R.o.B Raiwlaymen's Stories
Branching Out
The line to Ponteland & beyond
By Harry Reed
From an article in the 1999 issue of the Aln Valley Railway Society Magazine. Reproduced by Kind permission of his wife.
I am lead to believe that readers found my article on the North British Railway lines of interest, which has lead me to write of another with which I have long (and continuing) contact-the Ponteland Branch. The line owes its origins to the Light Railways Act of 1896, which permitted lower standards on certain types of branch line. Thus in 1898 the North Eastern Railway Company placed a Bill before Parliament for the construction of a spur from their line at South Gosforth via West Gosforth, Coxlodge and Kenton Bank Foot to a terminus in Ponteland. The Estimated cost of the line was 33,000 pounds, a figure that equated to the cost of one mile of standard line (or heavy rail) at that time. The line would run through a very rural area, even the main road via Kenton Bar did not have a macadam surface. The NER, however, anticipated that the line would stimulate development, a process which has continued to the present day. The line opened to passenger traffic on 1st June 1905.
During its construction, the NER planned to electrify the branch as traffic developed (the coast loop was electrified in 1904) in fact; it was 80 years before this was done to Kenton Bank Foot with the arrival of the Metro. In October 1912, a new line was opened from Ponteland to a new station in the newly created development of Darras Hall. Curiosly, Mr Wakenshaw the leading figure behind this development, wanted the route to be via Kenton Village, Westerhope, North Walbottle and Callerton rather than vi Ponteland. In due course, the Darras Hall branch extended westwards by about 10 miles to a colliery at Kirkheaton, which closed in 1926. The post Great War motor bus services killed off the passenger trains to Ponteland and Darras Hall, which were withdrawn in 1929. The Darras Hall line was used for wagon storage until the 1950s but the branch was a busy one.
My First acquaintance with Ponteland was in April 1954 when, in my very first job as a Relief Station Master, I went to Ponteland to cover the vacancy on the retirement of Tom Scott who had been the Station Master for over 30 years. Tom had built up a huge coal sale business, which he retained, he drove a brand new Ford Zephyr and moved out of the Station House to a property in Darras Hall. Obviosly, he was not a typical pensioned railwayman. The business of the station was mainly agricultural, with two large 'cattle cake' distributors operating from the station. Apart from the Station Master, staff consisted of a porter signalman, goods porter, lorry driver (a 5ton Bedford) and a railhead lorry from Newcastle. In those days the Cattle Mart gave rise to regular business for the daily goods train.
My first visit to Ponteland lasted some time until Mr Ridley became Station Master but although under 50 he died suddenly in 1956 and I went back again. In that spell. I had a unique experiance. A farmer called Gilbert Evans came to see me to ask if I could organise a special train to remove him to Seamer in Yorkshire where he had bought a new farm. In due course, animals, machinery.stores and furniture were all loaded up and the special train too the Evans family to their new life. Heading south from Ponteland, the branch crossed the Callerton Lane via a level crossing, the gates being operated by the train crew. Next came the ICI private sidings at High Callerton. This siding recieved 2 to 3 wagons of explosives daily from Ardeer in Ayrshire. These were stored in deep bunkers and were distributed to collieries and quarries throughout the North East.
Next point going south was Prestwick Pit, where the new Aviator Hotel has now been built. Coal from the pit was loaded here and in addition, coal from East Walbottle Colliery at Dinnington was brought by overhead ropeway for loading at Prestwick. The mineral work was done by a daily mineral train, as well as the daily goods with a second mineral trip once or twice a week. From Prestwick to Callerton Station where the line crossed the road via a level crossing. I have searched my memory and I cannot recollect there being any staff at Callerton but with that gradient I can hardly think they operated by the trainmen, but perhaps they were. Anyhow ther was a Crossing Keeper at Kenton Bank Foot and so on to Coxlodge (now Fawdon). This was a block post (to Ponteland and South Gosforth) with a level crossing. Coxlodge was manned by a junior grade Station Master. I used to spend much of my time polishing signal box levers and bells on my visits but Rowntrees and Stirling Health generated regular traffic with an afternoon trip to clear the chocolate to the evening express goods services. Next stop on route was West Gosforth which was in charge of a Goods Agent who looked after an extensive business of household coal merchants. Hard to believe now that this is where the Regent Centre now stands. The branch was single track throughout, with Tyers No. 6 token instruments.
The closure of the two collieries seemed to spell the death Knell of the branch line but the Tyne and Wear Metro gave a new direction, at first the line was doubled to Kingstone Park with a single line to a new terminus at Kenton Bank Foot. Subsequently, the Metro was extended to a new terminus at the Airport and now double-tracked throughout. The Airport extension cost 3.5million pounds-compare this with the original cost mentioned earlier. The NER managers who first planned in 1898 to build the branch could not have dreamt of a double track, electrified light railway with a train every ten minutes. I am pleased to say that ongoing plans will lead to even more development on the branch. The Airport Company are currently inviting tenders to redevelop the Airport Station. The plan is to build an office block above the station , the long ramp from the trains will then be replaced with escalators serving a new concourse at airport terminal level, two additional platforms for 'heavy' rail trains will be built and by rebuilding the Benton South West Curve, and upgrading crosings to full standards. We can expect to see services from Middlesborough, Carlisle and even further afield serving the Airport, proberly in time to celebrate the Branch Line's 100th Anniversary.
Sadly Mr Harry Reed passed away in 2000.
Footnote; The Airport extensions went ahead since Harry wrote this in 1999 and a lot of the things he mentions did happen, the ramp was realigned and a completly new concourse was built but the platforms are the same. On the Callerton Crossing issue there was no staff to operate the level crossing it was done by the trainmen.