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TLC Zoom
Wednesday 10th December 2025 18:00 GMT
Rail 200 – Celebrating the invention Britain gave to the world
Steve Davies MBE
If you have any interest in rail history then you will be aware that 2025 represents an immensely significant anniversary with the opening of the Stockton to Darlington Railway on 27th September 1825. The S&DR thus became the first public railway line to use steam locomotives for the movement of coal and from the outset was designed to connect the collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton. The speedy movement of coal to ships became highly lucrative and in essence changed everything.
The first passenger railway would become the Liverpool Manchester Railway in 1829 and the Rocket trials but that is a story for another day.
What I would like to reflect upon is not only some of the historical context but also what railways did to power the Industrial Revolution but bring it bang up to date on the challenges faced including the fiasco of HS2.
And who better to guide us than Col. Steve Davies MBE who amongst other things is Chairman of A1 Steam Locomotive Trust. I first pitched TLC to Steve in 2011 when he was Director of the National Railway Museum in York and I went over to see him. We got on from the outset and it is a privilege to have him as a friend and founder member of TLC
Biography
A former Colonel in the British Army, Steve has been a lifelong railway enthusiast, and is involved in a significant number of heritage railway projects both on a professional and voluntary basis. His Army career saw him serve in a wide variety of countries, many on operations. He rose to become the Commanding Officer of his Regiment. Steve enjoyed two tours in the Ministry of Defence in London engaged at the military/political strategic level, and his final military appointment was as Chief of Staff of a Division with responsibility for military planning across almost half of the UK.
It was whilst on secondment to the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces that he exercised his personal initiative to create the Country’s National Railway Museum, in close cooperation with His Excellency President Kabbah, which continues to thrive today and with which he remains closely associated as President of the British Charity The Friends of The Sierra Leone National Railway Museum.
On retirement from the Army, Steve subsequently served as Director of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester – site of the world’s oldest surviving railway terminus (circa 1830) – then as Director of the National Railway Museum in York, during which time he devised, negotiated and implemented the repatriation of class A4 Pacifics No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and No. 4489 Dominion of Canada  from North America to take part in an Award-winning exhibition marking the 75th anniversary of No. 4468 Mallard achieving the World Record for Steam Traction of 126 mph.
Steve, who lives in North Yorkshire, is the Founder and Managing Director of The International Railway Heritage Consultancy Limited which provides a one-stop-shop for railway heritage organisations internationally, in order that they might access the skills they need to support their respective operations. Amongst its many projects, Steve’s company is supporting – Pro Bono – the extension of the Bala Lake Railway, and was heavily involved in planning and delivering a Channel 4 TV programme focusing on carriage restoration.Â
