NER period The first new locomotive was built at the works in 1864. Though the railway had amalgamated with the
North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1863, it continued to build its own designs for a number of years. In 1877, the first North Eastern designs appeared. Additionally works (paint and boiler shop) were constructed west of the S&DR railway in the Stooperdale area of Darlington. Grandiose offices for the NER were also constructed in the Stooperdale area in 1911, to the design of
William Bell. The offices were used by NER
chief mechanical engineer Vincent Raven until 1917. In 1914, a class of NER
Bo-Bo electric locomotives was built at the works to run between Shildon and Newport. Ten of these 1,500 volt direct current locomotives were completed.
Sir Vincent Raven designed the
NER Class T2 0-8-0 freight locomotive in 1913, and by 1921 the works had built 120 of the engines, which were later designated Q6 by the LNER. The heavier and more powerful Raven
NER Class T3 0-8-0 (LNER Q7) followed in 1919, 15 engines being completed by 1924.
LNER period Under the
LNER it continued to play a major role, producing a new engine each week, with
Gresley's
K3 class
2-6-0 appearing in 1924. Both the class V2 and A1 express locomotives were also built. By 1927 the works was the town's largest employer. Darlington works built six
LNER Class K4 2-6-0 locomotives in 1937/38 for operation on the West Highland Line. No. 3442 (later 61994)
The Great Marquess has been preserved in full working order and in 2009 was still hauling special steam trains on the UK main line network.
British Railways period After nationalisation, Darlington built both steam and diesel locomotives, including
BR standard class 2. The equivalent of the
NER Class E1 (LNER J72)
0-6-0 tank locomotive had been built, virtually unchanged since 1898. In 1954 during the modernisation of
British Railways the works was enlarged and had grown to cover over , but in 1962 the BR Workshops Division was formed and, with rationalisation, the works was run down and closed in 1966. The land of the Stooperdale part of the works was sold to
Whessoe in 1962. ==Current use of the site==