South Tynedale Railway
Coordinates: 54°50′24″N 2°28′26″W / 54.840°N 2.474°W
| South Tynedale Railway | |
 South Tynedale Railway
 South Tynedale Railway shown within Northumberland |
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| OS grid reference | NY696495 |
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| List of places: UK • England • Northumberland | |
| South Tynedale Railway | |
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| Polish locomotive Nakło at Kirkhaugh Station | |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | South Tynedale Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Preserved gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Preservation history | |
The South Tynedale Railway is a heritage railway in England and is England's highest narrow gauge railway. The route runs from Alston in Cumbria to Kirkhaugh in Northumberland via the South Tyne Viaduct, the Gilderdale Viaduct and the Whitley Viaduct. The railway is operated by a charity, which was registered in 1983.[1]
Passenger trains operate on the railway between April (or from Easter weekend if in March) through to October each year and currently (2011) attract 40,000 people to the district every year.[1] Special trains operate including Santa Special trains on certain days in December each year. There will be no Santa trains in 2011 as volunteer efforts are put into completing the extension to Lintley in time for the 2012 season. At Alston station there is a cafe and gift shop both operated by the railway company. Free car and coach parking is available adjacent to the station which is located about a quarter mile north of the town on the Hexham road.
The present line is two and a quarter miles in length and there are plans to extend the line by a further two and a quarter miles to Slaggyford. The line is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge and is built on the southern end of the track bed of the disused standard gauge Haltwhistle to Alston Line. This connected with the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway at Haltwhistle. The standard gauge line was closed on 1 May 1976 and the track bed is mostly intact.
[edit] Future plans
Confirmation was received in November 2009 that a grant of £100,000 had been awarded by the Groundwork UK Community Spaces programme which will be used to fund the restoration of three historic railway bridges on the former Haltwhistle to Alston line.[1] Northumberland County Council’s west area committee also granted consent for a completely new station at Lintley and the new extension to Lintley is nearing completion and is scheduled to open in 2012.[1] As at the end of October 2011 rails are in place to Lintley and the new station is complete. Rails will extend across Lintley viaduct for a distance of about 200 metres from the new station to form a headhunt for works trains. A further one and a quarter mile extension to Slaggyford has all consents necessary and funding is being sought with hopes of opening in 2014 or 2015.
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Thomas Edmondson runs round the train at the old Gilderdale Station (closed in September 1999)
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The locomotive shed at Alston, around 1990
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Polish locomotive 'Nakło'.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: South Tynedale Railway |
