borderreiver
Well-known member
The York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway built a branch to Warkworth Harbour in 1849 to haul coal for shipping by sea. The junction, named Amble Junction left the main line at approximately 26½ miles from Newcastle and was 4 miles 79 chains (5 miles) to the station buffer stops, with the end of the company's coal staithes around 250 yards further east.
Amble at the time of the branch construction was merely a small cluster of fishing cottages located to the west of the harbour. The hamlet expanded in to a town as a result of the harbour traffic. A passenger service did not follow until thirty years later, in 1879 when part of the North Eastern Railway. The N.E.R. chose to use Chevington station as the junction station rather than build a new one further north at the branch junction. There was one intermediate station, at Broomhill, 2½ miles from Amble and 3¼ miles from Chevington. By 1894 the busiest part of the branch, from Broomhill to Amble was double track with several collieries taking coal to the harbour over the period 1949 - 1966, including a colliery wagonway reaching Amble from the south. The largest collery was located at Broomhill, just to the south of the station. The section between the main line and Broomhill was single track. The branch passenger service departed from the outside face of the down platform at Chevington. Both Broomhill and Amble were single platform stations.
In 1906, the branch passenger train service was as follows;
Amble, depart:
8.05 am
10.26 am
12.15pm SO
2.13 pm
3.20 pm SO
5.18 pm
7.00 pm
8.25 pm SO - To Broomhill, arrive 8.32 pm, returning to Amble ECS
9.25 pm SO
Journey time to Chevington fifteen minutes
Chevington, depart:
9.37 am
11.33 am
1.26 pm SO - From Morpeth, depart 1.05 pm
2.47 pm
3.45 pm SO
6.00 pm
7.45 pm
10.00 pm SO
All trains stopped at Broomhill, seven minutes journey time from Amble and eight minutes from Chevington.
Chevington Train Times 1906:
Down trains to Alnmouth and Berwick
9.27 am Berwick
11.22 am Berwick
2.03 pm Alnwick
2.44 pm Berwick
3.40 pm Alnwick SO
5.38 pm Alnmouth
7.38 pm Alnwick
9.50 pm Alnwick
Up Trains to Morpeth and Newcastle
7.39 am Newcastle
8.10 am Morpeth
8.27 am Newcastle
10.51 am Newcastle
12.31 pm Morpeth SO - From Amble
3.27 pm Newcastle
5.08 pm Newcastle SO
5.56 pm Newcastle
7.28 pm Newcastle
The 8.05 am Amble departure arrived at Chevington at 8.22 am. The 8.00 am from Alnwick, departing Chevington at 8.27 am ran to Newcastle with two stops (Morpeth 8.42 am & Manors 9.07 am), arriving 9.10 am. This would permit someone living in Amble to reach work at Morpeth by 9am, though they’d need to be well paid to afford the train fare, even at 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Class. The train from Morpeth at 5.17 pm would be the return journey, connecting in to the 6.00 pm departure for Amble, giving a rather long one hour return journey compared to the 37 minute outward one in the morning. The 22 minute layover at Chevington cannot have been much of a pleasure during the winter. The layover was to provide a connection for Amble out of the the 4.40 pm Berwick to Newcastle train, which originated at Edinburgh Waverley at 2.50 pm, calling Chevington at 5.56 pm. This train had additional vans, including an N.E.R. T.P.O. and the set, after an extended stop at Newcastle would attach several more vans and depart for York at 7.20 pm. presumably some mail bags were transferred out of the Amble branch train at 5.35 pm while in the Up platform and then placed in the 5.56 pm for Newcastle and York.
It is not certain that the six-wheel carriages still in use during 1906 had steam heating. An old article in the North Eastern Express magazine by a contributor who grew up at Nunthorpe station before WWI mentioned leaky foot warming bottles. If they were hot they’d be on the floor by one’s feet. As they cooled a little they were brought up to the seat. When they were cold they were kicked under the seat. Porters hoped for a tip from 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Class passengers for providing a reasonably hot one (though gratuities were against company policy). Therefore, it might not have been first choice to take a seat in an unheated carriage if there was a fire in the waiting room.
No northbound connection from Chevington until 9.31 am for Berwick, stopping at Alnmouth at 9.52 am. I wonder how long a horse drawn buggy would take to cover the 5½ miles by road between Amble and Alnmouth stations. I doubt that it would take longer than the 1 hour 47 minutes the train offered the erstwhile traveller. I can see why the early motor omnibus companies in the 1920s were quick to identify Amble to Alnwick as a potential market. They were also not slow to offer a journey time of under one hour to Morpeth, with a higher frequency and lower fares than the train. By 1930 the LNER decided to throw in the towel, relying on their interest in the United Bus Company to take a market share of passengers from the town. it seems that Amble was never considered for either steam autocar or steam railcar operation.
