200 Years of the Modern Railway

On 27 September 1825, George Stephenson’s steam-powered Locomotion No. 1 transported hundreds of passengers in England for 26 miles between Shildon, Darlington and Stockton, marking the start of a journey that would shape the modern world. The seminal journey was made possible through innovative thinking that took place at the beginning of the century.

In 1804, a 500-guinea (worth around £21,000 in today’s money) bet between two industrialists prompted Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick to create the Penydarren locomotive in South Wales, proving that steam could be used to haul coal. Four years later, Trevithick ran a steam engine on a circular track but the groundbreaking proposition failed to attract money from investors.

Trevithick’s ingenuity paved the way for the journey of Locomotion No. 1, which ran on the world’s first public steam railway, heralding the beginning of the world’s public railway system. Since then, rail travel has undergone vast technological and engineering advancements – influencing tourism, cuisine, trade, law and order, post, art and even football – and continues to evolve for a simpler, better and greener future.

Celebrating the Journey that Changed the World

Designed by William Webb, the reverse of the commemorative UK £2 coin struck to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway captures that seminal journey in 1825. The coin also features the edge inscription ‘ACTIVE · LOCOMOTION NO 1’ in tribute to the revolutionary locomotive.

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