Tanfield Railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tanfield Railway is a tourist attraction in County Durham, England, operating preserved steam and diesel industrial locomotives. The Railway operates a passenger service on Sunday's all year round.
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[edit] History (as a Colliery Railway)
The Railway was originally built to transport coal from the collieries nearby, to the River Tyne.
The oldest existing part of the line (the section between the Sunniside and Causey Arch stations) dates from 1725 (it was a horse drawn railway at that time) and is claimed to be the World's Oldest Working Railway.
It is near to Causey Arch, the oldest surviving railway bridge in the world, which originally served the line.
[edit] History (as a preserved line)
The early years at Marley Hill were spent in preparing locos for steaming, working on the shed structure and acquiring basic needs such as water and electricity.
The public steamings of 1973 used No.21 and Malleable No.5
A small carriage was acquired from British Steel on Teeside and was prepared for use as the railways first passenger carrier for a week of running in August 1975. No.21, No.32 and Sir Cecil A Cochrane were the 3 locos in use that week.
[edit] Extensions to the Line
Sunniside
Sunniside Station was the end of the railway's first extension. Passenger trains started using the extension on 2nd July 1981 and the official opening cermony took place the following year on 14th July 1982.
Andrews House
Andrews House station was completed between 1987 - 1989 with platforms, a water tower, a station building and a footbridge.
Causey Arch
The first train to Causey was on 27th July 1991, with the official opening cermony being held on August 15th 1991.
East Tanfield
The first train to East Tanfield was on 18th October 1992. It is the southern most station on the railway.
[edit] Locomotives
Locos that have been steamed in the preservation years are:
- Wellington
- No.2
- Stagshaw
- No.38
- No.49
- Renishaw Ironworks No.6
- No.32
- Gamma
- No.21
- Sir Cecil A Cochrane
- Progress
- Irwell
- The Sentinel
