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Tyneside rail history

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I am trying to build up a knowledge of vanished railways in my area, since I'm hoping to model of it. I have found no maps showing all lines now gone, so I have tried to create one myself after reading a couple of books.
There will be people with much more knowledege of Tyneside's railways than me, so I'm going to attach my map so far. If anyone could point out mistakes, inaccuracies, omissions etc I would be very grateful.

Thanks for any help :)
 

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beermaddavep

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Hi, you could do a lot worse than jumping on a train to Hartlepool, Middlesbrough or (I think) South Shields to have a look at the old tiled NER maps on the walls there :)

Although I'm sure I read somewhere that not all of the lines shown were actually completed....

Failing that, splash out an ordnance survey 1:25000 'explorer' map of the area,it's usually fairly easy (and fun to a sad git like me) to follow the path of old lines just by following the embankments, hedges and more recent rights of way.
 

exile

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Alan Young has written a couple of excellent books on railways in the North East.
 

flymo

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Geordie back from exile.
Some of those gone, some in my lifetime, include,

The Riverside route from Heaton to Percy Main.

The Leamside Line from Pelaw to Tursdale Jcn. (been on HST's during diversions.) Not to mention the line linking Washington and Chester-le-Street and the line from Washington to Boldon Colliery

The line to Blaydon on the north bank of the Tyne from Forth Street following Scotswood Rd and crossing the Tyne just west of Scotswood Bridge. (Seen HST's on that during the Penmanshiel closure)

Diverging at Scotswood there was also a line through Scotswood tunnel through Lemington, Newburn to Stella North Power Station (now long gone), and orignally from Newburn to west of Wylam years and years ago.

The line from Monkseaton to Newsham, Blyth and Bedlington.

The line to Consett steel works from Durham

The line to Derwenthaugh coke works from Swalwell, (Originally ran to Consett too via Rowlands Gill)

Benton curve allowing through running from ECML onto Metro lines to Rowntree's at Fawdon and ICI at Callerton.

The BR line to South Shields ran on a different alignment between Shields and Tyne Dock.

The line from Tyne Commission Quay to Backworth

Also probably loads of colliery railways and the like in Co. Durham and Northumberland and loads more I missed or can't remember.

Have a look here for a map of what used to be but be aware it includes waggonways, tramways and roads as well as railways. Closed railways are in green and you can zoom in by clicking the map and navigate around by using the appropriate direction icon above or below the map.

Enjoy :D:D
 

beermaddavep

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Loving that waggonways link Flymo, brilliant!

Clarifies the web of old lines around my home at Haswell, although it doesn't explain the still extant stone bridge piers across the Haswell to Shotton line just north of Tuthill bridge (I'd always presumed that they were the remnants of some old waggonway)?

Apologies to other forum users for the very NE England based local questions by the way!
 

Jonny

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Loving that waggonways link Flymo, brilliant!

Clarifies the web of old lines around my home at Haswell, although it doesn't explain the still extant stone bridge piers across the Haswell to Shotton line just north of Tuthill bridge (I'd always presumed that they were the remnants of some old waggonway)?

Apologies to other forum users for the very NE England based local questions by the way!

I was about to post the same link - but bear in mind that the map includes both roads and "first generation" waggonways that didn't necessarily become part of the "proper" railway (but some did); some were rope-hauled which explains why they go straight up steep hills...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Postscript: you could also check out the 1914 railway clearing house diagrams, uploaded to wikimedia on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Railways_Junctions_Diagram_1914
 

sbt

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although it doesn't explain the still extant stone bridge piers across the Haswell to Shotton line just north of Tuthill bridge (I'd always presumed that they were the remnants of some old waggonway)?

Sometimes what appears to be a rail or wagonway crossing is actually for something related, such as a ropeway or conveyor, or even a pipe (or series of same). Also don't forget all the internal tramways that factories, mines and quarries had, sometimes these linked sites either side of a transport artery. This classic and tragic example shows a tramway and a ropeway crossing two railways:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aberfan_before.jpg

If you want to review detailed maps, Streetmap allows you to use all the OS 50,000 and 25,000 mapping:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=439189&Y=540679&A=Y&Z=120

There is also a site with old OS Maps from the 40's and 50's:

http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#438,540,1

This site gives a few more pointers for further research:

http://www.hipkiss.org/data/links.html
 

DaveNewcastle

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Diverging at Scotswood there was also a line through Scotswood tunnel through Lemington, Newburn to Stella North Power Station (now long gone), and orignally from Newburn to west of Wylam years and years ago.
which you can still walk or cycle along (as with most abandoned lines outside city centres), but if you do, you'll pass right in front of that railway pioneer, George Stephenson's birthplace.

The line to Consett steel works from Durham
This was one of the region's heaviest industrial lines, carrying coal and ore to Consett and steel in manufactured form to cities and ports elsewhere in huge quantities.
See http://www.derbysulzers.com/24102.html

There is a wealth of books and maps availale to browse through in The Mining Institute (just 2 buildings east of Newcastle Central Station) and helpful & knowledgeable staff to direct you at their most useful resources. I must say that while the internet and books are great sources of information, there's nothing like first hand reports from people who worked and lived on these lines, and most of our railway heritage is still firmly in living memory; some of those folk are on here and will be happy to meet and to talk through their working knowledge.
 
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