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Refurbished train unveiled in Middlesbrough to mark S&DR’s 200th anniversary

A restored locomotive has been installed on a roundabout in Middlesbrough to mark the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the world’s first passenger railway.

The project was led by AV Dawson, owner of the Port of Middlesbrough, with permission from Middlesbrough Council to use the Riverside Park Road roundabout. Students from The Northern School of Art designed the exterior, with 17-year-old Phoebe Allan selected as the winning designer. AV Dawson’s engineering team carried out full refurbishment of the train before applying the design.

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The display also references Timothy Hackworth, who extended the S&DR line to Port Darlington in 1830, transforming the area into a centre of trade and industry. The landscaping around the roundabout reflects Hackworth’s plug wheel design for cast-iron locomotive wheels.

The train’s redundant engine has been replaced with water collection tanks to supply irrigation for plants on the roundabout. The locomotive now stands at the eastern entrance to Riverside Park Industrial Estate as a permanent public installation.