Stockton and Darlington Railway
In March 1819, a private bill was presented to Parliament proposing a railway from the Etherley and Witton Collieries to Shildon. The route passed through Earl of Eldon's estate and one of the Earl of Darlington's fox coverts, leading to its defeat by 13 votes. George Overton had surveyed the line, but his plan faced strong local opposition. A meeting held in Yarm opposed the initial route that bypassed Darlington and Yarm. Edward Pease, a Quaker, supported the project at a public meeting in Darlington on the 13th of November 1818, promising a five per cent return on investment. Approximately two-thirds of the shares were sold locally, with the rest bought by Quakers nationally. A new application was deferred early in 1820 due to the death of King George III. The promoters lodged a bill on the 30th of September 1820 after changes to the route. The railway received royal assent on the 19th of April 1821 as the Stockton and Darlington Railway Act. This act allowed for a railway usable by anyone with suitably built vehicles on payment of a toll. It closed at night and permitted land owners within a certain distance to build branches and make junctions. No mention was made of steam locomotives in the original legislation.
On the 27th of September 1825, between 7 am and 8 am, twelve wagons of coal were drawn up Etherley North Bank by a rope attached to a stationary engine. They were then let down the South Bank to St Helen's Auckland. A wagon of flour bags was attached, and horses hauled the train across the Gaunless Bridge to the bottom of Brusselton West Bank. Thousands watched as the second stationary engine drew the train up the incline. Locomotion No. 1, Experiment, and twenty-one new coal wagons fitted with seats waited at Mason's Arms Crossing at Shildon Lane End. The directors had allowed room for three hundred passengers, but the train left carrying between four hundred and six hundred people. Most traveled in empty wagons, while some rode on top of wagons full of coal. Brakesmen were placed between the wagons, and the train set off, led by a man on horseback with a flag. It picked up speed on the gentle downward slope and reached eight miles per hour. The train stopped when the wagon carrying the company surveyors lost a wheel. It continued after leaving that wagon behind. The train stopped again for thirty-five minutes to repair the locomotive before reaching ten miles per hour. Eight and a half miles had been covered in two hours, averaging five miles per hour excluding stops. An estimated ten thousand people welcomed it to the Darlington branch junction.
The railway opened in September 1825 running from Phoenix Pit, Old Etherley Colliery, to Cottage Row, Stockton. A branch extended to the depot at Darlington, another to Yarm, and a third to Hagger Leases. Most track used malleable iron rails, while cast iron rails were used for junctions. Square sleepers supported each rail separately so horses could walk between them. Stone was used for sleepers west of Darlington, oak east of Darlington. By August 1827, the company paid its debts and raised more money. In the first three months, the line carried ten thousand tons of coal, earning nearly £2,000. In Stockton, the price of coal dropped from eighteen shillings to twelve shillings, then to eight shillings six pence by early 1827. Drivers were initially paid a daily wage but switched to payment per ton per mile after February 1826. The company began investigations into transporting one hundred thousand tons annually to London in September 1825. About eighteen thousand five hundred tons of coal were transported to ships in the year ending June 1827, increasing to over fifty-two thousand tons the following year. Locomotives proved unreliable; Locomotion No. 1 broke a wheel soon after opening. Hope, the second locomotive, arrived in November 1825 but needed a week to ready it for service.
The export of coal had become the railway's main business, yet staiths at Stockton had inadequate storage. A branch from Stockton to Haverton was proposed in 1826. Engineer Thomas Storey proposed a shorter line to Middlesbrough south of the Tees in July 1827. Shareholders ratified this plan on the 26th of October. The Clarence Railway received permission a few days later with the same gauge as the S&DR. Traffic started in August 1833, and by mid-1834 Port Clarence had opened with four miles of line in use. Construction of the suspension bridge across the Tees started in July 1829 but suspended in October due to lack of permission to cross the Old Channel. The line to Middlesbrough was laid with malleable iron rails weighing thirty pounds per yard resting on oak blocks. The suspension bridge held one hundred fifty tons capacity but cast iron retaining plates split when tested with just sixty-six tons. Loaded trains crossed with wagons split into groups of four linked by chains. On the 27th of December 1830, Globe, a new locomotive designed by Hackworth, hauled people across the bridge to Port Darlington. Before May 1829, Thomas Richardson bought about five acres near Port Darlington. With Joseph and Edward Pease, he formed the Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate to develop it. A year after the railway arrived, Middlesbrough had over two thousand inhabitants.
