Almost 90 years ago the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), installed huge signs on the railway lineside between London and Edinburgh to indicate to passengers places of interest and the distance to their destinations while travelling on their new streamlined Coronation train hauled by Gresley A4 Pacific steam engines. Now, to mark the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and celebrate 200 years of passenger rail travel, new signs to a similar design will be erected along the surviving parts of the 1825 line between Shildon and Stockton to make passengers aware of the historical significance of the line they are travelling on.
While many of the original 1930s signs along the East Coast Main Line (ECML), were scrapped in the 1960s at the time of the Beeching cuts, several did survive. The most famous of these is the half way sign between London and Edinburgh situated north of York. Just north of Darlington Station a sign was erected to mark the route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway which, on September 27th 1825, ran the world’s first scheduled locomotive hauled passenger train hauled by George Stephenson’s Locomotion No 1. This track crossed the ECML on a flat crossing and remained in use for freight traffic until July 2nd 1967. The original LNER sign is still in position and was recently restored and is now a listed building.
To coincide with the 200th Anniversary celebrations of the S&DR this year, an idea to install five new signs on the Shildon to Stockton on Tees line and inspired by those of the original LNER of the 1930s, was suggested by Maurice Burns to Network Rail two years ago. From the very outset Network Rail were very supportive of the idea and the ‘S & D sign project ‘ was developed by Maurice with support from friends Richard Barber, Gordon Best and Nick Carter. The proposal was to install five signs located at Shildon, Heighington, Darlington North Road, Urlay Nook (near Allens West station) and Bowesfield in Stockton on the principle that Network Rail would install them if Maurice could coordinate the design, supply of materials and oversee the order for fabrication. Maurice and colleagues have worked closely with the charity Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (FSDR) to turn ambitions into reality. Niall Hammond, the Chair of Trustees for the FSDR, secured grants and all involved are grateful to The Railway Heritage Trust, Durham County Council and Northern Trains for their generous support. The project team are also exceptionally grateful to Network Rail and their sub-contractors Amco Giffen, Construction Marine Limited and QTS Group for their in-kind support and the Network Rail commitment to install and care for the signs in future.
Five signs will be erected on the Shildon to Stockton route, and agreement has also been reached for a sixth sign to replace a ‘lost’ one which indicated the branch westwards north of Darlington. Originally this pointed towards the ‘Lake District, Teesdale and Weardale’ but with the closure of the Stainmore route to Penrith and the Lakes, and the branch to Middleton in Teesdale in the early 1960s, the sign was cut down by British Railways. By chance back in 1965 Maurice was doing some steam engine photography, saw the remains of this scrap sign lying on the ground and recorded it on film. The new sign to be located on the ECML will promote the route to Shildon, Bishop Auckland and Weardale where today it is still possible to travel from Darlington to Stanhope in Weardale using the heritage line from Bishop Auckland to Stanhope on days it is operating.
With funding in place and agreements confirmed, the order has now been placed for six signs to be manufactured by Northern Heritage Engineering based in Darlington only a stone’s throw away from the location where the original signs were made at Darlington North Road works. Once manufacture is complete all the signs will be installed at agreed locations during 2025 to coincide with the 200th Anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.It was hoped a seventh sign could be made and erected at Stockton’s Preston Park where a designated, well preserved but abandoned stretch of the 1825 line runs through the museum grounds, Maurice Burns acting on behalf of the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group. of which he is a vice President, has reached agreement with Stockton Borough Council for this project to go ahead and an application for funding was submitted on March 2nd. This sign once erected will be the only one with public access and will be a marvellous photo opportunity for families and enthusiasts alike.
Once the signs are in place, a dedicated webpage will be added to the Friends of the S&DR website celebrating the project and encouraging those passionate about rail heritage to visit and look out for the signs as they travel along the world’s oldest public passenger railway.
Quote Maurice Burns (Project Coordinator)
‘My original concept was to leave an important legacy after this year’s celebrations, but for this idea to go from a pipe dream to reality needed a lot of support, in particular from Network Rail, on which their land, the signs are to be erected. To everyone who has supported this project I pass on my grateful thanks. Together we have created a significant legacy with the huge signs being seen by tens of thousands of rail passengers each day of the week for not one year but hopefully hundreds of years to come. That leaves a good feeling for not only myself but all those involved who made it happen.’
Quote Niall Hammond (Chair of Trustees Friends of the S&DR)
‘We are really excited to support and help with the partnership that is making this project happen, the original ‘Art-Deco’ signs are lovely in themselves and placing new signs along the 1825 S&DR is a fitting tribute as we celebrate 200 years of the modern railway. The S&DR got the world on track, and these signs and the support shown by our funders and partners will be a lasting legacy to keep that message in the mind of community and rail users.’
Quote Tim Hedley-Jones (Executive Director Railway Heritage Trust)
‘We are pleased to support this project in the year of Railway 200. Over our forty-year history we have supported a number of projects to reinstate East Coast Main Line lineside signs. It is good that the route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway is being promoted in this way. We are especially grateful to Network Rail for their engagement with this project’. http://railwayheritagetrust.co.uk/