Scotswood railway station

Scotswood
The site of the station in 2020
General information
Location	Scotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne England
Coordinates	54.969°N 1.686°W / 54.969; -1.686
Grid reference	NZ201638
Platforms	4
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam Railway
Pre-grouping	North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway North Eastern Region of British Railways
Key dates
21 October 1839	South platforms opened
12 July 1875	North platforms opened
15 September 1958	North platforms closed
26 April 1965	Goods services withdrawn
1 May 1967	South platforms closed

Scotswood railway station served Scotswood in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The railway station was located on the former route of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle. The station opened in 1839 and closed in 1967.

History

The South platforms (Blaydon line) opened 21 October 1839; the North platforms (North Wylam loop) opened 12 July 1875. The South platform (Blaydon line) service was suspended on 3 September 1966 and the station closed to passengers on 1 May 1967. The buildings and platforms were demolished within five years.

Despite having platforms serving different lines (and, officially different companies at first), Scotswood was regarded as a single station. The northern pair of platforms on the Newburn line was added to the southern pair on the Newcastle–Blaydon line in 1875. Curving away from the original platforms, they were at a higher level, and ended some 50yds to the east.

The original station buildings burned down on 17 October 1879. By the mid-1880s new buildings, including waiting sheds, were completed, and the two sets of platforms were connected by bridge and subway. The new station building, at the east end of the southernmost platform, was a modest brick structure with a small awning. It was accompanied by a wooden pitched-roof building. A similar wooden structure accommodated office and waiting facilities on the opposite platform. Two further, equally unimposing, wooden buildings served the northern platforms.

The station was busy in its early years; in 1895 there were 144,462 tickets issued. Usage declined after the 1930s as people chose to travel by bus instead. By 1951 only 17,180 tickets were issued to passengers. Services became infrequent in later years.

On 4 October 1982 passenger services ceased to use the Newcastle – Scotswood – Blaydon route. Trains were diverted from Newcastle West Junction over King Edward Bridge, then via Norwood Junction and Dunston to Blaydon. Tracks were removed from Scotswood Bridge and eastward beyond Elswick, leaving only a one-mile siding from Newcastle.

Scotswood Tunnel

Scotswood Tunnel

To the west side of the station is Scotswood Tunnel, this was where the railway line went to follow the North side of the river Tyne until it merged with the Newcastle - Carlisle Railway at Hagg Bank Bridge near Wylam. Other tunnels are in the area, which provided pedestrian access to the industry which once existed in the area. These have long since been blocked off and the entrances buried.

The main railway tunnel has three entrances, one near Scotswood station, one leading towards Scotswood bridge and the other comes out near the A1. After the railway was removed, part of the tunnel was refurbished as a cycle tunnel, allowing passage from the A1 entrance to the Scotswood bridge entrance. This was quickly closed by the council due to anti-social behaviour.

Today all entrances are either bricked up or in-filled to prevent access. Occasionally people have broken in through the station entrance which currently is only bricked up.

Before being completely closed off, the tunnel was used in the 1995 Famous Five episode entitled "Five Go off to Camp".

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Scotswood Works Halt Line and station closed		North Eastern Railway Newcastle and Carlisle Railway		Blaydon Line closed, station open
				Lemington Line and station closed
Terminus		North Eastern Railway Derwent Valley Railway		Swalwell Line and station closed