Episode 71. The Stockton and Darlington Railway: “The Quaker Line”

SYNOPSIS

The Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway is a group of people who care deeply about the railway heritage of the North East of England and want to see the 1825 Stockton and Darlington Railway line receive the recognition and the protection it deserves as the world’s first steam powered passenger railway and the seed from which all modern passenger railways across the world developed.

The episode examines the factors that made the choice of a railway as against a canal to support the local economy so ground-breaking. There was the emergence of steam engine technology and of brilliant engineers, George Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth, from the collieries. Then the transportation needs for freight and passengers which could be exploited by improved rail track technology. And then the determining factor: financial and commercial support from the local Quaker Pease and Backhouse families who had access to Quaker finance across their main banking centres in England.

Two Friends of SD&R, Professor Alan Townsend and Caroline Hardie walk through the historical background and two related developments. Firstly, the establishment of Middlesborough (originally Port Darlington) and secondly the unexpectedly lucrative transportation of coal from Middlesborough by sea to London.

GUESTS

Caroline Hardie is an experienced archaelogist, conservator and consultant, dealing with historic buildings, archaeology, nature conservation and marine biology. Alan Townsend is Emeritus Professor of Geography, Durham University. His interests include planning, regional development and the geography of employment and unemployment

Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway was set up in 2013 and has gone on to become a charity and a community interest company in the run-up to celebrating the Bicentenary of its opening on 27th September 1825.. Further information about the Friends can be found at its website, which also features the S&DR podcast, Tales from the Rails.

Simon’s interview with Caroline Hardie and Professor Alan Townsend took place in the Hackworth Room at the Locomotion museum, Shildon on 21 May 2025.