Full Strings Ahead: LNER and Linlithgow String Orchestra Hit the Right Note for Railway 200

The piece composed by Shildon-born composer Deborah Shaw will be performed by the Linlithgow String Orchestra at a free public concert on Sunday 9 November 2025. The project is supported by the charity Making Music and their ‘Adopt a Music Creator’ programme.

As well as supporting Railway 200, the concert also celebrates the 10^th anniversary of the founding of the string orchestra and 90 years of the charity Making Music.

The concert will take place at the historic St. Michael’s Parish Church, Linlithgow with the performance starting at 7pm on Sunday 9 November 2025. You can book your free tickets via the orchestra's website here. 

Deborah Shaw, the composer of the new celebratory piece of music, is from the historic railway town of Shildon, situated on the original route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which is front and centre of this year's celebratory Railway 200 events. Her new striking work explores Scotland’s rail history through music while amplifying often unheard voices.

Commissioned through Making Music’s ‘Adopt a Music Creator’ initiative and developed in collaboration with the Linlithgow String Orchestra, their musical director Bill Jones, and with mentorship from composer Ailie Robertson, the composition explores sounds of the railways, whilst reimagining stories of trains, industry, and identity.

Deborah explains: “The piece incorporates snippets of archival recordings and field sounds from the steam engine ‘Twizell’ which was built by Robert Stephenson & Company and is now lovingly cared for by the Tanfield Railway. Orchestral cues are directed with authentic LNER guards whistles and traditional railway hand signals.

This new composition is so much more than a celebration of trains, I wanted my work to shine a light on the underrepresented voices in both rail and music, from women and marginalised workers to African American railroad traditions.”

Jake Orros, Community Partnerships Manager at LNER, said: “LNER is proud to sponsor this premiere in celebration of Railway 200. Music and railways bring communities together, and this very special concert combines both – we warmly invite all to join us on the night. Our Azuma trains glide through Linlithgow on their way to the highlands, and it is important to us to support local communities along our route. I know Deborah and the Orchestra have been perfecting the work over the past few months and we are thrilled to hear the new score.”

Helen Greig, Chair of Linlithgow String Orchestra, said: “The orchestra has been busy rehearsing every week and we are so excited and honoured to be the first orchestra to perform ‘Engine Shed’ composed by the very talented Deborah. We are incredibly grateful to Making Music for supporting the project through their Adopt a Music Creator programme and of course to LNER for sponsoring the premiere. We looking forward to welcoming the local community on the big night.”

The multi-movement suite blends folklore, history, and field recordings with orchestral scoring. Highlights include:

“Mind the Faeries in my Kailpatch” – weaving Scottish folklore with stories of the opening of Linlithgow’s first railway line, where Provost John Boyd complained as the new line destroyed his croft. A piece questioning how technology and nature can coexist.

“Flying Scotsman” – a tribute to LNER’s iconic locomotive.

“Gandy Men” – inspired by the blues rhythms of African American railroad workers who sang whilst repairing train tracks.

“Coal Dust on Powdered Lips” – a new song honouring women in rail, from recognising the unseen domestic roles women historically provided while men worked to early female pioneers like signal engineer Elsie Winterton and today’s leaders such as Linda Wain, who is Engineering Director at LNER .

The premiere promises an ambitious, genre-blending programme of music, from Shaw’s unique perspective as one of the few women composers after a long line of men to compose rail inspired works.