Amble at the time of the branch construction was merely a small cluster of fishing cottages located to the west of the harbour. The hamlet expanded in to a town as a result of the harbour traffic. A passenger service did not follow until thirty years later, in 1879 when part of the North Eastern Railway. The N.E.R. chose to use Chevington station as the junction station rather than build a new one further north at the branch junction. There was one intermediate station, at Broomhill, 2½ miles from Amble and 3¼ miles from Chevington. By 1894 the busiest part of the branch, from Broomhill to Amble was double track with several collieries taking coal to the harbour over the period 1949 - 1966, including a colliery wagonway reaching Amble from the south. The largest collery was located at Broomhill, just to the south of the station. The section between the main line and Broomhill was single track. The branch passenger service departed from the outside face of the down platform at Chevington. Both Broomhill and Amble were single platform stations.
In 1906, the branch passenger train service was as follows;
Amble, depart:
8.05 am
10.26 am
12.15pm SO
2.13 pm
3.20 pm SO
5.18 pm
7.00 pm
8.25 pm SO - To Broomhill, arrive 8.32 pm, returning to Amble ECS
9.25 pm SO
Journey time to Chevington fifteen minutes
Chevington, depart:
9.37 am
11.33 am
1.26 pm SO - From Morpeth, depart 1.05 pm
2.47 pm
3.45 pm SO
6.00 pm
7.45 pm
10.00 pm SO
All trains stopped at Broomhill, seven minutes journey time from Amble and eight minutes from Chevington.
Chevington Train Times 1906:
Down trains to Alnmouth and Berwick
9.27 am Berwick
11.22 am Berwick
2.03 pm Alnwick
2.44 pm Berwick
3.40 pm Alnwick SO
5.38 pm Alnmouth
7.38 pm Alnwick
9.50 pm Alnwick
Up Trains to Morpeth and Newcastle
7.39 am Newcastle
8.10 am Morpeth
8.27 am Newcastle
10.51 am Newcastle
12.31 pm Morpeth SO - From Amble
3.27 pm Newcastle
5.08 pm Newcastle SO
5.56 pm Newcastle
7.28 pm Newcastle
The 8.05 am Amble departure arrived at Chevington at 8.22 am. The 8.00 am from Alnwick, departing Chevington at 8.27 am ran to Newcastle with two stops (Morpeth 8.42 am & Manors 9.07 am), arriving 9.10 am. This would permit someone living in Amble to reach work at Morpeth by 9am, though they’d need to be well paid to afford the train fare, even at 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] Class. The train from Morpeth at 5.17 pm would be the return journey, connecting in to the 6.00 pm departure for Amble, giving a rather long one hour return journey compared to the 37 minute outward one in the morning. The 22 minute layover at Chevington cannot have been much of a pleasure during the winter. The layover was to provide a connection for Amble out of the the 4.40 pm Berwick to Newcastle train, which originated at Edinburgh Waverley at 2.50 pm, calling Chevington at 5.56 pm. This train had additional vans, including an N.E.R. T.P.O. and the set, after an extended stop at Newcastle would attach several more vans and depart for York at 7.20 pm. presumably some mail bags were transferred out of the Amble branch train at 5.35 pm while in the Up platform and then placed in the 5.56 pm for Newcastle and York.
It is not certain that the six-wheel carriages still in use during 1906 had steam heating. An old article in the North Eastern Express magazine by a contributor who grew up at Nunthorpe station before WWI mentioned leaky foot warming bottles. If they were hot they’d be on the floor by one’s feet. As they cooled a little they were brought up to the seat. When they were cold they were kicked under the seat. Porters hoped for a tip from 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Class passengers for providing a reasonably hot one (though gratuities were against company policy). Therefore, it might not have been first choice to take a seat in an unheated carriage if there was a fire in the waiting room.
No northbound connection from Chevington until 9.31 am for Berwick, stopping at Alnmouth at 9.52 am. I wonder how long a horse drawn buggy would take to cover the 5½ miles by road between Amble and Alnmouth stations. I doubt that it would take longer than the 1 hour 47 minutes the train offered the erstwhile traveller. I can see why the early motor omnibus companies in the 1920s were quick to identify Amble to Alnwick as a potential market. They were also not slow to offer a journey time of under one hour to Morpeth, with a higher frequency and lower fares than the train. By 1930 the LNER decided to throw in the towel, relying on their interest in the United Bus Company to take a market share of passengers from the town. it seems that Amble was never considered for either steam autocar or steam railcar operation.
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