25,000 visitors came to Stockton for Locomotion No. 1 at S&DR200

Seven days has now passed since they witnessed the historic moment

Author: Karen LiuPublished 5th Oct 2025

We're hearing around 25,000 people visited Teesside last weekend for the Stockton and Darlington 200th railway anniversary.

Seven days has now passed since they witnessed a historic moment with the replica Locomotion Number 1.

Councillor Nigel Cooke, cabinet member for environment, leisure and culture at Stockton Borough Council, said: "The indications are that over that day, around 25,000 visitors visited Stockton. We had about 5,500 who lined the route of the anniversary arrival and that looked absolutely brilliant.

"On Stockton station on Sunday morning for the arrival of the Locomotion and seeing the crowds on both platforms, it took me back a long, long time to when I was six years-old and I stood on that station platform to board a train to London and the station was really busy.

"It was just really good to see everybody there. It was a real sort of moment and it was quite emotional. The crowds were just amazing and just to see Locomotion coming along the tracks at its slow speed with the steam coming out of the chimney, it really was an amazing experience."

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