Heaton railway station
Encyclopedia
Heaton railway station was a railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
near the southern boundary of Heaton
with Byker
. The station was built in the nineteenth century and closed on 11 August 1980.
. This predecessor of the North Eastern Railway company
(NER) shared those two tracks up to Heaton Junction and "on the 1st July 1847 Newcastle was connected by rail with Berwick
, and thus placed on the main line between Edinburgh
and London
." The railway line and station at Heaton were built in a cutting.
to Heaton Junction was widened from two tracks to four tracks. The original station was demolished and a new station built further to the west of Heaton Road.
to Heaton Junction was widened from two tracks to four tracks. The two tracks to the north were for mainline services to Edinburgh
and the two southern tracks for the direct services from Newcastle Central Station
to the coast. These two southern tracks were electrified in 1904. There were two island platforms about 210 yard long reached by ramps from the ticket offices, which were at ground level alongside the road bridge carrying Heaton Road over the railway. Heaton Junction signal box was about 250 yard to the east and gave access from all four tracks to Heaton engine shed and carriage sidings.
The station was used principally for services on the direct line from Newcastle Central Station
to the coast but with some local services e.g. to Morpeth
on the main line, and some mainline services on the line from Newcastle to Edinburgh
.
did not use that section of line which included Heaton railway station and the station became redundant when the Metro was built. Metro train services are now available from Byker Metro station
which is about 1/4 mi to the south, and Chillingham Road Metro station
about 1/4 mi to the northeast.
(ECML) was electrified the opportunity was taken to rationalise the track work in many places including the section from Newcastle Central Station
to the carriage sidings at Heaton
. The station platforms at Heaton were demolished and the previous four tracks were replaced with three tracks, each signalled
for running in either direction. The electrification was completed in 1990. Owing to the positioning of the bridge piers
for the road bridge over the line the southernmost track still follows the alignment around the now non-existent platform.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
near the southern boundary of Heaton
Heaton, Newcastle
Heaton is a residential suburb and is split into two electoral wards located in the east end of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, about from the City Centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Benton and Cochrane Park to the north, Walker and Walkergate to the east, Byker to the south and...
with Byker
Byker
Byker is an inner city electoral ward in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the east of the city, south of the Heaton area and north of St Peter's. Byker Metro station serves the area.The area also contains the Byker Wall estate. The population of the ward is...
. The station was built in the nineteenth century and closed on 11 August 1980.
History
In 1839 the Newcastle and Shields railway was opened and this line later became the direct line to the coast from Newcastle upon Tyne, although at that time the line terminated in Carliol Square and not at Newcastle Central StationNewcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
. This predecessor of the North Eastern Railway company
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
(NER) shared those two tracks up to Heaton Junction and "on the 1st July 1847 Newcastle was connected by rail with Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, and thus placed on the main line between Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
." The railway line and station at Heaton were built in a cutting.
First station
The first station stood in a cutting on the double track shared by the main line to Edinburgh and the Newcastle & North Shields route. There were two platforms about 100 yard in length. The principal building stood on the down (NW) platform, facing a smaller building on the up platform. When it opened the station stood in a rural location, the nearest village being Byker Hill, about ¼ mile to the east, but during the later decades of the 19th century the terraces of the residential suburb of Heaton began to fill the fields on both sides of the railway. In 1887 the line from Newcastle Central StationNewcastle Central station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
to Heaton Junction was widened from two tracks to four tracks. The original station was demolished and a new station built further to the west of Heaton Road.
Second station
In 1887 the line from Newcastle Central StationNewcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
to Heaton Junction was widened from two tracks to four tracks. The two tracks to the north were for mainline services to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and the two southern tracks for the direct services from Newcastle Central Station
Newcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
to the coast. These two southern tracks were electrified in 1904. There were two island platforms about 210 yard long reached by ramps from the ticket offices, which were at ground level alongside the road bridge carrying Heaton Road over the railway. Heaton Junction signal box was about 250 yard to the east and gave access from all four tracks to Heaton engine shed and carriage sidings.
The station was used principally for services on the direct line from Newcastle Central Station
Newcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
to the coast but with some local services e.g. to Morpeth
Morpeth, Northumberland
Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
on the main line, and some mainline services on the line from Newcastle to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Tyne & Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear MetroTyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
did not use that section of line which included Heaton railway station and the station became redundant when the Metro was built. Metro train services are now available from Byker Metro station
Byker Metro station
Byker Metro station is located in Byker, an area in the east-end of Newcastle upon Tyne. The station is on the Yellow line of the Tyne and Wear Metro system, and opened in 1982...
which is about 1/4 mi to the south, and Chillingham Road Metro station
Chillingham Road Metro station
Chillingham Road Metro station is located in the south of the Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne, and is served by the Tyne and Wear Metro service. It was originally to be called Parsons, reflecting its proximity to the Parsons engineering works...
about 1/4 mi to the northeast.
East Coast Main Line
When the East Coast Main LineEast 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...
(ECML) was electrified the opportunity was taken to rationalise the track work in many places including the section from Newcastle Central Station
Newcastle railway station
Newcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
to the carriage sidings at Heaton
Heaton TMD
Heaton TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in the Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is located next to the East Coast Main Line, around east of Newcastle railway station. The depot is operated by Northern Rail, and mostly houses stock operated by them and Grand Central...
. The station platforms at Heaton were demolished and the previous four tracks were replaced with three tracks, each signalled
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
for running in either direction. The electrification was completed in 1990. Owing to the positioning of the bridge piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
for the road bridge over the line the southernmost track still follows the alignment around the now non-existent platform.
See also
- East Coast Main LineEast Coast Main LineThe East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
- Newcastle and North Shields Railway
- North Eastern RailwayNorth Eastern Railway (UK)The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
- Tyne and Wear MetroTyne and Wear MetroThe Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
- Tyneside ElectricsTyneside ElectricsThe Tyneside Electrics refers to the suburban railways on Tyneside that were electrified by the North Eastern Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway. The North Tyneside loop was electrified from 1904 onwards and formed one of the earliest suburban electric networks, the South Tyneside...