Point Pleasant railway station

Last updated

Point Pleasant
General information
Location Wallsend, North Tyneside
England
Coordinates 54°59′32″N1°30′33″W / 54.9921°N 1.5092°W / 54.9921; -1.5092
Grid reference NZ315664
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company North Eastern Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping London and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 October 1898Opened as an unadvertised halt
1 January 1902Opened to the public
11 July 1966Closed to freight
23 July 1973Closed to passengers

Point Pleasant was a railway station situated on the Riverside Branch, a line connecting Byker and Willington Quay. Serving the area of Willington Quay in North Tyneside, the station provided transportation services for local residents and travelers in the region.

Contents

Point Pleasant station began its operations on October 1, 1898, initially as an unadvertised halt established by the North Eastern Railway. It was later officially opened to the public on 1 January 1902. [1]

This area of Wallsend was a hive of activity, and included many famous shipbuilders, such as the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company. The station was modest, with just two platforms and an iron lattice bridge of the standard North Eastern Railway design. Both platforms had a waiting room, with the booking office situated on the down platform.

History

The Newcastle-upon-Tyne and North Shields Railway Act 1836 (6 & 7 Will. 4. c. lxxvi) received royal assent on 21 June 1836, and the line opened between Carliol Square and North Shields on 18 June 1839. [2] It ran along the north bank of the River Tyne, although, due to the meandering course of the river, it ran some distance from the shoreline at the eastern end.

The branch line, designed to closely follow the shoreline of the Tyne and serve the rapidly developing industries and communities, was authorised in 1871. It was built along a route "that consisted for the most part of tunnels, bridges, cuttings, retaining-walls, and embankments". [3]

The branch line opened on 1 May 1879. [4] The delay in opening the line reflected the scale of the engineering works required to build the many tunnels, cuttings and retaining walls. Despite being a loop line, the line was officially known as the Riverside Branch. [5]

In the early 1900s, tramway competition caused a rapid decline in the number of passengers using the North Eastern Railway's local services in North Tyneside. Therefore, in 1904, the branch line was electrified, using a 600 V DC third-rail system. [6]

Demise and closure

Between 1909 and 1948, an hourly all-day service ran on the line. In the late 1940s, passenger services on the branch were reduced to peak hours only, catering primarily for commuter traffic from the shipyards along the River Tyne.

The station's goods facilities closed on 11 July 1967. During this time, the line was de-electrified in 1967, and converted to diesel multiple unit operation. By the early 1970s, traffic on the line had dwindled. [7]

The last passenger train operated from Point Pleasant on 20 July 1973, [1] with the branch line officially closing to passengers three days later.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallsend</span> Town in North Tyneside, England

Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies 4 miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Tyneside</span> Metropolitan borough in England

North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It forms part of the greater Tyneside conurbation. North Tyneside Council is headquartered at Cobalt Park, Wallsend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Main Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in North Tyneside

Percy Main is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburb of Percy Main, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 14 November 1982, following the opening of the fourth phase of the network, between Tynemouth and St James via Wallsend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howdon Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in North Tyneside

Howdon is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburb of Howdon, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 14 November 1982, following the opening of the fourth phase of the network, between Tynemouth and St James via Wallsend.

<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 North Tyneside Loop refers to the railway lines in North Tyneside from Newcastle upon Tyne via Wallsend, North Shields, Whitley Bay, Backworth, Benton and South Gosforth back to Newcastle. Since the 1980s, it has formed part of the Tyne and Wear Metro, albeit in modified form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle and North Shields Railway</span> Former English railway

The Newcastle and North Shields Railway opened in June 1839 from a temporary terminus in Carliol Square in Newcastle upon Tyne to North Shields. The railway was absorbed by the Newcastle & Berwick Railway in November 1844. The Newcastle & Berwick Railway was itself absorbed by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, and this became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854.

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 1 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">Howdon</span> Place in England

Howdon is a largely residential area in the eastern part of Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. It consists of High Howdon and the smaller settlement of East Howdon. Much of the High Howdon area was formerly called Willington prior to post-World War II urbanisation. The North Tyneside ward population at the 2011 Census was 11,129.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarrow Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in South Tyneside

Jarrow is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the town of Jarrow, South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 24 March 1984, following the opening of the fifth phase of the network, between Heworth and South Shields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willington Quay</span> Area in North Tyneside, England

Willington Quay is an area in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear in northern England. It is on the north bank of the River Tyne, facing Jarrow, and between Wallsend and North Shields. It is served by the Howdon Metro station in Howdon. The area from 2006 onwards has been an area of new housing built on brownfield sites. The house building continues into 2013 and is changing the social and economic balance in the area. The area has also had a make over of the bowling green off Howdon Lane and further warehousing next to the bowling green has been demolished to make way for further new housing. The changes made recently at Willington Quay are now making it an attractive place to live within North Tyneside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebburn Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in South Tyneside

Hebburn is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the town of Hebburn, South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 24 March 1984, following the opening of the fifth phase of the network, between Heworth and South Shields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tynemouth Metro station</span> Tyne and Wear Metro station in Tyne and Wear, England

Tynemouth is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the coastal town of Tynemouth, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network as a terminus station on 11 August 1980, following the opening of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends.

The Riverside Branch was a 6+12-mile (10.5 km) double-track branch line, which ran between Riverside Junction in Heaton and Percy Main West Junction in Percy Main.

Walker was a railway station on the Riverside Branch which ran between Byker and Willington Quay. The station served Walker in Newcastle upon Tyne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byker railway station</span> Former railway station in Tyne and Wear on the Riverside Branch

Byker was a railway station on the Riverside Branch, which ran between Byker and Willington Quay. The station served Byker in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Willington Quay was a railway station on the Riverside Branch, which ran between Byker and Willington Quay. The station served Willington Quay in North Tyneside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carville railway station</span> Former railway station in Tyne and Wear on the Riverside Branch

Carville was a railway station on the Riverside Branch, which ran between Byker and Willington Quay. The station served Wallsend in North Tyneside.

St. Anthonys was a railway station on the Riverside Branch, which ran between Byker and Willington Quay. The station served Walker in Newcastle upon Tyne.

St. Peters was a railway station on the Riverside Branch, which ran between Newcastle and Willington Quay.

References

  1. 1 2 Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology. Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 325. ISBN   978-0901461575.
  2. Allen, Cecil J. (1974). The North Eastern Railway. London: Allan. pp. 81 and 82. ISBN   0-7110-0495-1. OCLC   1255585.
  3. Tomlinson, William Weaver (1914). The North Eastern Railway: Its Rise and Development. Newton Abbot: David and Charles.
  4. Allen, Cecil J. (1974). The North Eastern Railway. London: Allan. p. 115. ISBN   0-7110-0495-1. OCLC   1255585.
  5. Young, Alan (1999). Suburban Railways of Tyneside. ISBN   1-871944-20-1.
  6. Hoole, Kenneth (1974). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume IV, The North East. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. p. 204. ISBN   0-7153-6439-1. OCLC   643508708.
  7. Young, Alan (1999). Suburban Railways of Tyneside. ISBN   1-871944-20-1.
Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Carville
Line and station closed
  North Eastern Railway
Riverside Branch
  Willington Quay
Line and station closed