Rail 150
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.[1]
Other events included the opening of North Road Station Museum at Darlington and the Timothy Hackworth Museum at Shildon[2].
SVRSevern Valley Railway involvement
In the summer of 1974 the organisers requested a number of items of SVRSevern Valley Railway rolling stock.[3]
On 28 July 600 Gordon travelled light engine from Bridgnorth to Urlay Nook near Stockton.[4] It was followed on 11 August by 8233 piloting 43106 (also in steam), together with carriages LMS 26986 and then residents 'Clapham' Buffet 9631 and LNER 4236. The David Cooke Collection includes images of 8233 piloting 43106 on the three coach train leaving Kidderminster station and on the mainline.
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'.[5]
Carriages GWR 5883 and 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.[6]
Then future (and now former) SVRSevern Valley Railway residents 1000, 5690 Leander and 6960 Raveningham Hall also took part[5].
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 D1013 Western Ranger (still then in BRBritish Rail or British Railways service) hauled one such train, The Bristolian-Tynesider, from Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street and return[7][8].
See also
References
- ↑ Stockton & Darlington Railway, 1825: 1975 : Rail 150 Exhibition and Steam Cavalcade : souvenir guide, ISBN : 0950422304
- ↑ White, Andrew, ‘Organiser of celebrations for Rail 150 dies’, The Northern Echo, 31 May 2019 (Retrieved 17 January 2023)
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 32
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 36
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Railcentre.co.uk (Retrieved 17 January 2023)
- ↑ SVRSevern Valley Railway News 36
- ↑ Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (Retrieved 17 January 2023)
- ↑ 'The Railtour Files - 1975', Six Bells Junction website
