Harperley railway station

Last updated

Harperley
Remains of Harperley Station - geograph.org.uk - 1313810.jpg
The site of the station in 2009
Location Fir Tree, County Durham
England
Coordinates 54°42′29″N1°49′15″W / 54.7081°N 1.8208°W / 54.7081; -1.8208 Coordinates: 54°42′29″N1°49′15″W / 54.7081°N 1.8208°W / 54.7081; -1.8208
Grid reference NZ116348
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway
Pre-grouping North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping LNER
British Railways (North Eastern)
Key dates
March 1861 (1861-03)Opened
May 1864Closed
1 November 1892Enlarged station reopened
29 June 1953Closed to passengers
1 October 1955 (1955-10-01)Closed completely

Harperley railway station served the Harperley Hall Estate and the nearby hamlet of Low Harperley, close to the village of Fir Tree in County Durham, North East England between 1861 and 1864 and again from 1892 to 1953 as a stop on the Wear Valley Line.

Contents

History

The Wear Valley Company opened their line from the Bishop Auckland & Weardale Railway at Witton Junction to Frosterley on 3 August 1847 but initially, no station was provided in this rural location. In March 1861, the Frosterley & Stanhope Railway opened a small halt [1] to serve Harperley Hall and its estate as part of works to extended the Wear Valley Line from Frosterley to Stanhope, a project that was completed the following year. However, because the station was built primarily to serve the Hall, it was located at the end of a private estate road with little public access and thus was closed in May 1864. A new, enlarged station, with sidings on either side of the tracks, was opened by the North Eastern Railway (NER) at Harperley on 1 November 1892 to serve a local ganister and timber contractor. On 21 October 1895, the NER extended the Stanhope line to Wearhead. [2]

The line was double track through Harperley (to enable trains to pass) and this was controlled from a signal box, adjacent to the level crossing carrying the estate road across the line. [2]

During WWII, a prisoner of war camp was constructed nearby, perhaps as a result of the remote location with good rail links. [2]

The station was closed to passengers by British Railways (BR) on 29 June 1953 and goods on 1O October 1955, though goods traffic continued to pass through the station for some years. In 1961 the line was cut back to St John's Chapel and then, in 1968, it was further reduced to the Blue Circle Cement Works (later owned by Lafarge), just to the west of Eastgate. Though stopping goods trains had been withdrawn completely, the line was retained to serve the cement works and, in 1988, BR introduced a summer Sunday extension to the regular Darlington to Bishop Auckland 'Heritage Line' service to Stanhope though no stop was provided at Harperley and the service was withdrawn after the summer of 1992 along with the freight on 17 March 1993. [2]

Rather than close the line when freight traffic was withdrawn, BR mothballed it and a campaign began in 1993 to preserve the line as a heritage railway. Weardale Railways Limited purchased the line in 2004 and reopened it between Wolsingham and Stanhope in July 2004. [2] However the organisation struggled financially and the service was suspended a short time later, not recommencing until August 2006. [3]

After major efforts to clear the line of vegetation and repair damaged tracks, passenger services along the section between Stanhope and Bishop Auckland West through (but not stopping at) Harperley were reintroduced on 23 May 2010 [4] and continued until the end of the 2012 season. [5] However, in June 2014 a limited, volunteer-run passenger service was reintroduced between Stanhope and Wolsingham [6] using a class 122 "Bubble Car" and on 27 March 2016 this service was extended to Witton-le-Wear. [7] However this service does not stop at Harperley and there do not currently appear to be any plans to reopen the station.

Related Research Articles

Weardale Railway

The Weardale Railway is an independently owned British single-track branch line heritage railway between Bishop Auckland, Witton-le-Wear, Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Weardale Railway began services on 23 May 2010, but decided to run special trains rather than a scheduled service for the 2013 season.

Wolsingham Human settlement in England

Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.

Weardale

Weardale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper valley is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse moors. The River Wear flows through Weardale before reaching Bishop Auckland and then Durham, meeting the sea at Sunderland.

Harperley Human settlement in England

Harperley is a small village in County Durham, England. It is situated between Tantobie to the north east, Tanfield Lea to the east, Stanley to the south, East Kyo to the south east and Catchgate, West Kyo and Annfield Plain to the west.

Frosterley Human settlement in England

Frosterley is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between Wolsingham and Stanhope; 18 miles west of Durham City and 26 miles southwest of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In the 2001 census Frosterley had a population of 705.

