Скачать или смотреть Stockton & Darlington Railway 200 Steam Gala Celebrations at Kirkby Stephen East

Kirkby Stephen East, Stainmore Railway
Monday 25th August 2025

Honouring the long lasting legacy of the S&D in the West of the Pennines as part of the bicentenary celerbations of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR). The S&DR system was far more than a railway between Shildon, Darlington & Stockton, it operated as far west as Furness and West Cumberland, yet this part of the S&DR story has essentially been completely ignored in all previous celebrations.

In early 2023, a successful application was made to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project entitled ‘West Side Story – the forgotten history of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in Cumberland, Westmorland & Furness’.

A special steam gala was held at Kirkby Stephen East station on the August Bank Holiday weekend with the short but delightful railway playing host to a range of visiting rolling stock:

NER No. 1661 "Old Gentleman's Saloon": Made most famous by the 1970 The Railway Children film and normally based at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, this carriage is believed this is the last operable vehicle built by the Stockton & Darlington Railway, specifically for use over the Stainmore route as a smoking saloon as a 4 wheel carriage. It has gone through many rebuilds over the years.

NER Class P3 No. 2392: Designed by Wilson Worsdell to haul mineral / freight traffic. No. 2392 was the very last member of the class to be built and emerged from Darlington Works in 1923. The loco was preserved by NELPG (North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group) in 1968 and based on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

British Railways Standard Class 2MT No. 78018: Constructed at North Road Locomotive Works in Darlington. It spent 6 years allocated to Kirkby Stephen East (KSE) and worked trains over the Stainmore route,. In February 1955, it became stuck in a snowdrift at Bleath Gill, just the Kirkby Stephen side of the summit, whilst working a freight train to West Auckland. Four days later, it was rescued by sister Class 2 No. 78019 and two North Eastern Railway snowploughs, one of which, No. 18, is on display this weekend. The loco is preserved by the Darlington Railway Preservation Society (DRPS) and based on the Great Central Railway.

Joining the headline visitors on the rear of passenger services was Peckett and Sons Works No. 2111 'Lytham St. Annes' and F. C. Hibberd & Co Planet DM "Elizabeth".

During the event train services ran every 15 minutes, alternating between the two trains, with a couple of parallel runs during the day, including as the finale to the day.

www.preserverdrailway.co.uk
(C) Lee Andrew Davies 2025