Walker station, known as Low Walker station until 1899, was located in Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

 on the North Eastern Railway

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...

. This station served as a passenger halt and goods depot for shipping companies such as Armstrong Whitworth

Armstrong Whitworth

Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...

 and other land based componies like the Northern Wood Haskinizing Company. The station was on the Riverside branch from Newcastle

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...

 to Tynemouth

Tynemouth

Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...

 via Carville.

Riverside Rail Branch & Location

This 6 and a half mile branch which was actually a loop was authorised on 13 July 1871. This would be from Riverside Junction, between Manors East and Heaton

Heaton railway station

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.-History:...

, to Percy Main. The reason this branch was suggested is that the nearby line from Newcastle to North Shields

North Shields

North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...

 via Wallsend

Wallsend

Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...

 was failing to cope with the growing communities around the River Tyne and in the Walker

Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne

Walker is a residential suburb and electoral ward just east of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Walker's name is a hybrid of Old English and Viking Norse, "Wall-kjerr", where "kjerr" is Norse for "marshy woodland"...

 area. W.W.Thomas said "The route consisted for the most of tunnels, bridges, cuttings, retaining walls and embankments - an exceptionally heavy series of works". Also the line was very indirect compared to the Wallsend tracks.

The Line first opened in 1879 under the North Eastern Railway

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...

. The stations on route are Byker

Byker railway station

Byker station is a railroad station in Northumberland. It was originally only open to Workers who worked near or on Shields road which the station was tucked behind. The station was then opened and timetabled in 1901. The station was tucked between shields road and the junction on to the main line....

(from 1901), St.Peters, St.Anthony's, Low Walker (Walker from 1889), Carville, Point Pleasant and Willington Quey before rejoining the main tracks towards Percy Main.

Location

Walkers Station was in the South East part of Newcastle right on the edge of it in fact. It was located far south of the main line and Walker Gate railway station. It was also very close to the river Tyne. The shipyards and warhouses lay to the East and the sparsely populated surrounding of Walkers road are to the west. Despite having tram, bus and trolly bus stops outside Walkers became the most booked station on the Riverside branch.

Station Plans & buildings

The station had two platform of which at the far south End was a single level brick building and a subway under the tracks to connect the platforms, of which the other one at the north had the main two story station house of which was made from brick. A later addition is a conservatory was added at an unknown date. Down past the southern end is a brick lockup and a typical NER signal box. This was there in place until it closed to passengers. There was also a bricked up waiting room on the eastern platform.

The Station and Lock up buildings remained in place after closure and one track got removed. When the goods route between St. Peters and Carville stopped in 1987 the track was removed and the buildings demolished.

Run down and closure

After the war economy meant that trains were limited to Monday-Saturday peak hours. Then Byke and St. Anthonys were closed quickly after each other in 1954 and 1960. Further economies shared with the main line stopped electric trains and reduced the trains to a few diesel trains.

Then in the Beeching report it was recommended it should be closed. However the line was resilient to close and it even stayed in use despite a road from Wallsend to Willington Quay being built. Again it survived another road from Carville, Point Pleasant and Willington Quay. However it could survive the lack of profit which annually lost the whole line £85,000 from upkeep and lack of passengers on the riverside branch.

Final Train

In 1973 the line along with Walkers was finally closed, but there was no special train on the line. In fact it was a random 16.24 Newcastle direct that was the last ever train on the branch and into Walkers.

Modern State

The station lays demolished, the track bed is a cycle path and the station lies under a scrapyard. There is no real way of ever telling a station was once here.