Hartlepool railway station (Hartlepool Dock & Railway)

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Hartlepool
Hartlepool railway station (site), County Durham (geograph 4299986).jpg
The site of the second station in January 2015
General information
Location Headland, Hartlepool
England
Coordinates 54°41′55″N1°11′16″W / 54.6987°N 1.1877°W / 54.6987; -1.1877
Platforms1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Hartlepool Dock & Railway
Pre-grouping North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping LNER
British Rail (North Eastern)
Key dates
1839First station opened
16 November 1878First station replaced by second
16 June 1947Second station closed to regular passenger services
23 March 1964 (1964-03-23)Second station closed completely

Hartlepool railway station was a railway station that served the Headland area of Hartlepool in the ceremonial county of Durham, North East England. Though originally built as the coastal terminus of the Hartlepool Dock & Railway in 1839, for most of its life the station was the terminus of a shuttle service from the town's main station in West Hartlepool.

Contents

History

Though the first mineral train along the HD&R reached Hartlepool on 1 January 1835, the first passenger station in Hartlepool was not opened until 1839. [1] Facilities at this first station were initially housed in the hull of a grounded ship before a more permanent building was provided, close to Commercial Street. [2] From 1845, the HD&R leased the Great North of England, Clarence & Hartlepool Junction Railway which had opened a line from a junction with the HD&R at Wingate to Ferryhill six years earlier. However just a year after the HD&R leased the GNEC&HJR, both companies were leased by the newly formed York & Newcastle Railway, before being amalgamated into its successor, the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway, on 22 July 1848. [1] Passengers from Hartlepool were first carried over the GNEC&HJR in 1846. [3]

The York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway was amalgamated with other companies to form the North Eastern Railway in 1854 and in 1877 the NER constructed a line linking the former HD&R directly to the former Stockton & Hartlepool Railway in West Hartlepool. [1] As part of the rationalisation of the rail network around Hartlepool, the NER opened a new terminus at Hartlepool, west of the original station, on 16 November 1878 [3] and a new through station at West Hartlepool two years later. [1] Following the opening of the new station, the original one was converted into a goods shed. [2] The growth of West Hartlepool, combined with the decline of "old" Hartlepool led to the diversion of passenger services from the former HD&R and GNEC&HJR lines into West Hartlepool station, leaving Hartlepool as the terminus of a shuttle service between the two towns. [4]

The opening of a parallel steam tramway in 1884, and its later conversion to electric traction in 1899, [5] introduced direct competition to this shuttle service. Hoping to emulate the success of the then recently launched Tyneside Electrics system, the NER first launched their experimental petrol electric autocars on the Hartlepool-West Hartlepool shuttle service in August 1904, hoping that they could provide a frequent (10-minute frequency) 5-minute journey time service [6] capable of drawing back passengers from the tramway. [7] However, only one unit actually saw service on this route and, after further trials on the Port Clarence Branch in early 1905, this unit was transferred to Scarborough later that year. [6] Nonetheless, even after the NER became part of the London and North Eastern Railway in the 1923 grouping, the shuttle continued to attempt to compete with trams and busses. In 1925, the LNER shuttle service consisted of 49 trains per day but by 1939 it had declined to 38, with services then normally operated by LNER Sentinel steam railcars. [4]

However, wartime economy measures led to this service being reduced to just four trains each way from 2 October 1939, a service level which was maintained until public passenger services were withdrawn on 16 June 1947. Even so, the station still continued to handle services for school children until 23 March 1964. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom)</span> British railway company, active 1854–1922

The North Eastern Railway (NER) was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854 by the combination of several existing railway companies. Later, it was amalgamated with other railways to form the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923. Its main line survives to the present day as part of the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham Coast Line</span>

The Durham Coast Line is an approximately 39.5-mile (63.6 km) railway line running between Newcastle and Middlesbrough in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the line; it provides an important diversionary route at times when the East Coast Main Line is closed. Light rail services of the Tyne and Wear Metro's Green Line also operate over the same tracks between a junction just south of Sunderland station and Pelaw Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyneside Electrics</span>

