Tracking the past and mapping the future

Whether you love the romance of rail, the thrill of the bullet train or the train-spotting buzz, September is all about celebrations to mark 200 years since the birth of rail travel

When we are asked who invented the railways, we can confidently say we did – Britain. But precisely who was involved and how it all developed is a long story. By the end of the 18th century, the Indus

Today we might minimise or even overlook the railway’s significance, because it is such an established part of our lives. Yet at its height the industry employed more than half a million people across

Much has been written about the Stockton & Darlington Railway 150th anniversary celebrations in 1975. Now, for the first time, someone from the team that organised it all tells the inside story of how it was achieved. MAURICE BURNS – who represented the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group on the organising Joint Committee, and also volunteered to help on subcommittees for events, selecting engines for the cavalcade and writing the guidebook – recalls his memories of that incredible time.

Stood alone inside Derby Litchurch Lane at 07.30 on Saturday, August 2, day two of The Greatest Gathering, the biggest railway event in decades, it was eerily quiet. It wouldn’t be like this in 30, 60

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