Leamside Line

The Leamside line is a railway line in the North East of England, branching off from the main East Coast Main Line at Tursdale in County Durham, and continuing north through Washington and Wardley, finally joining the Newcastle upon Tyne to Sunderland line at Pelaw. It is currently out of use, having been mothballed by British Rail in 1991 after the closure of the Freightliner freight terminal at Follingsby, near Washington, which was the recipient of most of the line's traffic in its last years. A short section of the line from Pelaw Junction remained in operation for a number of years, serving the open-cast coal mine at Wardley, but this too has now closed. History | } The first section of the line was opened by the Durham Junction Railway on 24 August 1838 between Washington, on the Stanhope & Tyne Railway, and Rainton Meadows. The Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway bought the railway in 1843 and used it as part of its route between Darlington and Newcastle from 18 June 1844. Trains traveled via until the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, the successor of the Newcastle & Darlington Junction, opened the direct line between Washington and Pelaw on 1 September 1849.

The Leamside line is a railway line in the North East of England, branching off from the main East Coast Main Line at Tursdale in County Durham, and continuing north through Washington and Wardley, finally joining the Newcastle upon Tyne to Sunderland line at Pelaw. It is currently out of use, having been mothballed by British Rail in 1991 after the closure of the Freightliner freight terminal at Follingsby, near Washington, which was the recipient of most of the line's traffic in its last years. A short section of the line from Pelaw Junction remained in operation for a number of years, serving the open-cast coal mine at Wardley, but this too has now closed. History | } The first section of the line was opened by the Durham Junction Railway on 24 August 1838 between Washington, on the Stanhope & Tyne Railway, and Rainton Meadows. The Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway bought the railway in 1843 and used it as part of its route between Darlington and Newcastle from 18 June 1844. Trains traveled via until the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, the successor of the Newcastle & Darlington Junction, opened the direct line between Washington and Pelaw on 1 September 1849.