The history of the Darlington to Barnard Castle Railway

Given that the railway pioneers usually went to great lengths to avoid bridging the river for reasons of cost, these twin bridges to the west of Gainford suggest Lord Barnard was a tough cookie to win over... but disaster struck in October 1855 when the Tees, in full flood, washed away the bridges before they were complete.

For the townspeople of Barnard Castle, the line was an important economic boost after a cholera outbreak had hit its carpet industries. For the railway pioneers, led by Henry Pease, the line was important as a starting point for conquering the Pennines and tapping into the Cumbrian mineral trade.

Piercebridge station on the Darlington to Barnard Castle line. The station has been demolished, although the stationmaster's house, with mock-timbering, is now a substantial private house

The line left Darlington’s North Road station then turned off at the Hopetown Junction and headed west. Its first stop was where it crossed the Romans’ Watling Street at Piercebridge, where cattle and coal were unloaded for the rural community and produce like corn was collected. In the mid 20th Century, the railway even hired sacks at 1d-a-time to farmers to fill with 16 stone of corn which travelled by train.

READ MORE: THE HISTORY OF DARLINGTON'S HOPETOWN, RIGHT BACK TO THE BIRTH OF THE RAILWAYS

In 1953, 18-year-old Princess Alexandra, a cousin of the new queen, slept in the royal train in a siding at Piercebridge. Stationmaster Tom Cooper, the last person to hold that position, received a phone call telling him to disinfect his telephone so Her Royal Highness could pop in from the train to use it – he also had to source some fresh eggs for her breakfast.

At this time, 14 passenger trains a day stopped at Piercebridge, with the last on Friday and Saturday nights departing at 10.30pm, taking revellers from the George Hotel back into Darlington. Because the George was on the Yorkshire bank of the Tees, it had a later licence by 30 minutes to those hostelries on the Durham side so it was full of drinkers.

A train arrives at Piercebridge station from Barnard Castle. The half-timbered stationmaster's house on the left still stands as a private residence, but everything else has gone

From Piercebridge, the train rattled through Gainford before crossing the Tees twice beneath Lord Barnard’s precious Selaby. On a tall embankment, it made its way towards Winston.

The River Tees at Gainford showing a steam train crossing the eastern of the two bridges that took the railway away from Lord Barnard's Selaby Hall. Both bridges still stand and are blocked off, although well trodden paths suggest that some people do

The railway bridges at Gainford are fenced off for safety, although a well trodden footpath suggests some people still venture across. Over the sides of both bridges hang these pieces of metalwork that were once so important that the stonework was shaped for them to be installed - but what were they?

At 11.30am on October 24, 1905, a double-headed goods train toppled off the tracks and rolled down this embankment, throwing the drivers and firemen clear.

The derailment on October 24, 1905, between Gainford and Winston. No one was seriously hurt

A large crowd gathered, including photographer William Benjamin Eggleston. As no-one was seriously hurt, before a large crowd of spectators the locos were quickly retrieved and the track repaired so that by 6pm that same evening Princess Henry of Battenburg was able to travel along it undelayed to start her autumn holiday with Lord Barnard at Raby.

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Her Highness would have got off at Winston station, which today is the best preserved of these stations as it is a haulage yard.

The most intriguing of the stations is the next stop, Broomielaw, which is today hidden beneath overgrowth on private land, apparently in a dilapidated condition.

Broomielaw station was John Bowes's private halt and had an elaborate canopy to ensure he didn't get wet when leaving the train and climbing up the stairs to the road

It was a private halt for John Bowes, of Streatlam Castle, the founder of the Bowes Museum, who had been supportive of the railway – indeed, most of the artistic treasures he and his wife, Josephine, collected in Paris were transported by railway to form the basis of the Bowes’ collection.

READ MORE: HOW A FAMOUS PAINTING FROM A QUIET CORNER OF TEESDALE BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL OF PROTEST

The station, which John named after one of his successful horses, was elaborate in its design and featured an unusual covered walkway which allowed passengers to leave their trains and climb up to their carriages on the road without getting wet.

Much of Broomielaw station survives but is on private land and very dilapidated, as the state of the signalbox suggests

Broomielaw was the last stop before the train reached Barnard Castle, originally terminating at a station behind Galgate – a station that was soon found to be in the wrong place when the line was extended over the Pennines.

The original Barnard Castle station behind Galgate opened in 1856 along with the line from Darlington but was soon found to be in the wrong place for the trans-Pennine line so a second station was built about quarter-of-a-mile away and the first station

The Darlington to Barnard Castle branch line never generated either the goods or the passenger traffic to make it commercially successful, and when the extension over the Pennines closed in early 1962, its days were numbered as Dr Richard Beeching was examining the viability of all lines. When he swung his axe, the Barney branch line closed to passengers on November 30, 1964.

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