On 1 July 1828, it was heavily damaged when its boiler exploded at Aycliffe Lane station, killing its driver, John Cree.

[citation needed] On 16 September 1824, the S&DR ordered a pair of steam locomotives, at a price of £550 (about £55,577 today) each.

The locomotive weighed 6.6 tonnes, with many elements, including the boiler, cylinders and wheels, made of cast iron, on a timber frame.

1 is believed to have been the first locomotive to use coupling rods to connect its driving wheels together, an approach that considerably decreased the chance of slipping.

1 is most notable for being the first locomotive to haul a passenger train on a public railway, rather than for the innovations in its design.

The train, which had an estimated weight of 80 metric tons (79 long tons; 88 short tons) and was 400 feet (121.9 metres) long, reached a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)), and took two hours to complete the first 8.7 miles (14.0 km) of the journey to Darlington, slowed by a derailed wagon and a blocked feed pump valve for an average speed of 8 miles per hour (13 km/h).

On 1 July 1828, the locomotive was heavily damaged when the boiler exploded while the train was stopped at Aycliffe Lane station, killing driver John Cree, and wounding water pumper Edward Turnbull.

[11] Cree had tied down the arm of a safety valve, which caused the boiler pressure to rise to the point of explosion.

On 4 June 1846, it hauled the opening train on the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway, a subsidiary of the S&DR.

[12] Following its withdrawal, Locomotion was purchased by Joseph Pease and Partners and converted into a stationary pumping engine for use at their West Collieries in South Durham, where it was used until 1857.

1 is such an important part of Darlington's history that it is depicted on the town's coat of arms,[13] and on the badge of its football team.

1 was steamed for the Stockton and Darlington Railway's Golden Jubilee in September 1875, and to participate in a procession of locomotives at the George Stephenson Centenary in June 1881.

[16] Some in Darlington objected to the move, as the locomotive had resided in Darlington since preservation, and is depicted on the town's coat of arms and on the badges of its football and rugby clubs; it is claimed by some that the locomotive is only owned by the NRM due to an accident of history.

[17] As the original locomotive is too fragile to return to steam, a working replica was built in 1975, and was resident at Beamish Museum.

[18] After a period on display at the Locomotion museum, it moved to Head of Steam in April 2021, replacing the original.