Lost Railways of Northumberland

This illustrated and carefully researched book takes you back to the golden age of railways in Northumberland - to a time of thriving rural railways, bustling local stations and steam trains pulling liveried coaches across the countryside. Author Robert Kinghorn brings the story of Northumberland's railways vividly to life here - the reasons for their construction and for their subsequent closure. Modern photographs accompany those from earlier times. These, together with specially drawn maps, will help those who wish to explore the old lines and stations that have survived. Northumberland, with its many coal mines, was the home and the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Local man George Stephenson, the inventor of the steam locomotive and dubbed the ‘Father of the Railways', also played his part. In 1829 he surveyed a route from Newcastle to Carlisle and, by 1835, the first section of the track between Blaydon and Hexham was opened. After this, railway companies and new lines proliferated, driven by the need to get the mined coal to customers, both at home and abroad, and to open up the majority of Northumberland which was, and still is, a predominantly rural county. This was the heyday of the Railway Age. Passenger numbers grew and, in the 1850s, new quays were built on the Tyne, with facilities for passenger ferries to such places as Bergen and Oslo. Later, boat trains were run from London Kings Cross. Sadly, the boom was not to last. Motorised transport became more accessible and affordable in the 1930s and lines began to close. Of the 316 miles of railway line and 119 stations open then, only 130 miles of track and 20 stations remain today. Two lines, though, have experienced a revival thanks to thriving local preservation societies bringing ever more miles back into use for an enthusiastic public. This well written and meticulously researched book brings to life the history of Northumberland's railways - the reason for their construction and, in most cases, for their closure.