How is railway's 200th anniversary being marked?

The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) opened on 27 September 1825, as captured in this illustration by Stockton based artists Abby and Owen

The 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) will be on Saturday. Celebrations have been years in the planning, here's what you need to know.

What's so special about the S&DR?

It's a simple question but the answer is a pedant's dream.

It would be incorrect to call it the first railway in the world, but the 26-mile long line between Witton Park in County Durham and the River Tees port town of Stockton was the first to use many features which would become standard around the globe.

Niall Hammond, chairman of the S&DR Friends Group, said it was the "railway that got the world on track".

Anthony Coulls of the National Railway Museum said the line "set the DNA for the railway system".

The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened to much fanfare, as depicted by Terence Tenison Cuneo in 1949

From the outset, it was much more than just a way of conveying coal, unlike many of the other early railways, with transport of other goods and regular passenger services intrinsic concepts in is creation.

It used a combination of horses, stationary steam engines and steam-powered locomotives to pull wagons from the coalfields of County Durham to the port at Stockton, via the-then village of Shildon and market town of Darlington.

Signalling systems, timetables and the idea of stations were all developed by the S&DR.

Engineers travelled from across Britain and the world to see the the railway in action, to replicate its successes and learn from its mistakes.

Recreating the journey

A replica of the Locomotion No 1 has been restored in time for the anniversary celebrations

The S&DR was officially opened on 27 September 1825, a large crowd having gathered to watch a train of more than 30 wagons steam slowly into Stockton behind the gleaming new Locomotion No 1 engine.

Twelve of the wagons, brimming with coal, had started the day more than eight hours earlier in Witton Park, the first official journey on the new line.

Over the course of this coming weekend, a restored replica of the Locomotion No 1 pulling a smaller train of three wagons and a passenger cart will recreate the trip.

It will start on Friday at Locomotion rail museum in Shildon, expected departure time at 11:45 BST, then head along the line to Preston Road at Newton Aycliffe.

The replica Locomotion No 1 will pull three wagons and a passenger cart

On Saturday, the train will resume its journey through Darlington by crossing the Skerne Bridge, although the event is fully booked.

The 200-year-old structure is an original feature of the S&DR line and is said to be the world's oldest, purpose-built railway bridge still in use.

It featured on the £5 note in the 1990s, as well as paintings celebrating the railway's inaugural journey.

The journey will be shown on a large screen in the centre of Darlington from 11:00 to 16:30, and the train can be seen on the bridge again between 23:00 on Saturday and 00:30 on Sunday.

The train will be at Dinsdale Station between 02:00 BST and 06:00 on Sunday, before setting off for its final leg into Stockton, where it will hit its final stop at about 11:00.

The Skerne Bridge in Darlington is said to be the oldest working railway bridge in the world

Full details of the journey and where the train can be viewed from can be found here.

Some of the sections, such as Skerne Bridge, are sold out, but free tickets are still available for various parts including the departure from Shildon.

There will be some disruption to regular rail services on the Bishop Auckland to Saltburn line, with rail replacement buses for short periods on certain sections.

What else is going on?

As well as the journey, numerous events are also taking place to celebrate the railway's bicentenary.

A large-scale free outdoor show called Ghost Train: The Arrival will be performed at Stockton Riverside at 19:30 on Sunday to mark the end of the journey.

The 45-minute long performance by Avanti Display and Walk the Plank will feature music, performance and interactive elements telling the story of the railway's impact.

On Saturday, a free picnic will be held in Shildon's Hackworth Park, named after the railway's engineer Timothy Hackworth, between 12:00 and 16:00.

There will be performances of STEAM, a theatrical work by Southpaw Company which "explores the ingenuity and determination" of the people who designed and built the railway, and music from The Auckland Shanty Singers, Easington Brass Band, Sam Slatcher, and the Railway Institute Singers.

Southpaw Company will perform STEAM at the Saturday picnic in Shildon

It is one of many events organised for S&DR200, a nine month-long festival hosted by the councils of Durham, Darlington and Stockton.

There are various exhibitions and events taking place, details of which can be found here.

The Hopetown museum in Darlington is hosting several famous locomotives for its Titans of Steam Gala to coincide with the anniversary.

The Flying Scotsman was there last weekend with the Sir Nigel Gresley visiting until Sunday and the Tornado until 5 October.

The Friends of S&DR have also arranged a series of events, including guided walks along sections of the old track and various exhibitions.

Locomotion has multiple events including a display about the past, present future of railways.