South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway

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The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway, also known as the Stainmore Railway, is a closed railway line, which formerly linked the Stockton & Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (the West Coast Main Line) at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit & Kirkby Stephen.

A very small section of the line around Kirkby Stephen East station in being restored by the Stainmore Railway Company.

Contents 1 Route 2 Viaducts 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Route

Stations along the route were:

• Evenwood
• Cockfield Fell
• Barnard Castle
• Lartington
• Bowes
• Barras
• Kirkby Stephen East
• Smardale
• Ravenstonedale
• Gaisgill

Junctions were made at Barnard Castle, with lines to Darlington and Middleton-in-Teesdale, and at Kirkby Stephen with the Eden Valley Railway to Penrith.

[edit] Viaducts

The line was also noted for its viaducts. These were (from the east):

• Gaunless - 161 feet high
• Langley - 76 feet
• Forthburn - 43 feet
• Percy Beck - 66 feet
• Tees - 132 feet
• Deepdale - 161 feet
• Mousegill - 106 feet
• Belah - 196 feet
• Aitygill (or Redgategill) - 94 feet
• Merrygill - 78 feet
• Podgill - 84 feet
• Smardale - 90 feet

[edit] External links

• Stainmore Railway site
• The Northern Viaduct Trust
• Webpage about the railway's viaducts
• History of the line

[edit] References

• Smith, Martin (1994). British Railway Bridges & Viaducts. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-2273-7. 
• Walton, Peter (1992). The Stainmore & Eden Valley Railways. Oxford Publishing Co.. ISBN 978-0-86093-306-9.