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Shildon

Timothy Hackworth served from 1825 as the resident engineer on the Stockton to Darlington Railway. In 1840 he resigned and left in order to develop the Soho Engine Works at Shildon, and make his own locomotives. The first trains to run in Russia and Nova Scotia were built here. Today the Engine Works, plus his house, form Locomotion: The National Railway Museum. The displays, including 60 vehicles and a workshop, give a fascinating insight into the early days of rail and steam power in England. Among the main attractions is a restored 1979 full-size replica of the Sans Pareil locomotive, built by Hackworth in 1829 for the Rainhill Trials on the Liverpool to Manchester railways. Open seven days a week all year.

It was at Shildon, in September 1825, that Locomotion No 1 was attached to 12 coal wagons, 21 wagons with seats and a passenger coach named Experiment. With George Stephenson on the footplate, and a signalman riding ahead, the train carried nearly 600 passengers at 12 mph on the historic run from Darlington to Stockton.