The Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) opened on September 27, 1825, connecting places, people, communities and ideas, and ultimately transforming the world.
Railway 200 is a year-long nationwide campaign an wide range of events to celebrate 200 years, based whether you agree or or not, on the opening of S&DR being the birth of the modern railway, and aims to inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail.
As part of this year’s Railway 200 celebrations, Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works will be front and centre, as it hosts the largest temporary gathering of trains and rail-related exhibits in a generation – The Greatest Gathering – between Friday 1st and Sunday 3rd August.
This three-day Greatest Gathering will feature more than 50 iconic locomotives, including a number of Bulleid pacifics, and other exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways, along with a ‘Model Village’ of model railway layouts and traders, and marks the first time in almost 50 years that the Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works has been open to the general public.
I am honoured and excited that Canute Road Quay has been selected to be part of the event’s ‘Model Village’, and I will be attending along with friend, Simon Paley’s excellent modern image layout ‘Collingwood’. His layout is one of the best portrayals of the modern Southern 3rd rail scene on the exhibition circuit today. Being a Principal Signalling designer by profession his attention to signalling and lineside details is spot on, although see if you can spot my input on his layout…
I appreciate that many will not be able to attend this event, as the all ticket event, (over ten thousand tickets for each day!) sold out very quickly (and broke the initial event ticketing website) proving the public’s appetite for such events to celebrate Railway 200.
There are however a wide range of events across the UK as part of the Railway 200, check out the Railway 200 website here to find out more.
If you are one of the lucky ones who got tickets, I look forward to seeing you there.