Railway icon inspires record-breaking dance bid
Charting railway history 137 years down the line. Tony Henderson reports
Just over 200 years ago the Newcastle-built and aptly named Locomotion No 1 made history as it became the first steam engine to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public railway.
It was 137 years later that Locomotion was again No 1, with the engine’s makers George and Robert Stephenson being followed by Eva Narcissus Boyd in also recording a notable first.
Little Eva, as she was known, made No 1 in the charts in 1962 with The Loco-Motion - a song which instructed listeners on how to do the ‘chugga chugga Loco-Motion’ dance.
Now, on Thursday February 26, Locomotion Museum at Shildon in County Durham is planning a record-breaking attempt for the greatest number of people simultaneously performing the ‘Loco-Motion’ dance at a single venue.
Groups and individuals are invited to participate. The museum’s website has a choreographed video to learn the dance moves.
Little Eva was born in North Carolina in 1943 and at the age of 15 moved to New York, where she acted as a babysitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin.
It is claimed that Goffin and King were amused by Eva’s dancing style, so they wrote The Loco-Motion for her.
The song sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was covered by Kylie Minogue in 1987
Little Eva also recorded the record Let’s Turkey Trot a song which can be heard playing on the jukebox in the classic film, Easy Rider when the central three characters enter the ‘redneck’ café.
She died in 2003 aged just 59 and her gravestone has the image of a steam locomotive engraved on the front.
On the same day as the Loco-Motion record bid, the museum will launch the Trail of Discovery - a public walking and cycling route which follows sections of the original 26-mile journey of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) on which Locomotion travelled.
An interactive app has also been developed which uses augmented reality to bring the route to life. It allows visitors to unlock stories, podcasts and digital experiences at key locations.
The Trail of Discovery connects key heritage sites between Witton Park in County Durham and Stockton-on-Tees, including Shildon, Darlington, Heighington and Eaglescliffe.
Interpretation panels, lineside signs and public artworks, including nine murals, guide visitors along the route, revealing the history of the railway that changed the world and linking museums - Locomotion in Shildon, Hopetown in Darlington and Preston Park in Stockton-on-Tees.
In addition, the S&DR Active Travel Route, developed by Durham County Council, forms part of the wider Trail of Discovery. The route encourages active travel while involving visitors in railway heritage.
It passes through historically significant locations such as the Etherley Incline and the Masons Arms Crossing, with interpretation panels.
Further additions to the trail are continuing this year, including the opening of a new bridge over the River Gaunless in the same location as the original S&DR bridge.