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
MEMORY OF A JOURNEY
S&DR200 Presents: Memory of a Journey
Trains have been part of our lives for 200 years. This mass-participation art project encourages visitors to reminisce about a journey that they remember.
The project sees community groups decorate peg dolls that represent their favourite train journey. These will then be showcased in a growing exhibition at Preston Park Museum and at other locations (including here at Hopetown Darlington) in autumn 2025.
They hold millions of stories for people all over the world. To celebrate the first journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825, which gave birth to the modern railway, the festival team are collecting what we hope will be thousands of our visitors' special stories.
We want the people of Darlington, County Durham, Tees Valley and those who visit from afar to get creative by creating a version of themselves or their journey and tell us in a few words about that favourite train journey.
Participants have been decorating peg dolls (paints, crayon, fabric, anything goes!), writing down their memory on tags and attaching them to their doll. Once all are collected we will start to create an ever-evolving exhibition marking all's involvement in this project.
Due to the popularity of the project there an no more Peg Dolls available for distribution. Thank you to all who have participated.
WHAT'S ON
STEAM TO THE FUTURE 未来への蒸気
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
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.
TITANS OF STEAM GALA
Hopetown Darlington plays host to a thunderous reunion of six iconic steam legends, a roaring monument to Britain’s engineering might.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT S&DR200
by visiting their website
