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 Hebden Bridge 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.
Come and join me outside Hebden Bridge station for a short event as part of the celebrations! The plan is to meet outside the station, out of the way of people using the station for travel. Though, I may ask that at some point we head inside for a photo if its not too busy.
Engineered by George Stephenson, the Manchester and Leeds Railway along the Calder Valley was the first trans-Pennine railway. The line opened through Hebden Bridge in October 1840 when the first station was built here. The present Grade II Listed station dates from 1892-3 and was built by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway who owned the line until 1922. Unusually for a working main line station, it has been preserved and restored to its 19th century style and colours.
The town of Hebden Bridge is a 5-10 minute walk from the station and features many lovely independent shops and cafes. There is usually a farmers market on a Sunday too.
Getting there - The station has a large car park, some buses stop at the station, whilst others stop on the main road a short walk away - or you could arrive by train! There are also numerous car parks and on-street parking in the town, a short distance away.
Trackables - I will likely be travelling without my usual TB box, so please make arrangements amongst yourselves for onward travel of any TB's.