The first public railway to use steam locomotives was opened between Stockton and Darlington on 27th September 1825. The year 2025 therefore marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway. Please see the website Railway 200 for information about how this anniversary is being commemorated nationwide.
The Friends of Handforth Station have developed several events to help celebrate Railway 200. These are described in detail below. For more information about any of these events, contact us.
Donations received by FoHS at the below events have gone / will go to Alzheimers Research UK, the official charity of Railway 200.
“Poems Down The Line” – April onwards
The FoHS have mounted an exhibition of rail-related poems on the concourse of Handforth Station. These have been on display at Handforth since April 2025, and other stations on the Crewe to Manchester line are also displaying some of the poems.
VE Day Celebrations Saturday 10th May
FoHS ran a stall at Handforth’s VE day celebrations on Saturday 10th May. It included a display entitled “The Role of Handforth’s Military Railways During World War Two”, and focussed on RAF 61MU and the army branch line to Hall Road.
HMES “Open Day” Saturday 17th May
The following Saturday, 17th May, FoHS volunteers hosted a joint “Open Day” with Handforth Model Engineering Society who run the miniature railway in Handforth’s Meriton Road Park. HMES generously donated the profits made from running their miniature train rides to the Railway 200 charity (Alzheimers Research). We hope to run another session at the end of Summer 2025.
First time on a train – June
In the middle of June, FoHS talked to a very excited group of four and five year olds (and school staff) from St Benedict’s Primary School Reception class about trains and railways. This included pictures of Handforth and its station, emphasised how to stay safe around rail travel, and opened their eyes to to what life must have been like before trains.
The following day, armed with their new knowledge, the pupils took a train journey from Handforth to visit Alderley Edge. For many of the children, this was their first time ever on a train.
Learning railway history – 15th June
Despite cloudy skies and drizzle, 22 Year One pupils of St Benedict’s RC Primary School visited Handforth station for an exciting morning. They were guided by members of FoHS on tours of the Ticket Office, the station’s Platform for Art attractions and the Rotary Garden. The occasion also included a painting competition on the topic of “The Train of the Future”.
The Rail Ale Trail – launched on 27th September
The FoHS started organising a “Rail Ale Trail” in March 2025, in conjunction with other Station Friends groups and the C2M CRP (Crewe to Manchester Community Rail Partnership). This aims to encourage people to use the train to visit various towns and villages between Handforth and Crewe and sample their local attractions and their cask-conditioned beers.
With great support from CAMRA and the pubs along the trail, this Rail Ale Trail opened on 27th September 2025 (the exact anniversary of the Stockton Darlington Railway). The project was sponsored by Crewe BID and the Cheshire Pub Co.
To learn all about the Rail Ale Trail, start here.
A Commemorative Screen
FoHS are planning a new stainless-steel “Railway 200 screen” to match the current “Millennium Screen”. It is hoped that the pupils in local schools will help with the design of this screen.
Below are the two existing screens; the new screen may follow a similar design.
