Locomotion: The True Story of the World’s First Public Service Steam Locomotive

In 1825 the Stockton & Darlington Railway began operations as the world’s first public railway to be operated by steam. The first train, that opened the railway on the 27th September, was drawn by the locomotive that became known as LOCOMOTION No.1, and from this origin all public railways the world over developed to become the driving force behind economic progress. The brief history that accompanied the locomotive’s preservation in 1857 was both inadequate and factually incorrect. In anticipation of the railway’s bicentenary a major archival and archaeological study was initiated by the National Railway Museum to establish the true history of the locomotive both in service and during retirement. This is the story revealed by the study.

Michael R. Bailey is a railway historian who has undertaken projects for museums in England, Canada and Denmark. He writes and lectures (and occasionally acts as a TV consultant) and was a consultant to UNESCO regarding the Rhaetian Railway’s application for World Heritage status. A member of the Newcomen Society, he was its president 1995 – 1997; is a Trustee of the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester; president of the museum Friends; and is a vice-president of the Stephenson Locomotive Society.

​Peter H. Davidson's career was in mechanical engineering, and design and construction of miniature locomotives. A consultant to the National Railway Museum and other museums, he was co-author of Canterbury & Whitstable Railway – Invicta Locomotive (2020), and has written several papers on early railway technology.