London North Eastern Railway’s (LNER) has today (22 August) unveiled an exhibition at Newcastle Central station to celebrate ‘100 Years of Firsts’.

Although originally built in the 1830s and ’40s, it was not until 1923 that the whole East Coast Main Line came under the control of the London and North Eastern Railway, as a result of the 1921 Railway Act grouping many small railway companies into four large ones.

LNER believes that over the past century, the ECML has contributed to many ‘firsts’ in people’s lives and has put together this week-long exhibition to showcase some of those moments and feats. ‘100 Years of Firsts’ portrays a century of stories from passengers, relatives, LNER workers and historians, all of which represent a ‘first’ of some sort.

The exhibition runs from August 22 until August 28, and takes the form of a multimedia gallery, including written stories, audio recordings and photographs, compiled from interviews, archive research and first-hand accounts. It presents one hundred stories, all of which can be read on the LNER website. People can also access the stories via LNER’s podcast.

The ‘firsts’ from a chance encounter because of missed train which led to a four-year relationship, to a tale of collecting a kitten, and a pioneering hair salon on the Flying Scotsman. Other highlights include:

• celebrity quizzer Shaun Wallace’s adventures across the UK entering quizzes before he hit the big time with The Chase
• veteran ex-employee Frank Paterson, whose first job after school led to more than forty years of railway service
• an author who wrote his first book while travelling between Leeds and London King’s Cross
• two LNER ‘customer experience’ workmates who first met at the onboard catering carriage and are now married
• a young girl travelling to Scotland to fulfill her dream of feeding Edinburgh Zoo’s pandas
• Dragon’s Den’s Sara Davies travelling to meet Queen Elizabeth II for the first time to collect her MBE.

LNER is also looking to the ‘firsts’ which it will enable in the years ahead, asking passengers to share their ‘future firsts’ of memories they hope to make on the route. The operator will choose one hundred of these and reward them with £100 in LNER Perks loyalty credit to help make their dream come true.

The exhibition is the latest of LNER’s centenary events, which have also included naming a train ‘Century’ and a new menu for first class passengers.

Claire Ansley, People and Customer Experience Director at LNER, said: “Since 1923, LNER and firsts have gone hand in hand. Whether it’s breaking speed records, introducing cinema carriages or hiring the UK’s first black train driver, our pioneering spirit continues to push us forward along with millions of customers every year.

“Each story in this exhibition marks a moment. From touching personal accounts to lesser-known milestones of historical significance born out of a rich history of pioneering progress, the number of firsts which have been marked on the East Coast Main Line is incredible.”