The wonderful sight at (or near) Urlay Nook on 2nd July 1925. A queue of people are waiting for their turn to climb onto the footplate of No.1 in the cavalcade, what at the time was thought to be the 1822 Hetton Colliery 0-4-0 that is IN STEAM !
It has now conclusively reported that the locomotive was built circa 1849 and is named Lyon after John Lyon under whose land Hetton Colliery won much of its coal. There is no evidence that the locomotive has any parts dating back to the original Stephenson locomotives.

Would anyone dare to fire up such an ancient relic? Well, the LNER certainly would - and did! The S&DR 'Derwent', NER No. 125 and NER No. 901 are 2nd, 3rd & 4th in line, watched by a small group of young boys happily sitting on the lines. Priceless!

© Steve Armitage Archive