Stanhope and Tyne Railway

The Stanhope and Tyne Railway (formally the Stanhope and Tyne Railroad Company) was an early British industrial railway that ran from Stanhope, in County Durham, to South Shields at the mouth of the River Tyne. The railway opened on 15 May 1834, but liquidated on 5 February 1841. Sections of the line were bought by the Derwent Iron Company and the newly created Pontop and South Shields Railway. The railway was built to provide the limestone quarries above Weardale and coal mines in north Durham with an outlet to the Tyne down-river of any bridges. It also supported the growth of the Derwent Iron Company, later known as the Consett steelworks, which became its main freight customer.

Much of the S&T system was built through the moors of County Durham, and encountered difficulties in both construction and operation. When built, the line was 33 ³⁄₄ miles (54.3 km) long, of which 9 ¹⁄₄ miles (14.9 km) were operated using steam locomotives, 10 ¹⁄₂ miles (16.9 km) used horses, stationary engines worked 11 miles (18 km) of inclines and a further three inclines used gravity. The system was gradually expanded and improved throughout the 19th century, not reaching its final form until the 1890s.

The Pontop and South Shields became part of the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway and then the York & Newcastle Railway in 1846, and eventually became part of the North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1854. The line sold to the Derwent Iron Company was leased by the Stockton & Darlington Railway from 1847; the Stockton & Darlington also became part of the NER in 1863. The NER was later absorbed by the London & North Eastern Railway, and Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948. Regular passenger services ceased on 23 May 1955, and the line closed in the early 1980s, with the tracks lifted by 1985. Today its main constituent parts are part of the national Sustrans foot and cycle path network.

History

Stanhope and Tyne Railway
Legend
South Shields Tyne and Wear Metro Chichester Tyne Dock Newcastle & Darlington Jn Rly to Gateshead Durham Coast Line to Gateshead Durham Coast Line to Sunderland River Wear Leamside Line to Gateshead Tyne and Wear Metro to Sunderland Washington Hylton Durham Turnpike Cox Green Victoria Viaduct North Biddick Colliery Lambton Railway Harraton Colliery Penshaw Fatfield Leamside Line to Ferryhill Vigo Cutting River Wear East Coast Main Line Pelton West Pelton Incline Beamish Beamish Colliery Eden Hill Bank Beamish Deviation (1893) West Stanley Stanley Bank Annfield Plain Annfield Plain Deviation (1886) Tanfield Railway to Gateshead Leadgate Derwent Valley Railway to Gateshead Carrhouse Cutting (1867-1955)Blackhill Carrhouse(1858-1868) Consett Iron Works Consett(1896-1955) (1862-1867)Consett Lanchester Valley Railway to Durham Hownes Gill Viaduct Rowley Nanny Mayer's Incline Burnhill Waskerley Stanhope & Tyne Railway Weardale Extension Railway Frosterley Cut Saltersgate Cottage Blanchland Weatherhill Incline High Stoop Crawley Incline Tow Law Lanehead Farmhouse, near Stanhope Bolts Law 1,670 feet (510 m) Sunnyside Incline Boltslaw Incline Rookhope Deerness Valley Railway to Durham Rookhope & Middlehope Rly Crook West Durham Railway to Byers Green Beachburn Weardale Extension Railway Weardale Railway River Wear Etherley Wear Valley Junction River Wear Weardale Railway ← Wearhead • Bishop Auckland →

Construction

Like many private railways in the area, the purpose of the line was to transport minerals for either shipping or manufacture. On 20 November 1831, William Wallis of Westoe agreed a lease for mineral rights with John Selby under his lands at West Consett. Then on 2 December, Wallis entered into a partnership with Cuthbert Rippon of Stanhope Castle, and William Harrison of Monkwearmouth Grange, to extract coal at Medomsley and limestone from quarries at Lanehead Farmhouse, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) north of Stanhope, County Durham.^[1]

