The very first passengers ever to climb aboard a steam hauled train did so on the Stockton and Darlington Railway at Shildon on the 27th September 1825, setting in motion an experience that would become a worldwide phenomenon. This success triggered the birth of a railway boom town that attracted families from across the region to work in an exciting new industry. Under the watch of pioneering engineer Timothy Hackworth, these carpenters, boilersmiths, engineers, mechanics, firemen and engine drivers were well paid and the talk of the nation as other regions sought to emulate what was happening at Shildon. But not everything was as Hackworth wanted. Workers were found wanting in technical, spiritual and moral matters.

Hackworth and his peers enlisted the support of the wealthy Pease family to found a new society at Shildon, the first of its kind in the world to improve the education and prospects of railway workers. His Institute evolved repeatedly under four successive railway companies, introducing opportunities to learn, participate in horticulture, games, sports and new experiences. It survived the Beeching era and Margaret Thatcher's dismantling of British Rail, becoming a self-determining member led social society. Shildon Railway Institute continues today as a living legacy of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

Written as a tribute to mark its 190th anniversary, this book explores the story of a pioneering movement, the events that created it and the economic challenges it faces without the continued patronage of a railway company. The book is a journey by rail through 190 years, in which we see scenes and events from the Institute's story fleetingly through our window to learn how 'the Stute' came to be so loved by successive generations. It also peers ahead up the line to ask how this unique legacy might evolve again to stay relevant to those who clamber aboard in future.