Railpen celebrates railway heritage with commemorative plaque at Stooperdale Offices

The plaques are part of a wider scheme championed by Darlington MP Lola McEvoy to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway in 2025. Installed at key sites across Darlington, the plaques recognise individuals and places that were instrumental in shaping the railways we know today.

Railpen has sponsored three plaques, including one at our historic Stooperdale Offices, which will commemorate:

• Sir Vincent Raven: An English railway engineer who rose from apprentice to Chief Mechanical Engineer of the North Eastern Railway. Knighted in 1917 for his service, he later became President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (1924–25). His plaque will be installed at Stooperdale, the home of Railpen’s Darlington office.
  
  
• William Kitching: Businessman and member of the Stockton and Darlington Railway’s (S&DR) General Committee. Kitching was also one of the eight first-ever railway passengers on the inaugural journey in 1825. His plaque will be installed at Tubwell Row in Darlington town centre.
  
  
• Mary Simpson: The first recorded female employee of the S&DR, Simpson ran the North Road station building in the 1830s, providing services and accommodation for passengers. Her plaque will be installed at North Road Bridge.

Unlike the traditional blue plaques seen across the UK, these commemorations will appear in Darlington green, a shade historically used by local rail manufacturers, adding a distinctive link to the town’s industrial heritage.

The installation of the Stooperdale plaque was scheduled to coincide with Railpen’s Stooperdale event on 26th September 2025, offering colleagues, local stakeholders, and the wider community an opportunity to celebrate Darlington’s heritage.

This sponsorship builds on the success of Railpen’s Golden Ticket campaign, launched earlier this year. 

This builds on the success of the Golden Ticket campaign, launched earlier this year – an initiative that provided free access to Hopetown’s Wagon Woods adventure park for thousands of local children.

Through initiatives like the plaques and the Golden Ticket campaign, Railpen continues to celebrate the past while looking ahead – strengthening our connection to the community, our members, and the wider railway family.