Railways Remembered: North East EnglandRailways Remembered: North East England 22. 50 The north east of England was the crucible of the railway revolution in the early nineteenth century. The Stockton & Darlington Railway, which opened in 1825, was the worlds first public railway to use steam locomotives. As the national network developed, the East Coast Main Line passed through the region on its way from London to Edinburgh and virtually every part of the area was linked to a large and