Locomotion No 1
Description
Locomotion No 1 hauling original train - Stockton & Darlington Railway Centenary 1925.
Comments
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Posted comments/stories
Cliff Thornton
Any guesses as to where this photo was taken? I think that the train was heading south out of Stockton. The Spring Street footbridge is in the distance, with Ropner Park on the left, and the branch line to Thornaby veering off on the right?
Posted on: 01/03/2007 11:25:28
Dave Summerfield
Correct Cliff - passing Hartburn Junction with Spring Street bridge in the background & Marlborough Road on the left hand side. This is the 1925 Stockton & Darlington Railway centenary celebrations & the train in the picture,hauled by Locomotion, is part of the Celebration Cavalcade & is heading for the grandstands & viewing area that were situated in the Allens West/Urlay Nook area on the Stockton to Darlington line.
Posted on: 02/03/2007 10:11:26
Chris Davies
The location is most definitely Hartburn Junction. The date was Thursday 2nd of July and was the last of the exhibit trains in the procession.
Posted on: 19/03/2007 09:05:03
Anne Bathias
According to the Darlington edition of the'Evening Despatch' 1 July 1925 my grandfather, Robert Steel Suddes, was to drive Locomotion No. 1 in the Centenary procession. He being "the oldest driver in the northern area of the L and N.E.R."
Posted on: 03/07/2007 11:47:34
Eric Wragg
As an interesting aside, my great-great grandfather Matthew Wragg was the fireman on the inaugural run of Locomotion No 1 in 1825! His son Charles Nightingale Wragg moved to York and continued to work on the Railway as did all his descendants. My own father retired from British Rail in 1985. I left British Rail after a few years in the late 60s but my sister Susan still works for Network Rail in York.
Posted on: 07/01/2008 14:57:45
Paul westgarth
I recall reading the obitiary for Mathew Wragg clipped from a 100 year old paper at my grandfathers house in the 1960's which was then lost when he died. He claimed to be Mathews great grandson and was a railway man all his life. He supervised the dissassembly of Locamotion no1 and its burial during WW2. His name was Walter Bramham Haxby and his daughter was named Nightingale...really interested to hear from anyone who could substantiate the story or link..
Posted on: 21/04/2008 23:00:26
Neil
I am a direct descendent of Charles & Matthew Wragg. If Matthew was the original fireman, the father of Charles, I have found on the internet that Matthew was born 1825. Could it have been his father, also Mathew. I am really keen to get this mystery cleared up.
Posted on: 05/09/2008 01:24:28
BRIAN DEEHAN
The Mayor of Stockton L.Ropner had a special commemorative silver medal minted for this. Anyone know who got them and how many were produced?
Posted on: 16/09/2008 13:44:12
David Gibson
I have one of these medals in front of me as I type this, but it is one of the alloy versions which were presented to the schoolchildren of the Borough. It belonged to my late mother, Marjorie Doughty as she was at the time, and appropriately living in Railway Street.
Posted on: 22/09/2008 01:34:41
Tim Anderson
I am also a descendent of Matthew Wragg aka Matthew Ragg (born 1825 married Mary Ann Nightingale in 1847 and died 1904). I have a newspaper cutting dated 1898 which states that a presentation took place at the Coach and Horses Inn, Micklegate, York to Mr. Matthew Wragge, the oldest living engine driver in the United Kingdom at the time. Mr Wragge had been 51 years a driver, and had the distinction of having fired on No.1 engine. (but not on the inaugural run) He was one of the oldest railway drivers in the UK, having joined the Darlington and Stockton Railway in 1838, or exactly 60 years before. In 1846 Mr Wragge was transferred to the North-Eastern Railway, on which he had been employed ever since. He had driven every class of engine and had also run the first train from Middlesborough to Redcar on the opening of that line.
Posted on: 22/11/2008 20:01:29
Library Reference
Dewey Decimal: 999 Reference: t7844 - link available