? They are beautiful to behold and they look very complicated to build. So what is a skew bridge? This is an early, little known method of constructing bridges to cross an obstacle at an oblique angle or skew instead of at a...
The Lime Cells in Darlington and a multi million pound investment in our railway heritage
Ambitious plans for the creation of a Rail Heritage Quarter centred around the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) have taken another important step forward. A bid for more than £2.8million of funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund has successfully...
The S&DR: the railway that got the world on track
So our shop is called the Railway Station, but the company name is the Stockton & Darlington Railway. Of course we are not the original Stockton & Darlington Railway which came into being in 1818 and opened the railway in 1825. That railway was the start of...
Stocking Filler Ideas
Is it OK to mention the ‘C’ word now? We’ve held off because promoting our wares too soon is just rude. However with just over a month to go until you-know-what, it seems fair game to encourage our discerning customers to consider supporting our small business by...
A Ghost Post for Halloween
There is a tale associated with North Road Station in Darlington of ghostly goings on. In the 1850s a night watchman James Durham had an unforgettable experience. It was ‘during winter, and about 12 o'clock or 12.30, I was feeling rather cold with standing here and...
Tis the season for leaves on the line!
Winter is coming and so it's time for tea (leaves), biscuits, chocolate and a steamy book. Luckily we've got all sorts of railway inspired gifts that will see you through winter. Our Flying Scotsman tea, chocolate bars or S&DR biscuits can be bought on their own...
Railway Rations – tea hampers for travellers and non travellers alike
Our hamper is back and this time we have opted for a tasty tea inspired treat consisting of: A Flying Scotsman tin of tea. 40 tea bags in the sort of tin you won’t want to throw away.An S&DR mug (or mug or your choice from our £9 range)A box of S&DR...
Looking for Rachel Pease
Woman have regularly been written out of history. Any roles they had as child bearer (the most dangerous job, surely) and housekeeper have rarely been considered worthy of documenting or rewarding with words that survive the test of time. Looking for the roles of...
What shall we do with our Dandy Cart?
Yesterday I was given, on loan by a fellow Friend of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, a heavy metal circular plaque with a central boss of a dandy cart, complete with horse, in relief. We don’t honestly know what it was made for – possibly an apprentice piece....
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was born in the village of Wylam in Northumberland and brought up in a tiny cottage shared with other families. His parents, who could not read or write, couldn’t afford to send him to school and so he worked as a colliery brakesman. He had also...
Edward Pease (1767-1858)
Edward Pease was born on the 31st May 1767 to Joseph Pease and Mary Richardson, prominent Quakers in Darlington. He boarded at school in Leeds and then joined his father in the woollen business at the age of 15. He married Rachel Whitwell from Kendal in 1796. While...
19th April 1821 THAT Meeting between George Stephenson, Nicholas Wood and Edward Pease in Darlington.
This is a short discussion of just over 10 minutes, between Caroline Hardie and Niall Hammond both Trustees of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway about the meeting between Edward Pease, George Stephenson and Nicholas Wood in April 1821. How much of...
The World’s first Planned Railway Town is due a Rebirth
Having seen a recent planning application to redevelop one small part of the St. Hilda’s area of Middlesbrough and more recently, media coverage by Andy Preston, the Executive Mayor of Middlesbrough, that the Old Town Hall is to be developed, it seemed like an...
Tribute to a Tea Pot
In our house, we have two expensive modern teapots. Both drip when the tea is poured leaving papers, biscuits, coasters and tea trays swimming in Yorkshire tea. For Christmas, yours truly was given a LNER silver plated teapot by her doting spouse. This teapot is a...
Happy Birthday Middlesbrough
On the 27th December 1830, the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company formally opened their new port, sometimes referred to as Port Darlington with its associated planned new town of Middlesbrough. The port was opened with a train of passenger coaches and waggons...
Meet the Hackworths
This video has been prepared by the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway as part of the History and Heritage Festival running between the 23rd October and 1st November 2020. Here is a chance to learn about the Hackworths and their contribution to the...
The Battle for Locomotion No.1
You may have seen petitions and newspaper reports about the battle to either keep Locomotion No.1 in Darlington, or to move her 'home' to Locomotion in Shildon. This is an eight minute talk with slides that sets out a few facts before you decide which side of the...
2025 – A Vision
Celebrate in 2025! This week we have seen much about the 195th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. It has been an odd set of celebrations, nearly all online, remote, socially distanced, masked and quiet. But what about 2025 - the 200th...
