Durham Dales

The Railways & Transport

The area was at the forefront of the development of the railways. Transportation by mules and donkeys of the minerals mined in Weardale was far from ideal, and the first railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, developed from the need to transport increasing quantities of minerals needed by the growing industry on the Tyne and Tees Valleys.

In 1825, miners at the Etherley Collieries loaded coal into wagons at the start of the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Mainly using horses and static steam engines, the railway was a huge success and led to the expansion of the mines in the district to feed the iron and steel furnaces.

Once the huge potential of the railways for transporting vast quantities of minerals was realised, the expansion was dramatic with new lines built throughout Wear Valley, serving the mines at Crawleyside, Rookhope and Westgate. Later, a railway was built following the path of the River Wear, connecting Bishop Auckland with Frosterley, Stanhope and Wearhead, carrying passengers as well as freight.

With the decline of mining came the decline of the railways of Wear Valley, but the legacy they have left on the area is huge. Today, the Bishop Auckland to Saltburn Heritage Line follows the course of much of the original 1825 Darlington and Stockton Railway line. Whilst many of the former railway lines now exist as public footpaths and railway heritage trails, part of the line from Bishop Auckland to Wearhead remains. Used until recently for carrying cement to Eastgate, Weardale Railways re-opened the picturesque railway for visitors.

The railway heritage is further evident at the Timothy Hackworth Victorian & Railway Museum at Shildon, which contains examples of early steam locomotives built by this and other railway pioneers. Adjacent is the National Railway Museum Locomotion. Meanwhile if you continue towards Saltburn, the Darlington Railway Centre & Museum is also worth visiting.

Places to visit in Wear Valley:
• Weardale Railway

Other places to visit:
• Timothy Hackworth Victorian & Railway Museum
• Darlington Railway Centre & Museum
• Locomotion