A partnership was formed, named the Stanhope and Tyne Railroad Company, on 20 April 1832.^[2] There was agreement for a railway between the lime kilns at Lanehead Farmhouse, and the coal mines at both Consett and Medomsley. After looking at upgrading the existing Pontop Waggonway, they decided to build a new railway, agreeing a lease with owner Charles Smythe for Pontop Colliery.^[1]

To avoid the need for raising large amounts of capital and the cost of applying for an Act of Parliament, a Deed of Settlement allowed the railway to be built under wayleaves, gaining access to the land on which the railway was built and subsequently paying a lease fee for its use.^[3] The initial section to Consett was over lands owned by the Bishop of Durham. With Robert Stephenson acting as surveyor and consulting engineer, construction started at the Stanhope end in July 1832, with Thomas E Harrison (William's son) as acting engineer.^[1]

Operations

On 15 May 1834, the first 15.25 miles (24.54 km) section from Stanhope to Annfield opened.^[1] The northern terminus was based at the company's lime kilns at Lanehead Farmhouse, 796 feet (243 m) above sea level. Wagons were drawn up the Crawley Incline to 1,123 feet (342 m), and then up the Weatherhill Incline to the summit at 1,445 feet (440 m). Horses worked the next 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to Park Head Wheelhouse, before wagons were let down the Park Head incline of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and a further 1.25 miles (2.01 km) on the Meeting Slacks incline into Waskerley. A self-acting bank of 0.75 miles (1.21 km) followed on a 1 in 14 gradient, called Nanny Mayor's Bank after the owning farmer's wife, before horses worked the next 1.25 miles (2.01 km) to Healyfield Bridge. Horses then rode in dandy waggons under gravity for 2 miles (3.2 km) via White Hall and Cold Rowley to Hownes Gill.^[1][4] Unable to afford a bridge over the 49 metres (161 ft) deep and 244 metres (801 ft) wide dry valley at Hownes Gill, the company hence authorised Stephenson to construct two steep rope-worked inclines, one at 1 in 2.5 and a second at 1 in 3. Single wagons were carried sideways in cradles worked by a single stationary steam engine located at the bottom of the gorge.^[5] Horses worked the wagons to Annfield Plain.

The line reached South Shields on 10 September 1834 it was 33 ³⁄₄ miles (54.3 km) long. Only the 9 ¹⁄₄-mile (14.9 km) long section east of Annfield was worked with steam locomotives, as stationary engines worked inclines over 11 miles (18 km), a further three inclines were worked by gravity and the remaining 10 ¹⁄₂ miles (16.9 km) were worked by horses.^[6] Except for one locomotive with four uncoupled wheels, the S&T had 0-4-2 locomotives, of which eight were built by Robert Stephenson and Company.^[7]

The railway began a passenger service on 16 April 1835 between South Shields and Durham Road, near the corner of Lambton Park. Initially this was using an open wagon attached to a coal train, and then a locomotive hauled a coach every fortnight. This was at a loss and also resulted legal action from a land owner who had his claim upheld in court that carrying passengers was not permitted by the wayleave over his land. The number of passengers increased after 1840 following a working agreement with the Brandling Junction Railway.^[8]

Liquidation

However company was nearly bankrupt, with the lime kilns having closed in 1840 together with the section from Stanhope to Carrhouse and the Stanhope to Annfield section losing money, the company was dissolved on 5 February 1841. The southern section from Stanhope to Carrhouse was sold to the new Derwent Iron Company (DIC) at Consett, (eventually to become the Consett Steelworks), and on 23 May 1842 the northern section became part of the newly created Pontop and South Shields Railway.^[9][2] In a series of amalgamations the Pontop and South Shields became part of the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway and the York & Newcastle Railway in 1846, which was renamed the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway the following year.^[10]

