This September marks the 200^th Anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The eyes of the world will be on the North East for Railway 200, and as part of the celebrations Hopetown, Darlington will play host to a thunderous reunion of six iconic steam legends, including the first homecoming of No. 60163 Tornado to Darlington Locomotive Works (DLW). The iconic gathering takes place daily between Saturday 20^th  September – Sunday 5^th  October 2025 only at Hopetown Darlington.

This is more than a line-up – it’s a living, breathing pageant of steam where history hisses, whistles wail, and the spirit of the rails roars once more. Alongside Tornado, visiting locomotives include LNER A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley and LNER K1 class No. 62005 which will both be on static display at DLW, with LNER Q6 class No. 63395, LNER J27 class No. 65894 and BR Standard Class 2 No. 78018 all on display in the main Hopetown site.

It is planned that the A1, A4 and K1 will all arrive at the newly laid DLW sidings by rail, via the new main line connection which is being installed this summer. Fundraising for this project is on-going. Please click here to support this endeavour by sponsoring components, starting at £22.50 for a ton of ballast!

The free entrance ticket enables visitors to view the locomotives at the Titans of Steam event and, for an additional fee, there will also be footplate tours available where you can step aboard the cab of Tornado, Sir Nigel Gresley and the K1 (timeslots are limited, so book tickets in advance to avoid disappointment!). Visitors can also take tours of Darlington Locomotive Works (home to The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust) and The 1861 Shed (home to Darlington Railway Preservation Society and the North East Locomotive Preservation Group). Book early to experience a truly unforgettable heritage day out!

Access to Tornado’s footplate is reserved for Covenantors on the afternoon of the Convention on Saturday 4^th October. Should Supporters wish to visit the cab of any other visiting locomotive on that day, please secure a timeslot via this link.

Tickets for the Titans of Steam Gala, including the light steam events and footplate tours are available now at hopetowndarlington.co.uk/titans and should be booked in advance to avoid disappointment.

The exhibition will be complemented by the highly anticipated ‘anniversary journey’ taking place on Saturday 27 September at Hopetown Darlington.

Steve Davies MBE, Chairman of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, said: “The Titans of Steam Gala unleashes six magnificent and historic locomotives into the birthplace of the modern railway. Steam was a catalyst for the railway revolution and the six titans showcase the innovation of steam, knowledge and engineering.”

Mike Crawshaw, Darlington Borough Council’s Head of Heritage and Culture, said: “We’re thrilled to bring a gathering of legendary locomotives to Hopetown Darlington which offer a glimpse into the historic engineering that took place in Darlington and helped railways not just across the region, but across the country, and indeed the world, thrive. We cannot thank our partners at The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group, Darlington Railway Preservation Society and the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust for working with us to get this special gathering off the ground to give families, and heritage and railway enthusiasts, an experience they won’t forget.”