First passenger steam train to go on show in city

The first steam locomotive to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public railway is set to go on display in Derby.

Locomotion No.1 was built 200 years ago by Robert Stephenson and Company, a Newcastle-based firm named after the son of "father of the railways" George Stephenson.

It became the first locomotive to carry passengers on a public train when it was used on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in September 1825.

The locomotive is now set to go on display at train manufacturer Alstom in Derby at a three-day event called The Greatest Gathering, which is part of Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the creation of the railways.

Locomotion No.1 is one of a number of rail vehicles from the UK National Collection which have been loaned to Alstom by the National Railway Museum, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.

Robert Stephenson and Company became part of Alstom in 1989 as a result of successive mergers.

Alstom managing director Rob Whyte said: "We are very excited that Locomotion No.1 will be joining an already unprecedented roster of historic and modern rolling stock at The Greatest Gathering.

"I want to thank the National Railway Museum – and indeed countless other partners across the UK rail industry – for supporting our mammoth event for Railway 200.

"We look forward to welcoming ticketholders to Britain's biggest rail celebration later this year."

The Greatest Gathering will take place at Alstom's Litchurch Lane site from Friday 1 August to Sunday 3 August, and will show more than 50 rolling stock exhibits.

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