Today marks the beginning of Alstom’s sold-out charity event, the Greatest Gathering, which takes place at its rolling stock factory on Litchurch Lane in Derby.

The event, which forms part of a year-long celebration of Railway 200, runs from 1–3 August, and will see the largest gathering of rolling stock from the past, future and present the world has ever seen.

Included on site this weekend is none other than Locomotion No. 1, the world’s very first steam locomotive to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public railway.

Locomotion No. 1 at the Greatest Gathering

© a2b Global Media

Built by the Newcastle-based Robert Stephenson and Company, which was the first company in the world created specifically to manufacture railway engines before going on to produce several of the first locomotives for other countries and being merged into Alstom itself in 1989, Locomotion No.1  was designed to operate on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) on its inaugural journey on September 27 1825.

The locomotive weighs 6.6 tonnes, and once touted a maximum speed of around 15 mph (24 km/h).

Locomotion No. 1 at the Greatest Gathering

© a2b Global Media

The vehicle now resides at the National Railway Museum, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.

Other heritage trains on display at the Greatest Gathering include the Midland Railway 1000 Class No. 1000 steam locomotive and GWR King Class No. 6023 King Edward II steam locomotive, among many more.

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