Published on : Monday, October 1, 2018
John uncovered the notebook, which had not been seen since the 1950s, while searching for documents in the archive’s deeds room in April. There are about 20,000 documents on the shelves; the Stephenson notebook is number 350.
He said: “Because it is a historical document it would never have been loaned out or requested as it didn’t impact the running of the railway so since the 1950s, it has sat on a shelf unnoticed amongst hundreds of other packets.
“I was looking for a deed for one of our internal colleagues and purely out of curiosity decided to look through the packets, and there it was, and what a thrill it was to find.”
The rediscovery means the public will be able to see the notebook for the first time – the National Railway Museum in York unveiled a display of the notebook on 27 September, the 193rd anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington line.
The notebook shows Stephenson’s survey of fellow engineer George Overton’s original 1821 line and the amendments he recommended to it.
Source:-Network Rail
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