Railway Pioneers Exhibition
In celebration of the S&DR200 festival, three iconic locomotives will be on display in the historic Carriage Works right here at Hopetown Darlington
S&DR200
S&DR200 presents a festival celebrating the birth of the modern railway between March to November 2025. The festival is taking place across Darlington, County Durham and the Tees Valley to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR).
The first public passenger railway journey, powered by steam, took place right here in Darlington (not too far from Hopetown Darlington) on the Stockton and Darlington Railway on September 27 1825, with George Stephenson's "Locomotion No. 1" hauling a train carrying hundreds of passengers between Shildon, Darlington, and Stockton.
This journey set in motion a train of events that transformed transportation and accelerated the Industrial Revolution. Darlington played a crucial role in the world's first public steam railway, as the railway line connected the coal mines to the town and then to Stockton.
This 26-mile journey on the S&DR between Shildon and Stockton via Darlington transformed how the world traded, travelled, and communicated.
The S&DR200 festival presents a series of free large-scale outdoor spectacles, events, exhibitions and new art commissions in the public spaces, libraries and world-class museums, including us!
The festival team is working with internationally and nationally renowned artists, makers, filmmakers, curators, historians, and local creatives, and communities to create a rich and varied festival programme.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy immersive art installations and augmented-reality digital games, see treasured artworks in the region for the first time, join thousands of others for awe-inspiring outdoor events and see some of the world's favourite locomotives.
Take a look to see what's happening right here at Hopetown Darlington.
WHAT'S ON AT HOPETOWN DARLINGTON FOR S&DR200
STEAM to the Future Exhibition
This exhibition by A.A.Murakami takes a playful look at the future using commissioned art pieces showcasing the science behind how locomotives and steam works
GHOST TRAIN
S&DR200 has commissioned performers, live music and a procession of large-scale art installations representing some of the world's most important inventions
ANNIVERSARY JOURNEY
The newly renovated replica Locomotion No.1, the passenger carriage Experiment and three replica S&DR coal chauldrons will cross the historic Skerne Bridge
MEMORY OF A JOURNEY
Trains have been part of our lives for 200 years. This is a mass participation project that encourages visitors to reminisce about a journey that they remember.
RAILWAY MEMORIES
With the history of rail being so deeply intertwined in Darlington, stories of the railway are commonly held in many families. Read stories or share your own.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT S&DR200
by visiting their website
Festival related stories
S&DR200 festival launch
The S&DR200 festival will launch with All Change, a spectacular open-air event in Bishop Auckland combining dazzling projections, drones and performances.
The Stockton & Darlington Railway
Discover how this story started way back in 1825 with Locomotion No. 1 and the Stockton & Darlington Railway
Next Stop: The Future!
We are teaming up with S&DR200 and Little Inventors to launch the NEXT STOP: The Future! invention Challenge, and you are invited to take part!
