Wednesday 24 September, 10:30 to 11:30
Celebrate 200 Years of Railway History!
In 1825, the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened the world’s first passenger railway station on Tuesday 27th September — a milestone that transformed travel forever. Steam locomotives carried passengers and goods at unprecedented speed, sparking a transport revolution that connected towns, boosted industry, and shaped modern Britain.
This special SideTracked Railway 200 event at Wingfield is part of a nationwide celebration running from Wednesday 24th to Tuesday 30th September 2025. All finds and hides from this event count towards your SideTracked statistics, and a unique profile badge will be created especially for this event. Whether your chosen location is old, disused, miniature, or still bustling today, it’s part of a railway story that’s been 200 years in the making.
But it's more than that, for Wingfield Station has a significant role in preserving our railway heritage today. Having been rescued from dereliction, the station has been painstakingly restored, and is still in its original 1840 layout. This makes it probably the oldest unaltered rural railway station in the world.
You will be able to have a wander round the building, and there is also a rather nice cafe, though obviously there is no commitment to buy anything.
The site and the cafe are run entirely by volunteers.
As well as being a SideTracked event, this is also my bi-monthly event - Erewash Morning Meetup 35. However, unlike normal, the cafe does not have the facilities to offer breakfasts. However, they do offer a variety of hot and cold drinks, cakes and assorted savoury items. The start time is also 30 minutes later than usual.
Dogs are welcome outside the building, but not inside.
NB - There is only a small car park here. If it is at all possible to car-share it would be good for everyone.