The Station
The first goods train ,carrying lime, iron ore and coal, ran from Rowlands Gill on June 18th 1867 and the first passenger service began on December 2nd the same year. The line closed for passengers in 1954 and
the transportation of freight ceased in 1963, the track being lifted in the mid sixties.
The first goods train ,carrying lime, iron ore and coal, ran from Rowlands Gill on June 18th 1867 and the first passenger service began on December 2nd the same year. The line closed for passengers in 1954 and
the transportation of freight ceased in 1963, the track being lifted in the mid sixties.
The station at Rowlands Gill was made famous in Tommy Armstrong's popular music hall song "Wor Nanny's A Maizor":
Wor Nanny an' me myed up wor minds te gan an' catch the train,
Te gan te the toon te buy some claes for wor little Billy and Jane:
But when we got to Rowland's Gill the mornin' train wes gyen,
An thor wasn't another one gan' that way till siventeen minutes te one...
Wor Nanny an' me myed up wor minds te gan an' catch the train,
Te gan te the toon te buy some claes for wor little Billy and Jane:
But when we got to Rowland's Gill the mornin' train wes gyen,
An thor wasn't another one gan' that way till siventeen minutes te one...
This photo of the station which shows the platforms and buildings gives a good indication of what substantial structures they were and of their importance in the community.
The tank engine on the train is a V1 or V3 Class. A number of V1s and the modified V3s were allocated to Blaydon Shed which was responsible for working this line. (Source: Wesley Gargett & www.disused-stations.org.uk)
The tank engine on the train is a V1 or V3 Class. A number of V1s and the modified V3s were allocated to Blaydon Shed which was responsible for working this line. (Source: Wesley Gargett & www.disused-stations.org.uk)
The Rowlands Gill signal box had to be unusually tall so the signalmen could see the station platforms on the other side of the bridge.
The locomotive in the photo above is a Gresley designed Class J39/1 0-6-0 No. 64853 built at Darlington Loco Works in 1934. Intended as medium powered goods engines, some later found their way into passenger traffic.
(Source: Wesley Gargett)
(Source: Wesley Gargett)
Rowlands Gill trains used to leave the Central Station from Platform 12, which is still in use today.
The postcard above shows the "Blackhill via Scotswood" departure board on that platform. Trains ran along the north of the Tyne line to Scotswood, across Scotswood Railway Bridge (still standing, but disused) then on to the Derwent Valley line with stations at Swalwell, Rowlands Gill, Lintz Green, Ebchester, Shotley Bridge and Blackhill.
In 1909 High Westwood station was added to the line. At the peak of the service, there were 12 Newcastle-Blackhill trains per day and 9 the other way with several trains which only ran part-way along the valley, usually to Rowlands Gill or High Westwood, the busiest stations on the line. All trains to Blackhill stopped at every station - there were no express services.
The photo above can be dated post 1916 as the Pavillion picture hall and skating rink is no longer standing - the area where it stood (subsequently to be the site of the present day Vale of Derwent Club) is the open space behind the fenced off area to the centre of the photo. Harradine Terrace is visible middle back with the station waiting room to the forefront.
Popularity declined sharply after the First World War when motor-buses became the transport of choice for the majority of the public, but the line struggled on for more than 30 years before closing to passengers on 1 Feb 1954.
Some excursions continued to run on the line - school trips from Rowlands Gill for example - until the goods service was withdrawn and the line closed completely on 11 November 1963.
The track was lifted in 1964/65 and the Derwent Valley Walk was introduced in 1967.
During WW2 a temporary station was built on the line at Shotley Bridge Hospital (at the top of the "huts") which was an Emergency Hospital for the duration. This hospital dealt with both military casualties and civilian bombing victims, mostly from Tyneside. After the Dunkirk Evacuation, train loads of casualties could be seen passing through Rowlands Gill en-route to the hospital. (Source: Rowlands Gill History Facebook page)
For many children living in the Gill Bottoms, a train ride was limited to an annual event, with summer day-trips to the coast organised by the local chapels and the Vale of Derwent Social Club.