Witton-le-Wear railway station

Witton-le-Wear
Witton-le-Wear
Station on heritage railway
	The site of the station seen looking across Witton-le-Wear level crossing in November 2009. The second station was on the left side of the track and the future site of the current (third) station is located on the right side of the track
Location	Witton-le-Wear, County Durham ; England
Coordinates	54°40′34″N1°46′06″W / 54.6761°N 1.7684°W Coordinates: 54°40′34″N1°46′06″W / 54.6761°N 1.7684°W
Grid reference	NZ150312
Operated by	Weardale Railway
Platforms	1
History
Original company	Frosterley & Stanhope Railway
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London & North Eastern Railway
Key dates
3 August 1847	First station opened
c.1880	First station replaced by second
27 June 1953	Second station closed to passengers
1 November 1965	Second station closed completely
27 March 2016	Third station opened on adjacent site to second

Last updated December 04, 2021

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 (though one return service from Stanhope train per day currently terminates here rather than continuing to the eastern terminus at Bishop Auckland West).^[1] 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.

History

The first station opened on 3 April 1847^[2] by the Wear Valley Company on their line from the Bishop Auckland & Weardale Railway at Witton Junction to Frosterley and was located close to the A68. This line was extended to Stanhope in 1862 by the Frosterley & Stanhope Railway. It was found that this station's location on a curved and steeply graded section of the line made it difficult to start passenger trains from it and thus,^[3] in the 1880s, the North Eastern Railway constructed a new station^[2] 20 chains to the east, on the east side of Witton-le-Wear level crossing. On 21 October 1895, the Stanhope line was extended once again to reach Wearhead.^[3]

Opposite the second station was a single road goods shed and a coal drop while on the west side of the level crossing was another siding serving a horse and cattle dock. The station was closed to passengers on 27 June 1953 and to goods traffic on 1 November 1965.^[3]

The station was closed to passengers by British Railways (BR) on 29 June 1953 and goods on 1 November 1965. 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, the line was retained to serve the cement works ad, 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 Witton-le-Wear (the second station had been demolished in April 1973) and the service was subsequently withdrawn after the summer of 1992.^[3] The remaining freight was withdrawn on 17 March 1993.^[3]

Weardale Railway

Rather than close the line when freight traffic was withdrawn, the line was mothballed 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.^[3] However the organisation struggled financially and the service was suspended a short time later, not recommencing until August 2006.^[4]

After major efforts to clear the line of vegetation and repair damaged tracks, passenger services along the section between Stanhope and Bishop Auckland through Witton-le-Wear were reintroduced 23 May 2010.^[5] In early August 2012, the Weardale Railway announced that a new £25,000 station was under construction (using elements from the first temporary platform at Bishop Auckland West station) as a result of a joint initiative with Witton-le-Wear Parish Council, the Witton Castle Country Park and Durham County Council.^[6] However, by the time the station was ready for use, the 2012 season had ended and, in 2013, it was announced that regular passenger services had been discontinued.^[7]

In June 2014 a limited, volunteer-run passenger service was reintroduced between Stanhope and Wolsingham^[8] using a class 122 "Bubble Car" and on 27 March 2016 this service was extended to Witton-le-Wear,^[9] nearly four years after the station had been constructed. In April 2018, the Weardale Railway CIC announced that works had commenced to lift a short section of track at Broken Banks (approximately 1/2 mile west of Bishop Auckland station) to enable the embankment to be repaired after subsidence had made the line unusable for passenger traffic. Once the works are complete it is intended to reinstate the tracks and extend the Stanhope to Witton-le-Wear passenger service back to Bishop Auckland West station.^[10] Since July 2018, two of the three daily return services between Stanhope and Witton-le-Wear have continued to Bishop Auckland West station.^[1]

Related Research Articles

The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, and was officially opened on 27 September 1825. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port at Middlesbrough. While coal waggons were hauled by steam locomotives from the start, passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833.

Wear Valley was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council and district capital was Crook.

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. The line was purchased by The Auckland Project in 2020 with a view to re-starting passenger services. In 2021, a bid was submitted to the 'Restoring Your Railways fund. In October 2021 The UK Department for Transport allocated funding for the development of a Business Case

Witton-le-Wear is a small village in County Durham, North East England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Wear, 6 km (3.7 mi) to the north-west of Bishop Auckland.

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 Open valley in County Durham, England

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.

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 is a village and civil parish in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. It lies on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley, in the north-east of Weardale. The main A689 road over the Pennines is crossed by the B6278 between Barnard Castle and Shotley Bridge. In 2001 Stanhope had a population of 1,633, in 2019 an estimate of 1,627, and a figure of 1,602 in the 2011 census for the ONS built-up-area which includes Crawleyside. In 2011 the parish population was 4,581.

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

Bishop Auckland railway station is the western terminus of the Tees Valley Line, which links it to Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 11 miles 77 chains (19 km) north-west of Darlington, serves the market town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, North East England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 2 "Weardale Railway - Timetables". The Weardale Railway Trust. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
1 2 "Weardale Railway - History Of The Line". Weardale Railway. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Disused Stations: Witton-le-Wear". Disused Stations. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
↑ Mackay, Neil (17 August 2006). "Qiet victory as railway reopens - Today's News - News - Journal Live". The Journal. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
↑ Williams, Adam (July 2010). "Regular passenger services return to Weardale". Modern Railways. London. p. 9.
↑ "Witton-le-Wear set to be reconnected to rail system - The Journal". The Journal. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
↑ Statement by Ed Ellis 15 March 2013.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
↑ Conner-Hill, Rachel (9 April 2018). "Weardale Railway to extend service to Bishop Auckland | The Northern Echo". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 11 April 2018.

External links

Preceding station	Heritage railways		Following station
Bishop Auckland West		Weardale Railway	Wolsingham
	Historical railways
Wear Valley Junction Line open; station closed		North Eastern Railway Wear Valley Line	Harperley Line open; station closed

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Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[Weardale_Railway_-_Timetables-1] 1 2 "Weardale Railway - Timetables". The Weardale Railway Trust. Retrieved 3 July 2018.

[:0-2] 1 2 "Weardale Railway - History Of The Line". Weardale Railway. Retrieved 25 March 2018.

[WittonLeWearStationInfo-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Disused Stations: Witton-le-Wear". Disused Stations. Retrieved 28 February 2018.

[4] Mackay, Neil (17 August 2006). "Qiet victory as railway reopens - Today's News - News - Journal Live". The Journal. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2018.

[5] Williams, Adam (July 2010). "Regular passenger services return to Weardale". Modern Railways. London. p. 9.

[6] "Witton-le-Wear set to be reconnected to rail system - The Journal". The Journal. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2018.

[7] Statement by Ed Ellis 15 March 2013.

[8] 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.

[9] 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.

[10] Conner-Hill, Rachel (9 April 2018). "Weardale Railway to extend service to Bishop Auckland | The Northern Echo". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 11 April 2018.

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