Durham Sunderland Line
Encyclopedia
The Durham to Sunderland Line was a railway line in the North East of England
. The line no longer exists, but many features along its path are still visible.
At this stage the railway was powered by rope hauling, until around 1857 when locomotives were used. 1893 saw the line reach Durham Elvet in a branch off before Shincliffe.
The line started to see decline after World War I and passenger services were stopped at the start of 1931, the only exceptions being specials used to ferry in visitors during the annual Durham Miners Gala. In 1953 http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/d/durham_elvet/index.shtml the line saw its last ever train, a travelling circus from Europe. The station buildings at Durham Elvet were demolished in the mid-1960s.
Durham is now only served by Durham railway station
(East Coast Main Line
) on Wharton Hill.
Sections of the line have been converted into scenic cycle tracks, namely Regional Cycle Network route 20 and National Cycle Network
route 14. There are plans to prepare over stretches for the use of RCN 20, which is currently labelled as a diversion via Sherburn
.
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. The line no longer exists, but many features along its path are still visible.
History
From 1836 the railway line only ran from North Sunderland to Ryhope, a year later reaching Sherburn, and another year stretching to Shincliffe.At this stage the railway was powered by rope hauling, until around 1857 when locomotives were used. 1893 saw the line reach Durham Elvet in a branch off before Shincliffe.
The line started to see decline after World War I and passenger services were stopped at the start of 1931, the only exceptions being specials used to ferry in visitors during the annual Durham Miners Gala. In 1953 http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/d/durham_elvet/index.shtml the line saw its last ever train, a travelling circus from Europe. The station buildings at Durham Elvet were demolished in the mid-1960s.
The line today
The site of Durham Elvet Station, near Whinney Hill, is now occupied by a student accommodation for the University of Durham. Where the line crossed the River Wear, the abutments of the bridge can still be seen.Durham is now only served by Durham railway station
Durham railway station
Durham railway station serves the city of Durham on the East Coast Main Line. The railway station is managed by East Coast. Despite its small functional capacity the station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line and is called at by many intercity services travelling the route.The travel...
(East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
) on Wharton Hill.
Sections of the line have been converted into scenic cycle tracks, namely Regional Cycle Network route 20 and National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
route 14. There are plans to prepare over stretches for the use of RCN 20, which is currently labelled as a diversion via Sherburn
Sherburn, County Durham
Sherburn Village is situated 3.5 miles east of Durham in the north east of England. It is one of the "green villages" of County Durham.The village is located in the Sherburn division of Durham County Council and the City of Durham constituency for Westminster elections.-History:A settlement has...
.