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Leaving the A1 at Scotch Corner, turn onto the A66 and head for Darlington. Once you reach the town, the railway station is clearly signposted from most major roads. If approaching from the north, be sure not to end up at Darlington North Road station instead!

The station has car parking facilities, but with *very* limited space, and they cost £5 an hour. Cars parked in the street outside the station's main entrance, Park Lane, will probably earn a parking ticket as the street is only to be used for pick-ups and drop-offs for the station.

The railway station is served by number 21/26/27/28/X54 Arriva services and 25/26 Stagecoach services.

The station has toilets, a cafe, a branch of WH Smith and a small snack shop. The nearby Hogans pub, is not recommended.

Near the station, in Victoria Road, is the Coachman hotel and Dalesman Bed and Breakfast.

North East Gen

The best vantage points are at the southern ends of Platform 1/2 and 3/4a, where there will be very few people. This is also the best point for freight trains, most of which bypass the former North Eastern Railway trainshed. It can take a few minutes to get between the southern ends of Platforms 1/2 and 3/4a as the crossing point is at the north end of these platforms.
Southbound freight trains often stop at the signals visible from Platform 1, waiting for a path to continue. They may also call at the signal further down the line, beyond the extent of the platforms. A wooden fence can be found across the end of Platform 1/2,which may affect the view.
At the south end of the station are two bay platforms, 2 and 3. During the day there's usually Class 142s and 156s parked up here, but Class 144 and 158 DMUs also visit occasionally. New diesel units from Bombardier Transportation also park in Platform 3 when they visit on test runs. At the north end of the station, at the end of Platform 4, there is a car park from which trains can also be seen. To get here, walk north through the station past the taxi rank, then left into the car park before the long sloping road out of the station's north exit. The leading locomotives of northbound trains stand next to the car park, and good views are also possible by the fence at the far north.
Afternoon is the best time to photograph, as you'll have the sun at your back for most passing trains, though in the evening any trains stopping at Platform 4/4a will be difficult to photograph due to the low sun silhouetting them. Non-stopping trains (mostly GNER, and the odd Virgin XC) pass behind the trainshed, and the east wall will block out most of the noise and almost entirely hide the approach of southbound, so they may sneak up on you with barely seconds notice. A relatively clear view down the ECML will give you plenty of notice of northbound trains.

Darlington, South Junction