Durham Tees Valley is one of the birthplaces of the railways, with the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) railway company that operated from 1825 to 1863 the first in the world to use steam locomotives.
Steam locomotives
Steam locomotives were then a new and unproven technology, and were slow, expensive and unreliable. The initial impetus for steam power had come during the Napoleonic Wars, when horse fodder had become very expensive, and had still not settled down, while improving transport and mining methods was making coal more plentiful.
The Brick Train Sculpture in Darlington celebrates the railway history of the town
However, many people weren’t convinced that steam engines were a viable alternative to the horse. So at first, horse traction predominated on the S&DR, until steam could prove its worth. The first locomotive to run on the S&DR was Locomotion No 1.
An extensive network of branch lines once linked the towns and villages across the area, many of which were built to connect colliery communities. Many of the stations and lines no longer exist but a good rail service linking the bigger towns in the region remains. Darlington is on the East Coast Main Line and is a hub station, and many of the services operating in the region pass through the town.
An extensive network of branch lines once linked the towns and villages across the area, many of which were built to connect colliery communities
From Darlington you can travel north up the main line to Durham and beyond. There are also regular services east to Stockton, Middlesbrough and the East Coast towns of Hartlepool, Redcar and Saltburn. Travellers using the line are likely to come across the 30-year-old Pacer trains which are noisy and uncomfortable, especially when busy, but not without charm.
Darlington Railway Station is on the East Coast Main Line
From Middlesbrough it is possible to catch a train on the Esk Valley line to Whitby. The route passes through the northern-most part of the North York Moors National Park – a journey which is even more enjoyable if you manage to catch one of the trains pulled by a steam locomotive which operate on some services during the summer.
Just as picturesque is the Wear Valley line which runs west of Bishop Auckland – another station which can be reached from Darlington.
Read more about Durham Tees Valley