The Tyneside Electrics were the suburban railways on Tyneside that the North Eastern Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway electrified using the third rail system. The North Tyneside Loop was electrified from 1904 onwards and formed one of the earliest suburban electric networks; the South Tyneside line to South Shields via Pelaw was electrified in March 1938. British Railways converted these lines to diesel operation in the 1960s: the line to South Shields in January 1963 and the North Tyneside lines in June 1967 when the electrical supply infrastructure and the rolling stock had become life expired. In addition, the system was losing passengers and suffering from costly vandalism. Since the late 1970s, much of the system has been converted to form the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The Blyth and Tyne Railway was a railway company in Northumberland, England, incorporated by Act of Parliament on 30 June 1852. It was created to unify the various private railways and waggonways built to carry coal from the Northumberland coalfield to Blyth and the River Tyne, which it took control of on 1st January 1853. Over time, the railway expanded its network to reach Morpeth (1857/8), North Seaton (1859), Tynemouth (1860/1), Newcastle upon Tyne (1864), and finally Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (1872). It became part of the much larger North Eastern Railway in 1874.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway</span> English railway company

The South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway (SD&LUR) built a railway line linking the Stockton and Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit and Kirkby Stephen. The line opened in 1861 and became known as the Stainmore Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1903 Petrol Electric Autocar</span> 1903 experimental petrol-electric railcar in the United Kingdom

The 1903 Petrol Electric Autocars were built by the North Eastern Railway in 1903 at their carriage works in York. These were powered by petrol engines which generated electricity for two traction motors which were mounted on the bogie underneath. This means of powering a railway vehicle was pioneering and would eventually be developed into the diesel-electric technology that powered and powers many locomotives worldwide. The railcars were numbered 3170 and 3171 and were 53.5 feet (16.3 m) long and weighed around 35 long tons (36 t). The engine was mounted in an engine compartment 13.25 feet (4.04 m) long. The rest of the vehicles' length was taken up by a vestibule, driving compartment and a 52-seat passenger compartment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway</span> Former English railway company

The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (YN&BR) was an English railway company formed in 1847 by the amalgamation of the York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway. Both companies were part of the group of business interests controlled by George Hudson, the so-called Railway King. In collaboration with the York and North Midland Railway and other lines he controlled, he planned that the YN&BR would form the major part of a continuous railway between London and Edinburgh. At this stage the London terminal was Euston Square and the route was through Normanton. This was the genesis of the East Coast Main Line, but much remained to be done before the present-day route was formed, and the London terminus was altered to King's Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redmarshall railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Redmarshall railway station was a railway station on the North Eastern Railway, in County Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway</span>

The Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway (CW&SLR) was a short light railway in a rural part of Yorkshire, England. The company was sometimes referred to as the Cawood, Wistow and Selby Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Northern Railway</span> 19th-century British railway company

The Leeds Northern Railway (LNR), originally the Leeds and Thirsk Railway, was an English railway company that built and opened a line from Leeds to Stockton via Harrogate and Thirsk. In 1845 the Leeds and Thirsk Railway received permission for a line from Leeds to Thirsk, part of which opened in 1848, but problems building the Bramhope Tunnel delayed trains operating into Leeds until 1849.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NER electric units</span>

The NER electric units were electric multiple units that ran on the Tyneside Electrics, a suburban system based on the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1904 the North Eastern Railway electrified suburban services on Tyneside with a third rail at 600 V DC and built saloon cars that ran in 3-car to 8-car formations. More cars were built between 1908 and 1915 to cope with increased traffic. In 1918, a fire at Walkergate car shed destroyed 34 cars and replacement cars were built in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence Railway</span> Former railway company in England

