Railway 200! 200 years since the first railway line

Holly_Scope

This year marks the 200th year national celebration of the railway! Did you know, the railway was born here in Britain!

On 27th September in 1825 the first railway line – the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened. This quickly picked up around the world, having a monumental impact on the world and how we connect with one another to this day.

Although it’s worth nothing that by the 1700’s we were using wooden tracks and horses to haul coal across the North East of England.

Before rail was introduced, transport in the UK was very difficult. Roads were in existence but they were badly maintained, often flooding making them unsuitable when the weather was bad. Horses and carts were used to travel but this limited the volume of passengers and the size of the load.

With the industrial revolution we were seeing our factories and industries booming, and the need for raw materials to be transported in high demand.

Where industries were located next to rivers or canals, boats were used but this limited where organisations could trade. They were also slow to move goods and could freeze during cold spells, making them unusable.

The National Railway Museum has worked hard to help create the timeline of the railway in celebration of this so if you'd like to understand a little more about the timeline of the railway, check out this link - History of rail – Railway 200 😊

So, what's on?

I wanted to especially highlight Your visit to Inspiration where you can explore the train and learn all about Railway 200!

What’s on | National Railway Museum

Get involved – Railway 200

WhatThe

I love train journeys! So much easier than driving.

With my parents gone, I miss my trips to the seaside. I missed many trains and often didn't want to go but seeing people's gardens then countryside and animals 🐎 🐄 🐑 and cloud formations made me a happy bunny!

I didn't know we invented the railway 🚂 the museum is in York.

200 is a lot of numbers 😉

Rosie_Scope

Me too. I feel very grateful for the train system, it's probably my main way of getting around most of the time. I feel very lucky to live in a part of the country with lots of trains where I don't have to worry about driving everywhere.

Some routes are lovely too, especially those that go through the countryside. As long as the carriages aren't too packed out, you can just sit back and chill out for your journey and watch the world go by. All in all, yay for trains and long may they continue! 🚂