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The '''Rail 150''' celebrations took place at the large railway wagon works in Shildon, Co. Durham, in 1975. It was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.
It comprised an exhibition of locomotives and rolling stock from 24 to 30 August, followed by a ‘Grand Steam Cavalcade’ of locomotives on 31 August from Shildon to Heighington.<ref>Stockton & Darlington Railway, 1825: 1975 : Rail 150 Exhibition and Steam Cavalcade : souvenir guide, ISBN : 0950422304</ref>
Other events included the opening of North Road Station Museum at Darlington and the Timothy Hackworth Museum at Shildon<ref>[https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/17676720.organiser-celebrations-rail-150-dies/ White, Andrew, ‘Organiser of celebrations for Rail 150 dies’, The Northern Echo, 31 May 2019] (Retrieved 17 January 2023)</ref>.
[[GWR 813 Saddle Tank| 813]], which had been cosmetically restored for the event, went by road.
In the cavalcade, 600 hauled ex-Metropolitan Railway electric locomotive No. 12 'Sarah Siddons'.<ref name="railcentre">[http://www.railcentre.co.uk/RailHistory/Rail150/Pages/Page2.html Railcentre.co.uk] (Retrieved 17 January 2023)</ref>
Carriages [[GWR 5883 Brake Third | GWR 5883]] and [[LMS 12992 Corridor Third | LMS 12992]] were also requested but in the event did not take part. Restoration work on 5883 was unfinished, with restoration of 9631 having taken priority.<ref>SVR News 36</ref>
Then future (and now former) SVR residents [[GWR 6960 Raveningham Hall MR Midland Compound 1000 | 6960 Raveningham Hall1000]] and , [[LMS Stanier Jubilee 45690 Leander | 5690 Leander]] and [[GWR 6960 Raveningham Hall | 6960 Raveningham Hall]] also took part<ref name="railcentre"/>.
===Mainline excursion trains===As part of the Rail 150 celebrations steam hauled excursion trains were run from various parts of the country on Sundays in September 1975, with steam haulage between Sheffield and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Serendipitously, on 14 September [[BR Class 52 D1013 Western Ranger | D1013 Western Ranger]] (still then in BR service) hauled one such train , The Bristolian-Tynesider, from Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street and return<ref>[https://features.rcts.org.uk/haulage-highlights/rail-150-cavalcade-1975/ Railway Correspondence and Travel Society] (Retrieved 17 January 2023)</ref><ref>[https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/ht1975.html 'The Railtour Files - 1975', Six Bells Junction website]</ref>.
==See also==
