The South Tynedale Railway

The Railway Today

In the North of England the Cumbrian countryside boasts a blend of rugged hills, high moorland and secluded valleys making it an attractive area for tourists, although, mercifully, it is not as overcrowded as some of the tourist honey pots of Britain. In the midst of this natural splendour lies the south Tynedale railway a 2' gauge railway of fairly recent origin and a mile and a half or so in length.

The main station at Alston boasts a shop and tourist information centre while a cafe and model railway exhibition, independent of the railway, are also on site. The railway currently carries passengers for one and a half miles into the Cumbria countryside from Alston to Gilderdale Halt which is a secluded spot with no road access. An extension to Kirkhaugh is under construction and will give the line a total length of 2.5 miles when it is opened in 1999, this will obviously increase the 45 minutes passengers currently take for the round trip.

The railways motive power is very varied with several German and one Polish locomotive making an unusual sight in the UK. Two Hunslet built locomotives are more recent in construction than the usual quarry saddle tank Hunsletts found on British narrow gauge railways. Rather these two 0-4-2 side tanks were built in 1937 and 1940.

Passenger stock is all built to the railways own designs with a blend of coaches built on site and others whose construction was undertaken by a local company.

For further information:

Visit the South Tynedale Railway Web Site.

History and Origins

In 1973 BR were about to close the Alston to Haltwhistle branch of the Newcastle to Carlisle railway. A group of local people formed The South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society with a view to buying the line and operating it in preservation. Regrettably the attempt was unsuccessful and BR closed the line and immediately lifted the track in 1976. In 1977 The preservation society decided to build a narrow gauge railway on the site, construction of which finally commenced in 1980, after three years hard work by the volunteers a three quarter mile stretch to a temporary terminus was opened in 1983.

In 1987 the railway was extended to Gilderdale halt which completed the one and a half miles open to date with the next extension to Kirkhaugh (two and a half miles) due to open in 1999. The society has no intention to rest on its laurels as plans are afoot to extend to Lintley and then Slaggyford giving a five mile run, then, possibly, even further.