Alston Line

The Alston Line was a convert|13.5|mi|km|sing=on standard gauge branch line railway that operated in the counties of Northumberland and Cumbria in England. Starting at its junction with the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway line at Haltwhistle, the line ran to the town of Alston. Plans had been made to connect with railways further south, to provide an outlet for the lead mines in the Alston area. However the 1846 Parliamentary Act authorised a line as far as Nenthead, although a further act in 1849 was needed to abandon the line beyond Alston .

Initially the line opened in stages: from the junction to Shafthill (later renamed Coanwood) in 1851, and from Alston to Lambley in 1852. The full opening of the line awaited the construction of Lambley Viaduct [http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/haltalst.html] , and was achieved later in 1852.

Rundown and closure

In the 1950s freight services were withdrawn from Coanwood and all the intermediate stations were unstaffed. After the locomotive shed closed in 1959 and the line's goods services were withdrawn in the early 1960s the line operated with a Class 101 Diesel Multiple Unit based at Blaydon and running from a siding at Haltwhistle. Although the line was marked for closure in the Beeching plan, the lack of an all-weather road kept it open. A link between local roads, including a temporary level crossing over the branch, was built in the Lambley area. This enabled Ribble Motor Services to run a replacement bus service. The line closed officially on the 3rd of May 1976 with the last train working two days earlier. Despite efforts by the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society to take over the line, the track was lifted soon after the closure.

The Line Today

In 1983 a narrow gauge railway opened between Alston and Gilderdale, and has since been extended northwards. Known as the South Tynedale Railway, this convert|2|ft|m|sing=on gauge line now runs convert|2.5|mi|km from Alston to Kirkhaugh and includes a viaduct over the River South Tyne. Efforts are now being made to extend the line to Slaggyford. The track bed has been severed at two points close to the Haltwhistle junction by the A69 Haltwhistle Bypass and the removal of a former bridge on a minor road nearby.

Reading

*cite book|author=R.V.J.Butt, |title= The Directory of Railway Stations |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |year=1995 ISBN 1 85260 508 1

ources

:Northumbrian Railways [http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/alston.html] :The South Tynedale Railway [http://www.strps.org.uk/str/history/branchlinehistory.htm] :and [http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/lane/jy40/index.htm] :Railscot [http://www.ewan.force9.co.uk/rail/Alston_Branch/frame.htm]