Steam engines gather for Tanfield celebration
Chuffed railway volunteers stage biggest ever steam gala to celebrate national award. Tony Henderson reports
A heritage railway is celebrating a national award by steaming into the record books this weekend.
Tanfield, the world’s oldest railway, will stage a gala event on Saturday and Sunday (May 9-10) featuring the largest gathering of steam locomotives in the railway’s history.
It follows Tanfield winning the Railway of the Year title at the Heritage Railway Association 2026 Awards.
Tanfield is a three-mile heritage railway between Sunniside station in Gateshead and East Tanfield station in County Durham, and sections of the route date to the early 1700s. It is operated primarily by volunteers who have preserved and rebuilt the railway over the past 55 years.
“The gala serves as a victory lap for the North East’s premier heritage railway attraction and a thank you to the supporters who make such an accolade possible,” said general manager David Watchman.
“The weekend will see Tanfield’s entire working collection in service, creating a spectacular display of industrial power.”
A total of nine locomotives will be in operation over the weekend, comprising six steam engines and three diesel engines. An intensive train timetable will be in effect across both days, featuring a range of passenger trains, demonstration freight trains, shunting displays, and shuttle services.
There will also be an expected 11 visiting road steam traction engines, including steamrollers, from the Northern Miniature Road Locomotive Society at the Marley Hill events field.
This combination of 17 steam engines represents the largest concentration of steam power ever assembled at Tanfield.
Beyond the tracks, a programme of activities will be hosted at Andrews House Station. Children can join in creative workshops such as badge making and lino printing, while “Local Heroes of Engineering” demonstrations will bring the region’s storied industrial history to life for all ages.
The folk group Kiddars Luck will perform traditional sets on Saturday at East Tanfield station, providing an authentic North East soundtrack with mining and railway songs.
“Winning Railway of the Year was a proud moment for our volunteers,” said David.
“This gala is our way of celebrating that achievement. By bringing together our full home fleet alongside a record number of road steam engines, we are creating a historic spectacle that honours the North East’s engineering legacy.”
Visitors are encouraged to book in advance via the official website and take advantage of savings, including a 10% discount on adult and senior tickets for all online bookings.
Full event timetables and tickets are available at www.tanfield-railway.co.uk.