Railway 200

2025 sees the 200th anniversary of train travel since 1825. On the 27, September 1825 the Stockton and Darlington railway ran a steam train carrying members of the public for the first time. A few months later on the 30, June 1826 came the first recorded mention of a police establishment of one Superintendent, four officers and a number of Constable or ‘Gatekeepers’. One of the Constables was PC Metcalfe and a crude oil painting of him in his red tunic and been seen at the National Railway Museum in York. Joseph Sedgwick was the earliest known name of a railway policeman who served at Stockton in 1825, 200 years ago next year.

On 19 September 2024 Railway 200 festival was launched in Darlington. This is a national event throughout the United Kingdom. It will officially. commence on 1 January 2025. One of the highlights will include an exhibition train which will tour Britain calling at various stations and depots.

Further details can be found on the website: Railway 200
and within the various railway magazines on sale.

Additional post: Whistle-Up for New Year’s Day

4 thoughts on “Railway 200”

  1. My understanding is that railway companies employed constables in advance of this to keep the unruly navvies in check who were terrorising the local people while the railway was being built and also to protect the companies assests so in actual fact railway constabularies are somewhat older?

    1. Hi Mark,
      That was certainly the case once major railway construction was underway, and the authorities realised that the navies needed supervising, but whether that was the case for the first railways we don’t know. We don’t have any records to support that. Of course, we’re always happy to find out more.
      Our Constituent Forces table lists dates of first know police officers for each railway.
      Thanks for the Comment.
      M.
      (Webmaster)

      1. Thanks for your reply, it’s just something I remember from my two week continuation course at Tadders way back in 1900 and frozen to death.

        I used to enjoy upsetting our Met police colleagues by saying our forces history predates the Met by several decades.. 😬

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