LOCOMOTION No.1

In 1825 the Stockton & Darlington Railway began operations as the worlds first public railway to be operated by steam. The first train, which opened the railway on 27 September, was drawn by the locomotive that became known as LOCOMOTION No.1.

It is from this origin that all public railways the world over developed to become the driving force behind economic progress. The brief history that accompanied the locomotives preservation in 1857 was both inadequate and factually incorrect.

In anticipation of the railways bicentenary, a major archival and archaeological study was initiated by the National Railway Museum to establish the true history of the locomotive both in service and during retirement.

Compiled by experts Michael R. Bailey and Peter H. Davidson, this is the story revealed by the study, correcting and expanding the historical record for future generations of railway enthusiasts and historians.