Saturday 20 September – Sunday 5 October 2025

Titans of Steam (plus footplate access) at Hopetown, Darlington

As mentioned previously, the Titans of Steam event featuring our J72, K1, P3 and Q6 has been announced. With steam from the North East very much a theme for the day, Q6 63395 and P3 2392 will feature alongside resident Class 37 D6898 within the museum itself (outside our former works shed at Hopetown, where work on these two locomotives was carried out).

K1 62005 will feature alongside other former Hopetown residents BR Standard 2 78018, A1 60163 “Tornado” and A4 60007 “Sir Nigel Gresley” in steam near to the A1 Trust’s Locomotive Works and our 1861 shed – where the J72 is being overhauled. With the A1, A4, K1, P3 and Q6 taking part in Shildon cavalcade to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1975, their appearance at Hopetown will be very reminiscent of that day.

Footplate tours will commence with a short bus ride to our 1861 shed for a footplate tour on board BR Standard 2 78018. Once complete, the taken back to Darlington Locomotive Works for footplate tours of A1 60163 “Tornado”, K1 62005 and A4 60007 “Sir Nigel Gresley”.

Footplate tours are not available for Q6 63395, P3 2392 or J72 69023 – but you can get up close to each locomotive. The A4 will feature in the event from 22 September.

Footplate Tours begin at 10:30, finishing at 16:30 each day. Tickets are priced from £3.00. For more information, please click the links below.

Please click this link to view the Titans of Steam information page on the Hopetown website.

For more information on Footplate Tours and to book tickets, please click this link.