Head of Steam Darlington Railway Museum- Darlington, England. - Railroad Museums on Waymarking.com

Darlington Railway Museum (re-launched as head of steam in 2008) was opened on the 27th September 1975 by the Duke of Edinburgh, on the 150th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The museum tells the story of Darlington and the impact of railways. It is housed in the old North Road station building, built in 1842, on the route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened on September 27th 1825 with the prime purpose of transporting coal from the South West Durham collieries around Shildon, West Auckland and Witton Park, to the River Tees at Stockton, for shipment to the south of England.

The Stockton & Darlington was by no means the first railway, but its opening in 1825 marked a very significant step in the development of railways by bringing together two features for the first time:

1.the concept of a public railway, available to all, for transport of passengers and goods

2.the use of steam locomotives

The ceremonial opening on 27 September 1825 was the first occasion on which a steam locomotive was used to haul passengers on a public railway. The locomotive concerned, Stephenson's 'Locomotion' still exists and is displayed at Head of Steam, which is situated on the original 1825 S & DR route.

The new railway soon proved to be a great success and substantially reduced the price of coal. From the early years of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, private contractors using horse-drawn coaches on S & D R lines provided passenger services. After several years the economic potential for carrying passengers was evident and the Company introduced its own steam hauled passenger services in 1833.

Although the S & DR made use of steam locomotives from its opening day, it can also be seen to represent a transitional stage of railway development in which stationary engines and horse-drawn vehicles were also utilised. Although 'Locomotion' represents a notable development of the earlier pioneering work of George Stephenson and others, it is fair to say that the subsequent work of Timothy Hackworth, the first Superintendent Engineer of the S & DR, proved the supremacy of the steam locomotive over other forms of motive power.

As well as the star attraction Locomotion no1 (loaned from the national railway museum) other exhibits focus on the railway based industries that built up in and around Darlington. It takes you back to Victorian Darlington and tells the story of the town through the history of the railway and the industries that sprung from it. The building is the original 1840's station extended to include the other attractions. With the Victorian booking station exactly as it was. The original platform and platform bridge is now housed inside the museum. As well as the original waiting room, newspaper kiosk and Victorian toilets there are lots of other interesting artifacts. Original porters barrows and guard uniforms are also on display.

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Museum Website: [Web Link] Train ride provided?: no Actual railroad cars or locomotives on display?: yes Admission fee?: £4.95 Street Address: Head of Steam - Darlington Railway Museum, Station Road, Darlington, DL3 6ST Gift shop?: yes Café/restaurant?: yes Theater?: Not Listed Other features?: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   01/29/2021 cmiller38 visited it