Bowes Railway | |
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Pontop & Jarrow Railway | |
The Bowes Railway at Springwell Village, City of Sunderland | |
Locale | Tyne and Wear |
Terminus | Dipton Colliery to Jarrow Staith (preserved Springwell - Wrekenton) |
Coordinates | 54°55′25″N 1°33′29″W / 54.9236°N 1.5580°W |
Commercial operations | |
Built by | Robert Stephenson, designed by George Stephenson |
Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Preserved operations | |
Stations | 2 (Springwell & Blackhams Hill) |
Length | 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) |
Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Commercial history | |
Opened | 1826/1855 |
Closed | 1974 |
Preserved era | 1975- |
The Bowes Railway, built by George Stephenson in 1826, is the world's only operational preserved standard gauge cable railway system. It was built to transport coal from pits in Durham to boats on the River Tyne. The site is a scheduled monument.[1] The railway is open every week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Easter til October) as well as on a number of event days throughout the year.