Stanhope, County Durham Human settlement in England

Stanhope is a small market town in County Durham, England, situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley, on the north-east side of Weardale. The main A689 road that bridges the Pennines is crossed at Stanhope by the B6278 road between Barnard Castle and Shotley Bridge.

Tees Valley line

The Tees Valley Line is a railway line located in the north of England, and follows, in part, the original route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, dating back to 1825.

Bishop Auckland railway station Railway station in County Durham on the Tees Valley Line

Bishop Auckland railway station serves the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, England. The station is the western terminus of the Tees Valley Line 12 miles (19 km) north of Darlington.

River Wear

The River Wear in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At 60 mi (97 km) long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through the cathedral city of Durham and gives its name to Weardale in its upper reach and Wearside by its mouth.

The Derwent Valley Railway was a branch railway in County Durham, England. Built by the North Eastern Railway, it ran from Swalwell to Blackhill via five intermediate stations, and onwards to Consett.

West Auckland railway station served the villages of St Helen Auckland and West Auckland in County Durham, England, between 1833 and 1962. It was on the railway line between Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle. There was a locomotive depot, which was the only one to be both closed completely and later reopened by the London and North Eastern Railway.

The Lanchester Valley Railway was an English railway line that was developed by the North Eastern Railway to run between Durham to Consett. Extending 12 miles (19 km) along the valley of the River Browney, it opened on 1 September 1862. Closed under the Beeching Axe, it has been redeveloped by Durham County Council as a foot and cycle path as the Lanchester Valley Railway Path.

Durham to Bishop Auckland Line Railway line in County Durham, England

The Durham to Bishop Auckland Line was a railway line originally built by the North Eastern Railway (NER) to provide rail transport access to coal mines in West County Durham. It closed under the Beeching Axe to passenger traffic in May 1964, and freight in 1968. Today it forms the major part of the 9 miles (14 km) Brandon to Bishop Auckland rail trail.

Crook railway station served the town of Crook, County Durham, England. It was located on the Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway line from Bishop Auckland to Blackhill between Wear Valley Junction and Tow Law, 17 miles (27 km) north west of Darlington.

Washington railway station served the town of Washington, Tyne and Wear, England from 1835 to 1963, initially on the Stanhope & Tyne Railway and later the Leamside line.

Eastgate railway station Disused railway station in Eastgate, County Durham

Eastgate railway station, also known as Eastgate-in-Weardale, served the village of Eastgate in County Durham, North East England from 1895 to 1953 as a stop on the Wear Valley Line.

Witton-le-Wear railway station Disused railway station in Witton-le-Wear, County Durham

Witton-le-Wear railway station is a railway station on the Weardale heritage railway serves the village of Witton-le-Wear in County Durham, North East England, and is the penultimate stop for most of line's eastbound passenger services. The current station platform is located on the opposite side of the track to the original railway station which was operation between 1847 and 1953.

Wear Valley Junction railway station primarily served as an interchange between the Wear Valley Line and the Weardale Extension Railway (WXR) between 1847 and 1935. It was the closest railway station to the village of High Grange in County Durham, North East England.

Etherley railway station Disused railway station in Witton Park, County Durham

Etherley railway station served the village of Witton Park in County Durham, North East England, from 1847 to 1965 on the Wear Valley line. It was briefly reopened during the summers of 1991 and 1992 as Witton Park.

References

  1. ↑ Quick, M E (2002). Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales - a chronology. Richmond: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 204. OCLC   931112387.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Disused Stations: Harperley". Disused Stations. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  3. ↑ Mackay, Neil (17 August 2006). "Quiet victory as railway reopens - Today's News - News - Journal Live". The Journal. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Williams, Adam (July 2010). "Regular passenger services return to Weardale". Modern Railways. London. p. 9.
  5. ↑ "Statement by Ed Ellis 15 March 2013". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  6. ↑ Henderson, Tony (29 September 2015). "Weardale Railway Trust celebrates its 20th anniversary as it keeps heritage services running - Chronicle Live". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Russell, Helen (27 March 2016). "Trains stop in County Durham village for first time in 50 years | The Northern Echo". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Witton-le-Wear
Line and station open		  North Eastern Railway
Wear Valley Line 		  Wolsingham
Line and station open
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