Manors railway station
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2013) |
Manors | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | City of Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Managed by | Northern |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | MAS |
| History | |
| Original company | Newcastle and Berwick Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 July 1847 | Original station opened as Manors |
| 1 January 1909 | Renamed Manors East; adjacent station opened as Manors North |
| 20 February 1969 | Stations amalgamated as Manors |
| 23 January 1978 | Former Manors North closed |
Manors railway station is in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on the East Coast Main Line. All trains serving it are operated by Northern. Manors Tyne and Wear Metro station is about 110 yards (100 m) away.
Manors was previously a much larger and more significant station at the junction of the East Coast Main Line and the line towards Gosforth. It had nine platforms. Most of the station was closed in 1978 when the Gosforth line was turned over to the Tyne and Wear Metro and the buildings were subsequently demolished to make way for offices.[1]
History
The original station named Manors was opened on 1 July 1847 by the Newcastle and Berwick Railway,[2] which amalgamated with the York and Newcastle Railway to form the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway a few weeks later. Manors station opened on 30 August 1850 to replace a temporary station that became a coal depot, and had two platforms on a bridge over Trafalgar Street. When the East Coast Main Line was widened to four tracks in 1887, an additional two platforms were built.[1]
On 1 January 1909,[2] the former Blyth and Tyne Railway terminus at New Bridge Street closed and the line was extended to join the East Coast Main Line between Manors and Newcastle Central. Manors North was opened on this line, with two through platforms and three bays. The original station was renamed Manors East.[2] The former station at New Bridge Street became a coal yard which supplied customers in the east of the city.
When the two stations were combined on 20 February 1969,[2] Manors North formed platforms 1–5 and Manors East platforms 6–9.
From 1904 until 1967 the lines through the station were electrified, with the third-rail (North Tyneside Loop) and a short overhead electrification from Trafalgar South yard (Newcastle Quayside branch). The East Coast Main Line was re-electrified in 1990. There were three signal boxes that controlled the approaches to the Manors area - Argyle Street (187? - 1964), Manors North (1909 - 1964), Manors Junction (1909 - 1964). A major re-signalling of the Newcastle district in 1964 resulted in the closure of these boxes. The original Manors Junction signal box was burnt out in 1943, and its replacement was at the western end of Manors East, between platforms 7 and 8.
In addition to the busy electric service to the coast, Manors was a terminus for trains to Morpeth, Blyth and Newbiggin. Although the Morpeth service had gone by BR days, the Blyth/Newbiggin passenger route survived until 1964.[3] In LNER days, the bay platforms were used as standage for electric sets and for short workings to Benton.
Reconstruction
Most platforms at Manors closed on 23 January 1978[2] to allow for the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro. The station now has two platforms, on the site of the previous platforms 7 and 8. Other parts of the former station remain, including heavily-overgrown platforms 1 and 2 and parts of platform 9. The station is unstaffed, and the only facility is a shelter with a telephone. The platforms are reached by a footbridge rather than the original subway.
Manors station is very popular with railway photographers and enthusiasts because it lies in the middle of the tracks of the East Coast Main Line allowing very good views of passing trains, which include freight, passenger and empty stock movements to/from the maintenance depot at Heaton.
The station received a new shelter, cycle racks, seats and an information board in early-2015 as requested by a small group of enthusiasts.[4]
Accidents and incidents
- On 3 March 1913, an empty stock train was in a rear-end collision with an electric multiple unit due to a signalman's error. Forty-nine people were injured.[5]
- On 7 August 1926, an electric multiple unit overran signals and was in collision with a freight train. The driver had tied the controller down and thus the train was able to continue when he leant out of the train and was killed when he struck an overbridge.[6]
Services
There is a basic hourly service on Mondays to Saturdays operated by Northern, which runs between Newcastle/Metrocentre and Morpeth (one evening peak service continues through to Alnmouth and Chathill and the corresponding morning train from there also calls[7]). This is a noticeable improvement on the weekday peak-only service that the station formerly received in the 1980s, 90s & early 2000s[8]
There is no service in the evenings (after 18:30), nor on Sundays.
Trivia
The station briefly featured in the 1971 film Get Carter, showing the long staircase from the Trafalgar Street entrance to Manors East.
See also
References
- ^ a b Disused Stations - Manors Disused Stations; Retrieved 2014-02-20
- ^ a b c d e Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 154. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ Disused Stations - Newbiggin Retrieved 2013-12-04
- ^ "Manors Station - Community Group". Manors Station Twitter. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ Earnshaw, Alan (1993). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 8. Penryn: Atlantic Books. ISBN 0-906899-52-4.
- ^ Hoole, Ken (1982). Trains in Trouble: Vol. 3. Redruth: Atlantic Books. p. 26. ISBN 0-906899-05-2.
- ^ GB National Rail timetable 2015-16, Table 48
- ^ GB National Rail Timetables 1988 & 1994 Editions, Table 47
External links
- Train times and station information for Manors railway station from National Rail
- Disused Stations - website including photographs of Manors station
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Rail Mondays-Saturdays only |