After the West Durham Railway constructed a line to Crook, the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) began construction of the Weardale Extension Railway to Crook, which opened on 8 November 1843, from a junction on its leased Weardale Railway.^[1] As a result, the DIC proposed an extension from Crook to the foot of the Meeting Slacks incline, which latter became Waskerley, to provide a southern shipping route for their lime and iron products. Having obtained an extension of their right of way from the Bishop of Durham, the DIC submitted the plans to the S&DR, who agreed to the extension as long as the DIC leased the entire southern section of the former S&TR to them. The Stanhope to Carrhouse section passed into the possession of the S&DR on 1 January 1845, with the completed 10 miles (16 km) Weardale Extension Railway from the Wear Valley Junction to Waskerley opening on 16 May 1845.^[1]

On 29 September 1847 the Stockton and Darlington Railway agreed a 999-year lease on the Wear Valley Railway (WVR) (a union of the Wear Valley Railway, the Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway, the Wear & Derwent Railway, the Weardale Extension Railway and the Shildon Tunnel Company opened on 3 August 1847), and the Middlesbrough and Redcar Railway at 6 per cent of the share capital.^[1]

Legacy

Hownes Gill Viaduct

Having taken over the line, the S&DR proposed to bypass Hownes Gill through construction of a suitable bridge. They commissioned Thomas Bouch to design and supervise the construction of such a structure.^[5] Bouch's design was submitted to Stephenson, who recommended the use of inverted arches under the five central piers to reduce ground loading.^[11]

The construction tender was won by John Anderson,^[11] who started works in 1857, with Rowley created to enable the workers to access the site. Three million white firebricks were used in the structure, with sandstone Ashlar dressings, and iron railings along the platform. The completed single-track Hownes Gill Viaduct opened in 1858, 700 feet (210 m) long and at maximum 150 feet (46 m) high, spanned by twelve 50 feet (15 m) wide arches on slender triple-tiered piers, with arched recesses in three layers on each side.^[5][12]

North Eastern Railway

The York, Newcastle & Berwick became a founding constituent of the North Eastern Railway in 1854.^[10] The Stockton and Darlington was absorbed by the North Eastern Railway in 1863.^[10] The section between Annfield Plain and Pelton was at this time still used steep rope-worked inclines, and so the NER built a loop extension to avoid this. The loop opened for freight trains on 1 January 1886, and passengers on 1 February 1894.^[13] The final section of the deviation between Pelton and Birtley was opened for freight trains in 1893, and for passenger trains in 1896.^[13][14][15]

On 1 January 1923 the NER amalgamated with other companies to form the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER),^[1][14] and Britain's railways were nationalised in 1948. Regular passenger services ceased on 23 May 1955,^[13] and the line was closed the early 1980s,^[14] with the tracks lifted by 1985.^[3]

Present

Both parts of the former line are now mainly used as foot and cycle paths, with part incorporated into the national Sustrans system.^[3] Part of the Consett to Sunderland section of the line has been used as a foot and cycle path,^[16] an the section from Stanhope to Consett is now the "Waskerley Way" public footpath.^[17][18]

References

Notes

Sources

• Allen, Cecil J. (1974) [1964]. The North Eastern Railway. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1. 
• Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508. 
• Hoole, K. (1974). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume IV The North East. David & Charles. ISBN 0715364391. 
• Tomlinson, William Weaver (1915). The North Eastern Railway: Its rise and development. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Andrew Reid and Company. 

Further reading

• Richardson, M.A. "10 September 1834". The local historian's table book of remarkable occurrences, historical facts, traditions, legendary and descriptive ballads &c., &c. connected with the counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, and Durham. Volume 4. p. 210. 
• Harrison, T. E. (1838). "Description of the Drops Used by the Stanhope and Tyne Railroad Company for the Shipment of Coals at South Shields. (Including Plates.)". ICE Transactions 2: 69. doi:10.1680/itrcs.1838.24386. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stanhope and Tyne Railway.

• "Pontop and South Shields Railway Company (RAIL 569)". The National Archives. 
• "Stanhope and tyne railway". English Heritage. 

• Lambeth, Roy. "Stanhope & Tyne Railway". disused-stations.org.uk. 
• "Stanhope and Tyne Railway". railbrit.co.uk. , Map showing track