borderreiver
Active member
Hello Hotshot Jimmy. A passenger train could leave from the east end of Newcastle Central station, cross the River Tyne by the High level Stephenson bridge, run via Gateshead West station, take the ECML through Bensham, Low Fell, Lamesley and Birtley, and switch to the Consett Branch at Ouston junction. From Ouston junction the passenger train would reach Consett via Pelton, Beamish, Shield Row, Annfield Plain and Leadgate. From Consett, the train would leave to the southwest, taking Consett East and Comsett North junctions to reach the Derwent valley branch. The train would then use the Derwent Valley branch to reach Scotswood, running via Blackhill, Shotley Bridge, Ebchester, High Westwood, Lintz Green, Rowlands Gill and Swalwell. From Scotswood the Newcastle and Carlisle branch would take the train through Elswick to the west side of Newcastle Central station. Of course passenger trains could, and did, run in the opposite direction.
The principal station on the route (other than Newcastle) was at Blackhill rather than at Consett, even though Consett station was closer to the town centre. Up to 1896 the usual branch passenger traffic to Blackhill was on the Newcastle to Durham service using the Derwent valley and Lanchester Valley branches, with several trains only running between Newcastle and Blackhill. Once the branch passenger service could run from Newcastle and back via Consett and Blackhill this became the principal operation. Terminating trains from Newcastle, Durham and Darlington would do so at Blackhill.
One of the aberrations which did not help traffic levels was that an afternoon passenger train from Darlington via Crook and Tow Law arrived at Blackhill mere minutes after the branch passenger train for Newcastle via Rowlands Gill had departed Blackhill! Also, despite a line already existing prior to 1896 between Hownes Gill Junction and Consett East junction, the introduction of the Newcastle loop service did not result in a diversion of the Darlington passenger service to Consett. Arguably, if the company did not think it necessary to provide a connection to the north for passengers from Crook, Tow Law, Burnmoor, or Rowley one could have assumed that it was because passengers preferred to do business, shop or socialise in Consett, yet the train would still deposit them in the vicinity of the lesser facilities near Blackhill station.
Addition: - technically, the lines existed to permit a Newcastle to Newcastle run via Gateshead East, Felling, Pelaw, Usworth, Washington, Pelton, Consett, Blackhill, and Scotswood but no such service ever existed and would have been a long slow run. One could also have run from Newcastle to Sunderland, then to Durham via Leamside, and then back to Newcastle via Lanchester, Blackhill and Scotswood. The latter may have happened in the carriage working roster, as three different local passenger train services operated by one carriage set. Some passenger sets had very long workings over their operating day and many did not finish the day at the same place they started. As an example, the nineteen "Main Line" sets of local passenger carriages took nineteen weeks to return to the place they started Monday morning "week one", including a week out of service for maintenance and standby.
The principal station on the route (other than Newcastle) was at Blackhill rather than at Consett, even though Consett station was closer to the town centre. Up to 1896 the usual branch passenger traffic to Blackhill was on the Newcastle to Durham service using the Derwent valley and Lanchester Valley branches, with several trains only running between Newcastle and Blackhill. Once the branch passenger service could run from Newcastle and back via Consett and Blackhill this became the principal operation. Terminating trains from Newcastle, Durham and Darlington would do so at Blackhill.
One of the aberrations which did not help traffic levels was that an afternoon passenger train from Darlington via Crook and Tow Law arrived at Blackhill mere minutes after the branch passenger train for Newcastle via Rowlands Gill had departed Blackhill! Also, despite a line already existing prior to 1896 between Hownes Gill Junction and Consett East junction, the introduction of the Newcastle loop service did not result in a diversion of the Darlington passenger service to Consett. Arguably, if the company did not think it necessary to provide a connection to the north for passengers from Crook, Tow Law, Burnmoor, or Rowley one could have assumed that it was because passengers preferred to do business, shop or socialise in Consett, yet the train would still deposit them in the vicinity of the lesser facilities near Blackhill station.
Addition: - technically, the lines existed to permit a Newcastle to Newcastle run via Gateshead East, Felling, Pelaw, Usworth, Washington, Pelton, Consett, Blackhill, and Scotswood but no such service ever existed and would have been a long slow run. One could also have run from Newcastle to Sunderland, then to Durham via Leamside, and then back to Newcastle via Lanchester, Blackhill and Scotswood. The latter may have happened in the carriage working roster, as three different local passenger train services operated by one carriage set. Some passenger sets had very long workings over their operating day and many did not finish the day at the same place they started. As an example, the nineteen "Main Line" sets of local passenger carriages took nineteen weeks to return to the place they started Monday morning "week one", including a week out of service for maintenance and standby.
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