The Weardale Railway is set to appear in a new BBC series, shining a spotlight on the heritage line's role in the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
The County Durham line will appear in Michael Portillo’s BBC2 series 200 Years of the Railways, which airs on Tuesday 16 September 2025 at 8pm, and will be available afterwards on BBC iPlayer.
Claire Gibbons, general manager at Weardale Railway, said: "It’s a real honour for Weardale Railway to be part of the BBC’s celebration of 200 years of the railways.
"Our staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to support the bicentenary and to see the line feature on a national platform is a huge boost.
"This anniversary is about honouring the past, but also about inspiring future generations to discover the magic of the railways."
Earlier this year, the railway hosted a replica of Locomotion No.1 and supported testing and trial runs as part of the preparations for the bicentenary journey.
Niccy Hallifax, S&DR bicentenary festival director, said: "The Stockton & Darlington Railway changed the world, and the bicentenary is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share that story.
"Weardale Railway has been a fantastic partner in bringing the celebrations to life, from planting trees and bulbs to welcoming the replica Locomotion No.1.
"It’s wonderful to see their efforts recognised on BBC2."
Since being saved from administration in 2020 by regeneration charity The Auckland Project, Weardale Railway has seen significant investment in its infrastructure and services.
New visitor experiences include themed afternoon tea trains, gin and cheese trains, and the Santa Express, which will return this Christmas with a complimentary hot chocolate and cookie, and little ones will meet Santa and receive a small gift.
The railway’s bicentenary activities have included planting 200 bulbs at each station, introducing 200 native trees and shrubs along the route, and organising a litter pick that saw 50 volunteers collect 200 bags of rubbish along the 18-mile line.
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The anniversary is also being marked through the arts.
Bishop Auckland’s Mining Art Gallery is hosting Fuelling the Railway Revolution, an exhibition exploring how the coal industry powered the railways and the wider Industrial Revolution.
More information is available at https://aucklandproject.org/bishops-key/ and https://www.weardale-railway.org.uk/
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