Exploring lost railway stations in region
THE BIRTHPLACE OF TRAIN TRAVEL SAW MANY OF ITS STOPS CLOSED DOWN FOLLOWING THE CONTROVERSIAL REPORT BY DR BEECHING
IT marked the end of an era for the country’s railways as thousands of stations were closed and staff fired.
Dr Richard Beeching’s report, “The Reshaping of British Railways”, was published 53 years ago this week aimed at reorganising the nation’s railways, which were losing £140m a year.
It led to the closure of 5,500 miles of track, and the shutdown of 2,363 stations. Around 70,000 railway staff lost their jobs.
There was significant opposition to the report, but the controversial plans were pushed through.
The North East, renowned as one of the birthplaces of the railways, lost many of its railway stations as a result. Some have since been reshaped as Metro stations – but many have vanished.
Here, we take a look back at some of them.
ASHINGTON
Opened in 1872 as Hirst. British Railways withdrew passenger services in 1964.
BLACKHILL
Opened in 1867 west from the end of St Aidans Street by North Eastern Railway, it was closed to passengers in 1955 but helped carry coal into the late 1970s before it was completely closed.
BLYTH
The Blyth, Seghill and Percy Main Railway opened the line to Blyth in 1847 and the first station was at Croft Street (now King Street). In 1867, a new station was opened to replace the original station. Passenger services were withdrawn in November 1964.
GATESHEAD
Gateshead railway station was operational between 1844 and 1981. There were two parts to the station on different routes – at times they were known as Gateshead East and Gateshead West
By 1953, the name was simplified to Gateshead as the number of services from the West station dwindled to almost nothing by 1951. In November 1965, the former Gateshead West platforms finally closed. The remainder of the station lost its train shed in 1968, but continued to be served through the 1970s. It was eventually closed on 23 November 1981.
HEATON
When the original station was
opened in the 19th century, it stood in a rural location, the nearest village being Byker Hill about 1/4 mile to the east. But, towards the end of the 19th century, the terraces of the residential suburb of Heaton began to fill the fields on both sides of the railway. In 1887, the line from Newcastle Central Station to Heaton Junction was widened from two tracks to four. The original station was demolished and a new station built further to the west of Heaton Road, which was closed in 1980.
JESMOND
Opened in 1864 between Jesmond Road and Sandyford Road by the Blyth & Tyne Railway Company.
It closed in 1978 and was turned into a pub.
KIELDER FOREST
Opened in 1862 on west side of unclassified road through Kielder village.
The station was originally known as just Kielder. Forest was added in 1948. It was closed to passengers in 1956 and was completely closed in 1958.
ROWLEY RAILWAY STATION NEAR CONSETT
Opened in 1845 on the west side of the A68 by the Stockton & Darlington Railway company, it was closed to passengers in 1939, then completely in 1966. Now demolished, the station site is now a picnic area for walkers and cyclists using the Waskerley Way and the C2C Route.