14K views · 217 reactions |  Happy birthday to George Stephenson, born #onthisday in 1781.  In 1822, Stephenson outlined his plans for the Stockton and Darlington Railway - widely considered the world’s first passenger railway to use locomotives. This year we celebrate 200 years since the opening of this world-changing line: ➡️ https://t.co/KmC1POi3Hx #Railway200 | Network Rail | Facebook

81K views · 1.2K reactions | On Friday two plaques commemorating the ‘Father of the Railways’, George Stephenson, and the starting point of the world’s first passenger journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway were unveiled at a new public space at the former Masons Arms in Shildon. | Durham County Council | Facebook

We all utter the names George and Robert Stephenson when we talk about the birth of the modern railway — but what about Timothy Hackworth? Few know his name, and more really should. Here in Shildon, his world still stands — his home, the Soho Engine Shed, and the Goods Shed, all part of the original Stockton & Darlington Railway, the first public line to use steam locomotives. Hackworth designed and built some of the earliest engines that truly worked — including Royal George and Sans Pareil — p