Newcastle & North Shields Railway

Newcastle and North Shields Railway

Ouseburn Bridge, near Newcastle, built by the Newcastle and North Shields Railway in the 1830s using laminated timber arches on masonry piers, similar to the Wiebeking system used in Paris
Dates of operation	1839–1844
Successor	Newcastle & Berwick Railway
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The Newcastle & North Shields Railway opened in June 1839 from a temporary terminus in Carliol Square in Newcastle upon Tyne to North Shields. The railway was absorbed by the Newcastle & Berwick Railway in November 1844. The Newcastle & Berwick Railway was itself absorbed by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, and this became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1854.

Tynemouth was served from 1847 and Newcastle Central replaced the original station in 1850. In 1882 the station at Tynemouth was replaced by a through station when the line and the former Blyth and Tyne Railway line were linked. The route was electrified in 1904 as part of the Tyneside Electrics programme.

A railway between Newcastle and North Shields was proposed in 1830, but was opposed in Newcastle by people who feared that the city docks would lose trade to docks at North Shields and in North Shields by people who feared local shops would lose trade when customers could travel to Newcastle and that no-one would holiday in North Shields if they could stay in Newcastle. Of the two proposed routes one was chosen in 1835, changed the following year so Tynemouth was on the main line rather than served by a branch. To compensate landowners for the lost income from wayleaves on coal carried on the existing wagonways, a toll of  ³⁄₄d a mile was agreed. The Newcastle and North Shields Railway (N&NSR) received Royal Assent on 21 June 1836.

After leaving the temporary terminus at Newcastle the railway passed through a short tunnel before crossing two viaducts built using laminated timber arches on masonry piers, similar to the Wiebeking system used on the Seine at Pont d'Ivry in Paris. The 918-foot (280 m) long Ouseburn Viaduct was built with five arches whereas the Willington Dene Viaduct was 1,048 feet (319 m) long and had seven arches. The railway opened on 18 June 1839 when two trains carried a total of 700 passengers on a return trip to a celebration in Tynemouth, which was interrupted by a violent thunderstorm that flooded the marquee. Public services started the next day, although Tynemouth was not served until 1847.