Journey that changed the world

Shrouded in smoke and steam and drenched in nostalgia, the Mirror took a journey back in time yesterday to celebrate the birth of modern travel.

- BY JEREMY ARMSTRONG

It is 200 years tomorrow since the first public railway using steam locomotives to haul passengers clanked and hissed its way into the history books.

We climbed aboard a magnificent working replica of Locomotion No.1 to recreate that historic first for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which rolled out on September 27, 1825.

Built by the rail pioneer George Stephenson of Newcastle, the Locomotion pulled a carriage called, worryingly for passengers, Experiment.

Today marks the start of a programme of events to celebrate that first pioneering journey from Shildon, Co Durham to Stockton-on-Tees.

Around 100,000 spectators and rail enthusiasts are expected to gather to witness the Locomotion in action as part of the S&DR 200 festival.

Two centuries ago, spectators from South America, Canada, Russia and India travelled to get a glimpse of the 26-mile journey that revolutionised not only rail travel but modern life.