The Clarence Railway was an early railway company that operated in north-east England between 1833 and 1853. The railway was built to take coal from mines in County Durham to ports on the River Tees and was a competitor to the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). It suffered financial difficulty soon after it opened because traffic was low and the S&DR charged a high rate for transporting coal to the Clarence, and the company was managed by the Exchequer Loan Commissioners after July 1834. An extension of the Byers Green branch was opened in 1839 by the independent West Durham Railway to serve collieries in Weardale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferryhill railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Ferryhill railway station was located in Ferryhill, County Durham, Northeast England. It was located on what became the East Coast Main Line between Darlington and Durham, close to the junctions with several former branches, including the extant freight-only Stillington Line to Norton-on-Tees and Stockton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selby (Brayton Gates) railway station</span> Disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Selby (Brayton Gates) was the initial, temporary southern terminus of the short Cawood, Wistow and Selby Light Railway (CW&SLR) in North Yorkshire, England. The line was connected to the North Eastern Railway (NER) nearby. The station is sometimes referred to as "Brayton Gates" or plain "Selby", though it was around a mile from the much larger Selby station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellfield railway station</span> Former railway station in Wingate, County Durham, England

Wellfield railway station was a railway station that served the village of Wingate in County Durham, England. It was built by the North Eastern Railway (NER) on the route of the Hartlepool Dock & Railway (HD&R) to allow interchange between the existing line and their newly opened line from Stockton-on-Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaham Harbour railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Seaham Harbour railway station was a railway station that served the town of Seaham Harbour in County Durham, North East England. For much of its existence, it was the southern passenger terminus of the Londonderry, Seaham and Sunderland Railway but declined in importance after the opening of the nearby Seaham Colliery station and the extension of the line to West Hartlepool by that company's successor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotton Bridge railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Shotton Bridge railway station was a railway station built by the North Eastern Railway (NER) on the route of the Hartlepool Dock & Railway (HD&R) as part of a programme of works to modernise that line and link it with the Durham & Sunderland Railway (D&SR) so as to create a railway through-route between West Hartlepool and Sunderland. On opening, the station served the relatively new village of Shotton Colliery, which grew around the nearby Shotton Grange Colliery, as well as Old Shotton on the Stockton to Sunderland turnpike road, further to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NER Class V</span> Class of 20 British 4-4-2 locomotives

The NER Class V was a class of twenty steam locomotives of the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement. They were designed by Wilson Worsdell for the North Eastern Railway (NER) as express passenger locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryhope railway station</span> Disused railway station in Ryhope, Tyne and Wear

Ryhoperailway station was one of two railway stations to have served the village of Ryhope, Tyne & Wear. For much of its existence, it was served by the Durham–Sunderland and Hartlepool–Haswell–Sunderland lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hart railway station</span> Disused railway station in Hart, County Durham

Hart railway station was a station that served the villages of Hart and Crimdon in County Durham, England.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hill, Norman (2001). Teesside Railways A View from the Past. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. pp. 4, 17, 18, 21, 23 & 27. ISBN   0711028036.
  2. 1 2 "Hartlepool History Then & Now - Old Hartlepool Railway Station Headland". Hartlepool History Then & Now. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  3. 1 2 Hoole, Ken (1985). Railways of East Durham. Clapham, North Yorkshire: The Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 10 & 32. ISBN   0852068352.
  4. 1 2 3 Hoole, Ken (1978). North Eastern Railway branch lines since 1925. Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd. pp. 79 & 80. ISBN   0711008299.
  5. Klapper, Charles Frederick (1961). The Golden Age of Tramways. Taylor & Francis.
  6. 1 2 "Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway - Loco Profile - North Eastern Railway Petrol-Electric Autocar". Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  7. "The 1903 Electric Autocar Trust | It's what Vincent Raven would've done". The 1903 Electric Autocar Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Terminus  North Eastern Railway
Hartlepool Dock & Railway
  Hart
Line and station closed
West Hartlepool
Line closed, station open
  London and North Eastern Railway
West Hartlepool-Hartlepool
 Terminus