In 1850, the S&DR had share capital of £250,000 but owed £650,000. Most debt lacked parliamentary authority until 1849. The debt converted into shares in 1851. No dividend was paid in 1848 or the next few years; lease payments came from reserves. The Wear Valley Railway opened on the 3rd of August 1847, requiring annual payments of £47,000 exceeding net revenue. Traffic from the Derwent Iron Company reduced during financial difficulty. Black Boy colliery switched coal shipments to Hartlepool. In mid-1850, Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan discovered iron ore at Eston. They opened a mine and laid a branch line to haul ironstone to blast furnaces west of Bishop Auckland. By 1851, Derwent Iron opened a mine moving ironstone to Consett. The S&DR paid arrears on its debt and paid a four per cent dividend the following year. Between 1849 and 1853, traffic more than doubled. The Middlesbrough and Guisborough Railway received approval on the 17th of June 1852. Pease guaranteed dividends to raise needed finance. The single-track railway opened to minerals on the 11th of November 1853 and passengers on the 25th of February 1854. Electric telegraph installed between stations prevented departure until confirmation of clear lines.
The Stockton and Darlington Railway became part of the North Eastern Railway on the 13th of July 1863. It transferred about one hundred miles of line and approximately one hundred sixty locomotives. A clause in the amalgamation act managed the railway as the independent Darlington Section until 1876. Lines then became the NER's Central Division. In 1859, a company formed to link Newcastle and Carlisle with the SD&R grew into the Newcastle, Derwent and Weardale Railway. This bypassed the SD&R and linked with the SD&LUR. The North British and London and North Western railways provided two-thirds of capital. The LNWR proposed building warehouses in Hartlepool. The North Eastern Railway, formed in 1854, was the largest railway company controlling the East Coast Main Line from Knottingley through Darlington to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Directors preferred merger with the NER over eventual inclusion in the LNWR. The Newcastle, Derwent and Weardale Railway bill approved by House of Commons in 1861 rejected by House of Lords. The SD&LUR and EVR absorbed by S&DR on the 30th of June 1862.
On the 5th of March 1827, an unnamed blind American beggar fatally injured by a train marked the first recorded death due to a railway locomotive. On the 19th of March 1828, boiler of locomotive No. 5 exploded at Simpasture Junction killing one fireman and severely scalding another. Driver George Stephenson's older brother remained unharmed. On the 1st of July 1828, boiler of Locomotion No. 1 exploded at Shildon station killing the driver. On the 4th of April 1865 at Hartburn, passenger train collided with chaldron wagons detached from a coal train. Though not serious, this resulted in adopting the block system before colleagues at York felt necessary. At a conference attended by Thomas MacNay and William Bouch, options included adopting block telegraph at intervals of two or three miles. This prevented engines passing stations until signaled previous train had passed approaching station. The National Archives record meeting minutes taken by T MacNay regarding these safety measures implemented following the collision incident.
At Shildon, station buildings and goods shed are Grade II listed as Head of Steam museum. Former carriage works now used as workshops for steam locomotives. Skerne Bridge stands nearby as oldest railway bridge in continuous use worldwide. Locomotion Museum part of National Railway Museum group contains heritage vehicles including Locomotion No. 1. Site includes Timothy Hackworth house, Soho Workshop, former coal drops all listed buildings. Heritage Weardale Railway runs special services over line from Bishop Auckland to Eastgate-in-Weardale. On the 14th of June 2007, excavations for road building uncovered original stone sleepers near Lingfield Point. Stones weigh about one ton each with bolt holes securing rails. Current Tees Valley Line uses most former S&DR route between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn. Non-electrified section single track to Shildon, double track to Heighington, single track to junction north of Darlington. Service called Bishop line sometimes known as Heritage Line due to links with S&DR. Trains take 1887 line south of Darlington joining original 1825 route to Stockton at Oak Tree Junction. Northern provides two train per hour off-peak service between Saltburn and Darlington.
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Common questions
When did the Stockton and Darlington Railway receive royal assent?
The Stockton and Darlington Railway received royal assent on the 19th of April 1821 as the Stockton and Darlington Railway Act. This legislation allowed for a railway usable by anyone with suitably built vehicles upon payment of a toll.
What date did the Stockton and Darlington Railway officially open to traffic?
The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in September 1825 running from Phoenix Pit, Old Etherley Colliery, to Cottage Row, Stockton. The first train departed between 7 am and 8 am on the 27th of September 1825 carrying passengers and coal wagons.
Who was responsible for the first recorded death caused by a locomotive on the Stockton and Darlington Railway?
An unnamed blind American beggar fatally injured by a train marked the first recorded death due to a railway locomotive on the 5th of March 1827. A subsequent boiler explosion at Simpasture Junction on the 19th of March 1828 killed one fireman and severely scalded another.
When did the Stockton and Darlington Railway become part of the North Eastern Railway?
The Stockton and Darlington Railway became part of the North Eastern Railway on the 13th of July 1863. This transfer included about one hundred miles of line and approximately one hundred sixty locomotives.
What engineering materials were used for rails and sleepers on the Stockton and Darlington Railway?
Most track used malleable iron rails while cast iron rails were used for junctions. Square sleepers supported each rail separately so horses could walk between them, with stone used west of Darlington and oak east of Darlington.