The Blyth and Tyne Railway was a railway company in Northumberland, England, incorporated by act of Parliament on 30 June 1852.[1] It was created to unify the various private railways and waggonways built to carry coal from the Northumberland coalfield to Blyth and the River Tyne, which it took control of on 1 January 1853.[2] Over time, the railway expanded its network to reach Morpeth (1857/8),[a] North Seaton (1859),[4] Tynemouth (1860/1),[b] Newcastle upon Tyne (1864),[c] and finally Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (1872).[9] It became part of the much larger North Eastern Railway in 1874.[10][11]
Following the takeover, some integration of service and facilities took place, but the Blyth and Tyne section retained its individual identity. In 1904, electric traction was introduced for suburban passenger trains on north Tyneside and part of the Blyth and Tyne system was electrified; the new trains proved to be a considerable success. Speculative branch lines built in the twentieth century were less successful.
Passenger services on the Newcastle – Newbiggin (via Seghill), Monkseaton – Blyth – Newbiggin, and Newsham – Blyth routes, were earmarked for withdrawal by the Beeching Report of 1963.[12]
In the period from 1975, coal extraction declined and parts of the Blyth and Tyne system that were dependent on the mineral traffic suffered accordingly; the passenger business also declined. At the end of the 1970s, the decision was taken to establish a light rapid transit system, the Tyne and Wear Metro; this was based on the North Tyneside network at first and this started operating in 1980, using part of the Blyth and Tyne routes. Most of the remainder of the former system has no passenger railway activity now, although much of it remains open for freight.
- ^ "Blyth and Tyne Railway Act 1852 (1852 c. cxxii, 15 & 16 Vict)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. London: The National Archives. 30 June 1852.
- ^ Tomlinson, William Weaver (1915). The North Eastern Railway: Its Rise and Development. Newcastle upon Tyne: Andrew Reid & Company. pp. 520–521 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Tomlinson (1915), pp. 579–580
- ^ Quick, M. E. (2022). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 339. (Version 5.04). Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ "Blyth and Tyne". The Times. No. 23767. London. 2 November 1860. p. 4. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b Tomlinson (1915), p. 612
- ^ Quick (2022), p. 456
- ^ Quick (2022), p. 333
- ^ Tomlinson (1915), p. 659
- ^ Tomlinson (1915), pp. 666–667
- ^ Quick (2022), p. 332
- ^ British Railways Board (1963). The Reshaping of British Railways, Part 1: Report (PDF) (Report). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 103–104.
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