GEORGE STEPHENSON. 



entirely to see what the future had in store for the world in 

 supplement to the success of the opening. 



Tuesday, the 27th of September, 1825, was a great day for 

 Darlington. The railway, after having being under construction 

 for more than three years, was at length about to be opened. 

 The project had been the talk of the neighbourhood for so long 

 that there were few people within a range of twenty miles who 

 did not feel more or less interested about it. Was it to be a 

 failure or a success ? Opinions were pretty equally divided as 

 to the railway, but as regarded the locomotive, the general 

 belief was that it would "never answer." However, there 

 the locomotive was — "No. i" — delivered on to the line, 

 and ready to draw the first train of waggons on the opening 

 day. 



A great concourse of people assembled on the occasion. 

 Some came from Newcastle and Durham, many from the 

 Aucklands, while Darlington held a general holiday and turned 

 out all its population. To give eclat to the opening, the 

 directors of the company issued a programme of the proceedings, 

 intimating the times at which the procession of waggons would 

 pass certain points along the line. The proprietors assembled 

 as early as six in the morning at the Brusselton fixed engine, 

 where the working of the inclined planes was successfully 

 rehearsed. In this trial, as in the subsequent ceremony, a train 

 of waggons laden with coals and merchandise was drawn up 

 the western incline by the fixed engine in seven and a half 

 minutes, and then lowered down the incline on the eastern side 

 of the hill in five minutes. 



In spite of the evil prognostications heard on all sides, the 

 inauguration of the Stockton-Darlington Railway passed over 

 most satisfactorily. The programme issued by the company 



