| | The 13¼ mile single branch from Haltwhistle to Alston was neglected by enthusiasts for many years, but having survived the Beeching closures it belatedly emerged as one of England's best-loved rural lines. When the axe finally fell in 1976, many people regarded the closure as a national tragedy. The Alston line was a highly scenic route serving an area much frequented by hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts, it was a line with a very long history (dating back to the 1840s) and much of the Victorian infrastructure remained intact. The history of the branch was inextricably linked with the story of mining of lead and coal in the area, these activities add an extra dimension to an already interesting story. The narrow gauge South Tynedale Railway continues to operate on part of the line's original trackbed. This history was first published in 1991, and has been out of print for many years now. New information has been included on the prisoner-of-war camp at Featherstone Park and the use of camping coaches on the line. Contents:
- Introduction
- Historical Summary
- Chapter One - Origins of the Alston Branch (1800-1862)
- - Alston and the Lead Mining Industry - An Early Scheme - Opening of the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway - Origins of the Alston Line - A Further Application to Parliament - Construction Begins - Some Details of the Line - Effects of the Railway
- Chapter Two - A North Eastern Branch Line (1862-1948)
- - Improving the Branch - Locomotives and Train Services in the NER Era - Passenger and Goods Traffic - The Grouping and After - Trains and Traffic in the LNER Period - Tales of the Line -World War Two
- Chapter Three - Along the Line; Haltwhistle to Slaggyford
- - Haltwhistle - Plenmeller Colliery and Halt -Featherstone Park - Featherstone Colliery -Coanwood - Coanwood Colliery - Coanwood Whinstone Siding - Lambley - Slaggyford -Barhaugh Colliery Sidings
- Chapter Four - Along the Line; Alston
- - The Passenger Station - The Goods Department -Other Details - The Locomotive Department -Alston Personalities - Some other Points of Interest - Alston Branch Bridges
- Chapter Five - The British Railways Era (1948-1976)
- - Motive Power 1947-1959 - Post-War Train Services - The Slow Decline - Dieselisation -Towards Closure - Railbuses and Special Trains -Closure of the Line - The Last Trains
- Chapter Six - The South Tynedale Railway and Other Narrow Gauge Lines
- - Demolition of the Branch - Narrow Gauge Plans -The Railway Today - Tramways at Coanwood - -Some Other Narrow Gauge Lines
- Acknowledgements
- Appendix One - Population Figures
- Appendix Two - Facilities at Alston Station
- Appendix Three - Facilities at Intermediate Stations (c.1923)
- Bibliography
- Index
Continent: Europe
Country: UK
Area: UK North East | | Tag cloud: alston haltwhistle tragedy outdoor victorian tynedale prisoner-of-war camp featherstone stanley newcastle carlisle lner slaggyford plenmeller coanwood whinstone lambley barhaugh post-war | Tell a friend about this publication  |
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