S&DR200 Festival

The 27 September 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in the north east of England, which gave birth to the modern railway.

To celebrate this landmark anniversary, the nine-month S&DR200 Festival will take place across Durham and Tees Valley from March to November 2025. The Festival is inspired by the first journey on the S&DR which went on to connect places, people and communities.

The Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825 by John Dobbin. Image courtesy of Hopetown, Darlington.

From March 2025, S&DR200 will celebrate the region’s pioneering past and look forward to its future with a series of free large-scale outdoor events, exhibitions and new art commissions in public spaces, libraries, and world-class museums.

The S&DR was established as a 26-mile-long mainline to transport coal and other mixed goods from the mines of south Durham to the River Tees at Stockton, via Darlington, Shildon and Yarm. The first steam locomotive to run on the line was called Locomotion No. 1 (originally called Active), which pulled several waggons of coal and goods, and a carriage called Experiment with fare-paying passengers.

The key figures of the S&DR included investors and company directors Edward Pease, a retired wool merchant from Darlington, his son Joseph Pease and Jonathan Backhouse from the Darlington bank of the same name and leading engineers of the time George Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth.

The Stockton to Darlington Railway 200 Festival Programme

Locomotion

• An exhibition of Railway Firsts in Main Hall in recognition of the innovation of 200 years of railways.
• The Young Railway Photographer of the Year exhibition. Supported by the Railway Photographic Society.
• Events and programming exploring the future of transport and skills from March to September 2025 which will complement an exhibition at Hopetown Darlington looking at the same theme.
• Three line-ups of iconic locomotives and rail vehicles that will speak to 200 years of railway history.
• Talks and lectures aimed at railway enthusiasts.
• Activities for families and adults every weekend and throughout the school holidays.

Hopetown Darlington

• A display of early locomotives from April to July 2025. These pioneering early locomotives, including the original Locomotion No.1, designed by George Stephenson and held in the Science Museum Group’s collection, were critical to the future success of the railways in the UK and around the world. With loans from the Science Museum Group, National Museum Wales and Beamish Museum.
• An immersive steam-inspired installation from July to September 2025. Studio Swine (Japan/UK) will create a sensory installation combined with digital art, inspired by the use of steam as a source of power by the designers of early locomotives.
• An exhibition on the future of transport and skills from July to September 2025 will look at the rail industry in the era of climate crisis and how a growing green technologies sector in Teesside can provide opportunity for the region. The exhibition will also enable visitors to create a train for the 22nd century using virtual reality software. In partnership with industry partners including LNER.

The Story Durham will present an exhibition exploring two centuries of transformation following the opening of the S&DR, which spurred economic development and transformed the socio-economic fabric of the region. This will be told through authentic voices from The Story’s collections of letters, diaries, court papers, and other day to day records. The railway facilitated the movement of goods and people on an unprecedented scale, fostering trade, industry, and urbanisation, and was the catalyst for the growth of local towns.

Exhibitions related to S&DR are also taking place at several museums and galleries in Durham and Tees Valley including an exhibition at The Auckland Project’s Mining Art Gallery in Bishop Auckland, The Bowes Museum, Raby Castle and Preston Park Museum and Grounds.

The Centenary Procession 1925. Train hauled by _Locomotion_ No 1. © British Rail.

Public Artwork

A series of new public artworks will be installed over the nine months of the festival including a sculpture by James Bawn (UK) and kinetic sculpture by Ivan Black (UK) inspired by train signalling, in collaboration with young producers and writers, poets and local engineering students.

Outdoor spectacles

The festival opens with a large-scale visual spectacle in Bishop Auckland including a light projection and drone show on 29 March 2025, charting 200 years of rail travel and revealing the global impact the railways have had since 1825. Created by imitating the dog and SKYMAGIC.

A two-part Ghost Train outdoor performance will take place on 21 September 2025 in Darlington and 28 September in Stockton. This will feature a procession of large-scale art installations representing the world’s most pivotal modern inventions through Darlington, and a spectacular re-imagining of Locomotion No. 1 in Stockton the following week. Co-produced by Walk the Plank and Avanti Display.

The celebrations will include a re-enactment of the first journey on the S&DR, taking place on 26, 27 and 28 September 2025. A newly renovated replica of Locomotion No. 1, the passenger carriage ‘Experiment’ and coal wagons will run on sections of the original S&DR line over three days. Spectators will be able to see the train at designated locations and enjoy an accompanying programme of special events organised along the route. The Festival is working with partners Network Rail and LNER on the Anniversary Celebration.

Women of the World event in Durham City in October 2025. The first WOW event in the North East of England will be packed with unmissable talks and performances. The line-up will take a fascinating look at women’s roles in the history of S&DR, as well as celebrating achievements and stories from women, girls, and non-binary people past and present from the region and beyond. There’ll be a special programme for local schools on Friday, followed by a day-long WOW Festival on Saturday, featuring big ideas from incredible women, family fun and more. This is a festival for everyone.

S&DR200 Fringe Festival will take place across 2025, giving community and art organisations the chance to celebrate this special year in their own unique way. The Fringe includes a series of walks by the Friends of Stockton & Darlington, events along the newly opened S&DR Discovery Trail and events and activity made possible through the S&DR 26 Miles Community Grant Scheme, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Find out more and view the full detailed event programme on the festival website.

S&DR200 is being delivered by Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Major funders include Arts Council England, Tees Valley Combined Authority, The National Heritage Lottery Fund and Network Rail.