The Tanfield Railway in Gateshead and County Durham holds the title of the world's oldest railway still in operation, with track sections dating back to 1725 and some portions in service since 1621. Originally built as a horse-drawn colliery wooden waggonway for transporting coal, it later evolved into a rope-and-horse railway and eventually a rope-and-loco railway. Today, preserved industrial steam locomotives run along the three-mile route between East Tanfield, Durham, and Sunniside, Gateshead, with passenger services operating every Sunday.
The railway predates the introduction of iron rails and steam power by a century, using wooden wagons on wooden rails pulled by horses. It was constructed to move coal from local mines to the River Tyne for shipping to London and beyond. Last year marked the railway's 300th anniversary, celebrated in the BBC documentary The World's Oldest Railway.
The railway is maintained by around 170 volunteers and three full-time employees. General manager David Watchman expressed pride in the team, noting volunteers range in age from 12 to 92. One volunteer, Tom Hartley, joined in 2004 after being inspired by a childhood trip on the North Polar Express. At 19, he and three others purchased the National Coal Board No. 38 steam engine from veteran volunteer Peter Weightman for just £1, and they are now restoring it to working order.
Peter Weightman, who sold the engine, reflected on his motivation: 'It was frightening to see so many lovely machines that were getting scrapped in the 1960s, and that was my motivation really. Somebody had to do it before we lost our history, our local history.' He expressed confidence that the next generation would complete the restoration.
