THE Stainmore Railway Company at Kirkby Stephen East (KSE) and the Locomotive Conservation & Learning Trust (LCLT) have been jointly awarded £213,108 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) for a project entitled ‘West Side Story – the forgotten history of the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) in Cumberland, Westmorland & Furness’.
With the value of volunteer work and donated materials, the project is said to be worth approximately £700,000. It will run concurrently until the end of 2026 with the ‘Cumbrian Victorian Locomotive Experience’, the NLHF backed scheme to restore ‘J21’ 0-6-0 No. 65033 and create an interpretation suite at KSE. For the bicentenary of opening in 2025, this new project aims to tell the story of the S&DR west of the Pennines. Key features include restoration of the original 1861 S&DR signalbox to full operational order – once complete, this will also be used as a training facility for volunteers/staff from other heritage railways in conjunction with the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers.
A major steam gala is planned to be held over the August bank holiday weekend 2025 to celebrate the bicentenary. It is hoped to have three NER designed locos, all in NER livery in steam together hauling S&DR, NER and LNER rolling stock.
Community engagement elements include the production of an S&DR Rail Trail for KSE involving five primary schools from throughout the S&DR area – plus an expansion of the current community work to involve individuals living with dementia and youngsters with autism.