On September 27, 1825, the first public steam railway; Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), started transport business in the United Kingdom. This year 2025 is the 200th anniversary of the S&D Railway’s opening. Before this historic event, Darlington merchants and founders considered the coal transport route from south-east Durham coal field to the port of River Tees. Transport consultants and civil engineers proposed canal building or railway construction plans. But the former cost came to be more expensive than the latter. Finally, they selected the railway plan. To the purpose of coal transport railway construction, George Stephenson employed as the chief engineer. The first train hauled by the steam engine ‘Locomotion’ operated from the south-east Durham coal field centre Shildon to the River Tees port Stockton. It was the first time that the passengers carried on the public railway’s coach officially. Adding to these historic facts, industrial heritages of the coal transport railway such as the Waggonways and the Causey Arch which is the world’s oldest surviving railway bridge and the significance of the history of industrial technology will be explained.
Ichiro TSUTSUMI (Wed,) studied this question.