Tanfield Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tanfield Railway |
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| Locale | North East England |
| Coordinates | 54°54′29″N 1°40′30″W / 54.908°N 1.675°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Tanfield Railway |
| Original gauge | Wooden Waggonway / Iron 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Stations | 4 |
| Length | 3 miles (4.8 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Tanfield Railway is a special heritage railway located in Gateshead and County Durham, England. It uses the same track width as regular trains (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge). This railway runs on parts of a very old route that used to carry coal. First, horses pulled wagons, then ropes and horses, and finally, ropes and locomotives. Today, the railway uses old industrial steam engines that have been carefully preserved.
You can ride on the Tanfield Railway every Sunday and on other special days. They also sometimes run demonstration trains that show how coal, goods, and mixed trains used to operate. The line is about 3 miles (4.8 km) long. It stretches from East Tanfield, Durham in the south to Sunniside, Gateshead in the north. There's also a station called Andrews House, which is close to the Marley Hill engine shed. Another stop serves the historic Causey Arch. The railway proudly says it's "the world's oldest railway" because parts of it have been in use since 1725, and some sections even since 1621!
Three groups work together to run the railway: the "Friends of Tanfield Railway," the "Tanfield Railway Trust" (which owns the railway, its engines, and carriages), and "The Tanfield Railway Company" (which operates everything). The company has different teams, like engineers who fix the trains, operations staff who drive and guard the trains, and teams that look after the carriages, shops, and events.
Contents
History of the Coal Railway
The Tanfield Waggonway was built by a group of powerful coal-owning families called the Grand Allies. They teamed up around 1720 to make it easier and cheaper to move coal. Their goal was to transport coal from mines in County Durham to loading points (called staiths) on the River Tyne at Redheugh. From there, the coal went on small boats called keels down the river to Shields. Then, it was moved to larger ships called colliers to sail down the North Sea coast to places like south-east England.
Many older, shorter coal waggonways existed nearby, but the Tanfield Waggonway was much longer and more complex. It helped the Grand Allies control the coal market all year round. This route was used continuously from 1725 until it finally closed in 1964.
The oldest part of the railway that is still preserved today, between Sunniside and Causey, was built in 1725. This makes it the world's oldest railway still in use! (Another railway, the Middleton Railway, also claims to be the oldest because it was the first to get official permission from Parliament in 1758.) The section from Causey to East Tanfield was built later, in 1839.
The Marley Hill engine shed was built by 1854 and was used by industries until 1970. This shed is the oldest in the world still used for its original purpose: housing and maintaining locomotives. When the Tanfield Railway started running trains in 1977, a new curve was added to connect Marley Hill with the Tanfield line.
The railway started as a wooden track where horses pulled wagons. In 1837, they began changing it to a steel-railed railway. By 1840, this was finished up to Tanfield Moor Colliery. They used stationary steam engines, gravity slopes, and horses to move the coal. In 1881, the North Eastern Railway took over and replaced the stationary engines and horses with steam locomotives. Even though it mainly carried coal, it also carried some passengers. The railway closed in 1964 when the last coal mine on the line, at East Tanfield, stopped working.
Bringing the Railway Back to Life
In the early days of the preservation project, people focused on Marley Hill. They worked on getting the old engines ready to run, fixing the shed, and getting basic things like water and electricity. In 1973, locomotives No.21 and No.5 were steamed for the public. The first passenger train ran for a week in August 1975, using several locomotives and a small carriage.
The preserved line was first built from Marley Hill to Sunniside Station. Passenger trains started running on July 2, 1981, with an official opening ceremony on July 14, 1982. Andrews House station, just south of Marley Hill sheds, was finished between 1987 and 1989. It got platforms, a water tower, a station building, and a footbridge. The first train south to Causey ran on July 27, 1991, with an official opening on August 15, 1991. The first train to the current end of the line at East Tanfield was on October 18, 1992. East Tanfield Station itself opened in 1997. The journey from Causey to Tanfield goes through a beautiful, wooded gorge.
One big reason the line was saved was that the Marley Hill shed stayed open until 1970. The old machines in its workshop can still fully repair locomotives. The oldest engine on the railway was built in Gateshead in 1873, and all of the railway's passenger carriages are from the 1800s!
The Amazing Causey Arch
The preserved railway line goes near Causey Arch, which is the oldest surviving railway bridge in the world! It was built to carry a new branch line from the main route to a place called Dawson's Drift. Built between 1725 and 1727, it is 150 ft long (46 m) and 80 ft high (24 m). For 30 years, it was the largest single-span bridge in Britain.
Steam Locomotives
As of 2023, the Tanfield Railway has a large collection of industrial steam engines. There are 28 in total, with four of them currently running.
Engines Ready to Go!
These are the steam locomotives that are currently working and pulling trains:
| Number and name | Description | Date Built | Photograph |
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| Hawthorn Leslie and Company 0-4-0ST, No.2. | Built in 1911. It returned to service in 2023 after a big repair. | 1911 |  |
| 0-4-0ST Sir Cecil A Cochrane | Built in 1948. This engine often pulls passenger trains and sometimes a short coal train. It recently had a major 10-year check-up. | 1948 |  |
| Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST No. 1015 "Horden" | Built in 1904. This engine has been under restoration since 2012 and started working in June 2021. | 1904 | |
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-6-0ST NCB No. 49 | Built in 1943. It passed its steam test in 2018, meaning it can run until 2028. It returned to pulling passenger trains in July 2018. | 1943 |  |
Engines Being Repaired
These locomotives are currently being worked on to get them ready to run again:
| Number and name | Description | Date Built | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Renishaw Ironworks No.6 | Built in Leeds in 1919. It is currently undergoing a major repair. | 1919 | |
| Andrew Barclay No. 32 Stanley 0-4-0ST | Built in 1920. This engine is almost finished with a big repair that has taken several years. | 1920 | |
| Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No. 38 | Built in 1949. It is currently being restored in the Marley Hill yard. | 1949 |
Stored Locomotives
The railway also has many other steam locomotives that are currently stored, waiting for their turn to be repaired or restored. The oldest locomotive on the railway, Wellington, built in 1873, is among those waiting for a big repair.
Diesel and Electric Locomotives
The Tanfield Railway also has a collection of diesel and electric locomotives. These include:
- An Armstrong Whitworth diesel-electric engine (No. D22), built in 1933, which is currently running.
- A F.C. Hibberd & Co Ltd Planet diesel-mechanical engine (No. 3716), built in 1955, which is also operational.
- A Fowler diesel-hydraulic engine (No. 4240010 No. 6), built in 1960, which is operational.
- A Ruston and Hornsby diesel-electric engine (No. 418600 T.I.C No. 35), built in 1958, which is operational.
- Other diesel and electric engines are on display or stored, waiting for future restoration.
Passenger Carriages
All of the passenger carriages on the Tanfield Railway are made of wood and date back to the Victorian era (the 1800s). They offer a unique historical experience for passengers.
More Pictures
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Marley Hill yard
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Locomotive Stagshaw
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A diesel works train passing Marley Signal box.
