South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway

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South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway

Legend S&D Rly. (Weardale Line) Bishop Auckland S&D Rly. (Tees Valley Line) West Auckland Spring Gardens Junction Evenwood Gaunless Viaduct Butterknowle Cockfield Fell Langley Viaduct Forthburn Viaduct D&BR to Darlington Barnard Castle Percy Beck Viaduct Tees Viaduct Middleton-in-Teesdale Line Lartington Deepdale Viaduct Hulands Bowes Stainmore Summit Mousegill Viaduct Barras Belah Viaduct Aitygill Viaduct Merrygill Viaduct Hartley Quarry Podgill Viaduct Stenkrith Bridge Kirkby Stephen East Eden Valley Railway Smardale Settle-Carlisle Railway Smardalegill Viaduct Ravenstonedale Gaisgill WCML Northbound Tebay WCML Southbound

The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway, also known as the Stainmore Railway, is a closed railway line, which formerly linked the Stockton & Darlington Railway near Bishop Auckland with the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (the West Coast Main Line) at Tebay, via Barnard Castle, Stainmore Summit & Kirkby Stephen.

A very small section of the line around Kirkby Stephen East station in being restored by the Stainmore Railway Company.

Contents 1 Route 2 Viaducts 3 External links 4 References

[edit] Route

Stations along the route were:

• Evenwood
• Cockfield Fell
• Barnard Castle
• Lartington
• Bowes
• Barras
• Kirkby Stephen East
• Smardale
• Ravenstonedale
• Gaisgill

Junctions were made at Barnard Castle, with lines to Darlington and Middleton-in-Teesdale, and at Kirkby Stephen with the Eden Valley Railway to Penrith.

[edit] Viaducts

The line was also noted for its viaducts. These were (from the east):

• Gaunless - 161 feet high (River Gaunless)
• Langley - 76 feet (Langley Beck}
• Forthburn - 43 feet (Forthburn Beck}
• Percy Beck - 66 feet (Percy Beck}
• Tees - 132 feet (River Tees}
• Deepdale - 161 feet (Deepdale Beck}
• Mousegill - 106 feet (Mousegill Beck)
• Belah - 196 feet (River Belah)
• Aitygill (or Redgategill) - 94 feet (Aitygill Beck)
• Merrygill - 78 feet (Hartley Beck)
• Podgill - 84 feet (Ladthwaite Beck)
• Smardalegill - 90 feet (Scandal Beck)

[edit] External links

• Stainmore Railway site
• The Northern Viaduct Trust
• Webpage about the railway's viaducts
• History of the line

[edit] References

• Smith, Martin (1994). British Railway Bridges & Viaducts. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7110-2273-7. 
• Walton, Peter (1992). The Stainmore & Eden Valley Railways. Oxford Publishing Co.. ISBN 978-0-86093-306-9.