The Stockton & Darlington Railway’s Gaunless Bridge
An announcement on the 28th July 2020 by Locomotion, the railway museum in Shildon, that the ironwork for Stephenson’s Gaunless Bridge is due to move from the National Railway Museum in York to Locomotion, is very welcome news.
So here is a little bit more about that innovative and pioneering railway structure – this talk lasts under 9 minutes.
Celebrating Timothy Hackworth who died on this day 7th July 1850
Timothy Hackworth was born in Wylam in 1786, five years after his fellow railway pioneer George Stephenson had been born in the same village. Their paths through life diverged but they were brought together by early experience in the coalfields of the NE England, work...
The Stockton & Darlington Railway’s Bite Size Myth Buster No2. What’s in a Name?
The name of the Stockton & Darlington Railway seems to give a lot of people trouble and they frequently get it wrong. So, in this short myth buster, we are going to look at why it’s called the Stockton & Darlington Railway and why so many people get it wrong....
Lesser known railway recipes
Our hunt for lesser known railway related recipes continues. Earlier this month we were given a recipe for the Railway Pasty – apparently it was a sweet treat in the lunch boxes of railway workers. Now we have found (OK it was my mother!) a similar recipe for a...
S&DR Myth Busting. Was the meeting between Pease, Stephenson and Wood in 1821, a barefoot lie?
This is a short myth busting discussion with slides of just over 10 minutes, between Caroline Hardie and Niall Hammond both Trustees of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. The story goes…..on Thursday 19th April 1821, an important, life changing...
Little Loco – in chocolate!
Little Loco made with a chocolate mini roll, 4 big chocolate buttons, a chocolate finger for her chimney and two chocolate fingers for rails. Yum!
Lockdown Lecture 2: What Survives of the 1825 S&DR?
Lockdown Lecture no.2 is all about What Survives of the 1825 S&DR.
Lockdown Lecture 1. The Stockton & Darlington Railway – the railway that got the world on track
Here is the first Lockdown Lecture featuring the Stockton & Darlington Railway. It lasts about 25 minutes, so feel free to grab a cup of tea/glass of something and tune in. As it is the first one it is not entirely glitch free (especially if you use subtitles) but...
The Fight over Locomotion No.1
Hand made English pewter bookmark with a tassel. The funnel of Locomotion No.1 decorates it.
Women of the S&DR
Mrs Jane Hackworth
Model steam engine dated 1836
https://www.facebook.com/SDR1825/videos/480265972667250/ This little model engine was built by Thomas Greener in 1836 and can now be seen at the award-winning Brass, Steel and Fire at the National Railway Museum, York, until 13th April and then at the Science Museum,...
Stephenson’s Rocket as you’ve (possibly) never seen it before!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXBwzC4JYC0 Found this on You Tube. Hilarious silent comedy from 1923 featuring a replica Rocket, a dog, a donkey and the most malleable iron rails you ever did see!
Making Middlesbrough and the Genius of Hackworth
The Coal drops from the Tomlinson Collection. TNA
The Skerne Bridge – one of the nation’s favourite buildings
Some of our Skerne Bridge gifts
Celebrating the Railway that got the World on Track!
Since the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825, celebrations have been held every 50 or 100 years. On each occasion, people gather from across the world to celebrate the start of the modern railway. In 1925 the celebrations were attended by HRH the...
The Shildon Railway Institute and its Christmas Fair
The S&DR Hamper reflects the traditional Railway Institute tea with a canvas bag perfect to reuse for packed lunches, tea blended in Yorkshire, Mrs Hackworth’s Finest Fruitcake, a sturdy S&DR mug and, until Christmas only, a chocolate steam train. Price: £24.
A New Era Dawns
John sketching Locomotion No.1 at the National Railway Museum at Shildon – Locomotion.
Spreading the Word!
Our designer-made silk scarf inspired by Timothy Hackworth’s plugwheel comes beautifully wrapped and complete with an S&DR certificate of authenticity and a Hackworth certificate.
Chuffing good blogs
The journey is underway. We've got some great blogs coming soon. Look out for a plug for the plugwheel scarf and some advice from a design consultant on fabulous ways to wear them. Interviews with steam specialists, top suppliers and if we are very lucky chocolatiers...
Welcome
Welcome to our website and please keep calling back. Our stock is constantly expanding and we will be blogging about events, pop-up shops and forthcoming attractions.
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