Lambley railway station

Lambley was a railway station on the Alston Line, which ran between Haltwhistle and Alston. The station served the village of Lambley in Northumberland.

Lambley
LocationLambley, Northumberland
England
Coordinates54°55′01″N 2°30′33″W
Grid referenceNY674581
Platforms1
Tracks1
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyNewcastle and Carlisle Railway
Pre-groupingNorth Eastern Railway
Post-grouping
Key dates
21 May 1852Opened
3 May 1976Closed
Location

The station, which was located 4 3⁄4 miles (7.6 km) from the junction with the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway at Haltwhistle, was opened on 21 May 1852 by the North Eastern Railway.[1]

Lambley Viaduct is situated to the north-east of the former station. The imposing stone structure was constructed in the early 1850s by Sir George Barclay Bruce, and spans a length of 850 feet (260 m) over the River South Tyne. It is now Grade II* listed.[2]

There were a number of unscheduled calling points on the section of the line between Lambley and Slaggyford, including those at Burnstones, Softley and Whitwham.[3] Trains regularly stopped to allow passengers to board and alight, despite no platform or facilities being available at these locations.

History

The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway was formed in 1829, opening to passengers in stages from March 1835.[4] A branch line from Haltwhistle to Alston and Nenthead was first considered in 1841, with the line authorised by an Act of Parliament in August 1846.[5] It was later decided that a line operating as far as Alston was sufficient, with the amended route approved by a further Act in July 1849.

In March 1851, the 4½-mile section from Haltwhistle to Shaft Hill (which was later renamed Coanwood) was opened to goods traffic, with passenger services commencing in July 1851. The 8¼-mile section of the line between Alston and Lambley opened to goods traffic in January 1852, along with a short branch to Lambley Fell, with passenger services commencing in May 1852.

Construction of the branch line was completed in November 1852, following the opening of the, now Grade II* listed,[2] Lambley Viaduct over the River South Tyne.[6]

Demise and closure

Lambley became an unstaffed halt in 1966, with Alston following in 1969. Featherstone Park and Slaggyford were reduced to unstaffed halt status in 1954, along with Coanwood in 1955.

The line was originally marked for closure in the 1960s, under the Beeching plan, however the lack of an all-weather road kept it open. Following improvements to the road network, including a temporary level crossing over the branch at Lambley, the line was closed on 3 May 1976 by the British Railways Board, with the last train working two days earlier.[7] The line was replaced in part by a bus service, which was operated by Ribble Motor Services.

Since the line's closure, a 5-mile (8 km) section of the line has since reopened in stages between Slaggyford and Alston, with heritage services operated by the South Tynedale Railway.

See also

References
  1. Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology. Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 243. ISBN 978-0901461575.
  2. Historic England, "Railway Viaduct Across River South Tyne  (Grade II*) (1042918)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 7 November 2020
  3. Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology. Railway and Canal Historical Society. pp. 99, 370 and 428. ISBN 978-0901461575.
  4. James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 22. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
  5. Whittle, George (1979). The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. p. 73. ISBN 0-7153-7855-4. OCLC 7197045.
  6. Fenton, Mike (January 2018). "Byway of the 'Barra'". BackTrack. Vol. 32 no. 321. Easingwold: Pendragon Publishing. pp. 26–30.
  7. Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology. Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 10. ISBN 978-0901461575.

Sources
  • Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  • Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
  • Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Coanwood   North Eastern Railway
Alston Line		   Slaggyford
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