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'The Stainmore Railway'
Location : Kirkby Stephen
NY 775088.
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Location : Kirkby Stephen
NY 775088.
The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway opened a single line between Barnard Castle and Tebay in 1861. It was taken over by the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1863 and later the same year was absorbed by the NER.
It was built to take coke to the Cumberland & Furness blast furnaces and iron ore back to Cleveland; by 1874 much of the line was doubled. In 1910 five passenger trains were provided by the North Eastern Railway on weekdays, the journey taking 45 minutes and forty years later, under BR, the service was virtually the same.
It was also utilised by seasonal and excursion through trains between the NE and the Lancashire resorts of Blackpool and Morecambe. In LNER days it was mainly worked by NER class J21 and J25 0-6-0s, replaced in the 1950s by BR standard class 2-6-0s and 2-6-2Ts.
In January 1958 DMUs took over local services although steam was retained on summer through trains.
The line closed to all traffic in 1962.
British Railways very quickly lifted the track, demolished Belah viaduct and other structures, leaving only the section from Hartley Quarry to Appleby open to carry goods traffic until October 1974. This included a section of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway near Kirkby Stephen.
Most of the track bed of the former route over Stainmore Summit to Barnard Castle or Bishop Auckland and the east is still intact, however the viaducts at Belah, Deepdale and Tees are sadly just memories. [See links below for historic pictures.]
The Northern Viaducts Round follows just over a mile of the former Stainmore Railway. Near Kirkby Stephen the Merrygill and Podgill Viaducts have been restored by the The Northern Viaduct Trust, forming the railway part of the walk, along with the award winning Stenkrith Millennium Bridge, which crosses the River Eden, providing access to the route from Kirkby Stephen.
All that remains of the Belah viaduct at Stainmore - buttress and signal box
All that remains of the Belah viaduct at Stainmore
Looking East along the old track, which curves North towards Barras before climbing Stainmore.
Redgategill Viaduct (at NY815103).
Looking South along the old track towards Hartley, with Mallerstang and Wild Boar Fell in distance.
Merrygill Viaduct.
Podgill Viaduct.
Merrygill Viaduct (centre left), Hartley Quarry centre),
Hartley Castle (lower left), Podgill Viaduct (lower right).
Stenkrith Park, River Eden, Millenium Bridge, and the course of the Stainmore railway.
The 76084 Locomotive Company has produced a specially commissioned limited edition print entitled 'EDEN VALLEY STANDARD'. This print has been taken from a watercolour painting by John Wigston GRA. and has received much critical acclaim. The picture depicts 76084 piloting an Ivatt Class 4 on a westbound train departing from Kirkby Stephen East Station in the late 1950's. This combination of locomotives was typical on this former NER line between Darlington & Tebay. The train has just come over the Pennines and the stop at Kirkby Stephen would have provided a welcome break for the hard worked footplate crews. With gradients as steep as 1 in 59 most trains were either double headed or banked to Stainmore Summit. That isolated spot was 1,370 feet above sea level, and was the highest point on any main line in England. Spectacular structures were a feature of the route with Belah Viaduct being the most magnificent. That viaduct was the highest in England standing 196 feet above the valley floor as well as being over 1,000 feet long!
The Eden Valley Railway Company was formed in 1856 at a meeting in Appleby, then the county town of Westmorland, to build the line between Kirkby Stephen and Clifton just south of Penrith). This formed a link between the Darlington and Tebay (The South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, or Stainmore line), and Penrith, and opened to passengers on 7th June 1862.
The Eden Valley Railway trust is making efforts to re-open the section of line between Appleby and Warcop, with a possible phase two continuing to Kirkby Stephen (East).
The Stainmore Railway Company is a volunteer run non-profit company who’s aims include restoring the former Kirkby Stephen East Railway Station and to develop the site as a Heritage Centre and working railway representing the early 1950’s.
Read more about the Eden valley Railway.
Aerial photos by Simon Ledingham.
Related Links :
Page created 10 Oct 2005, last changed 29 Nov 2007.
LNER 4348 at Kirkby Stephen East station in 1935.
Picture by H Casserley. Used with permission of the Stainmore Railway Company
Old map of Westmorland, showing the two railway routes from Appleby to Kirkby Stephen,
with the East Station route continuing to Stainmore, and having a branch joining from Tebay.
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