The coal producing area around Shildon and Bishop Auckland was unfortunate in having no navigable waterway; consequently coal supplies for the Darlington area had to be carried in the panniers of packhorses and asses. The effect of this was to treble the price for coal at Darlington compared to the pithead. In October 1768, Robert Whitworth put forward plans for a canal from Winston (9 miles west of Darlington) to Stockton, which would not have served the Shildon District, so the plan was dropped.

After years of fruitless discussions the subject came up again at a dinner party held in Stockton in 1810, when Leonard Raisbeck suggested a railway from Winston to Stockton via Darlington. The famous engineer Rennie was engaged to make a survey, and in 1813 decided in favour of a canal on the same course as Whitworth had recommend earlier. The matter was allowed to rest until in May 1818, when a further report was issued, this time after a survey by George Leather. The proposed canal would have bypassed Darlington and Yarm completely, a fact that spurred Richard Miles, Jonathan Backhouse and others to seek another opinion. They went to George Overton, a Welsh engineer who was related to the Cairns family of Yarm. Overton reported on the feasibility of a canal or railway, the latter at an estimated cost of £124,000, passing through Darlington and near to Yarm.

Overton presented his report on 29 September 1818. To enable the scheme to be considered at the next session of Parliament the plans were hurriedly prepared by the Darlington Committee and deposited by the end of the month, even though it had not been decided whether a canal would be dug or a railway would be built. The railway option was finally selected on 13 November 1818. Meanwhile the Stockton Committee were still advocating a route bypassing Darlington.

The first Stockton and Darlington Railway bill was narrowly rejected by 106 votes to ninety-three. A further application was made in 1820, but on the death of George III the bill was withdrawn. The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was finally authorised by an Act of Parliament dated 19 April 1821, to construct what would later be promoted as the World’s First Passenger Railway. The line was to be built from Witton Park Colliery to Stockton, together with branches to Yarm Bridge, Darlington Northgate Bridge, Coundon Turnpike, Evenwood and Stockton.

The first rails were laid in May 1822, marked by a plaque on what was to be known as the world’s first Railway Booking office at St. John’s Crossing, Stockton. George Stephenson resurveyed Overton’s original route and a second Act of Parliament was passed on 23 May 1823, authorising the route to be constructed based on Stephenson’s survey, along with authorisation of the branch from Darlington to a coal depot at Croft. The company was also authorised to use locomotive power for the haulage of their trains.

The line was opened on 27 September 1825 from the Witton Park Collieries near West Auckland, over the inclines at Etherley and Brusselton then via Shildon, Darlington and Fighting Cocks to staithes on the banks of the River Tees at Stockton.

On that day, between 7am and 8am, 12 wagons of coal left the Phoenix Pit, near the end of the line at Witton Park Colliery. The wagons were hauled up the Etherley North Incline and lowered to St. Helens. A further wagon, loaded with sacks of flour, was added to the train, which was then hauled up to the Brusselton Engine House and lowered into Shildon. Waiting at the Mason’s Arms was Locomotion with further wagons and the company’s solitary coach. The wagons from Phoenix Pit and St. Helens were added to the train, which then comprised-

When the train arrived at Darlington, six wagons were detached and the coal distributed to the poor of the town. Two wagons were added to the train, which then continued to Stockton for completion of the day’s festivities.

The Yarm Branch diverged from the main line of the S&DR at what was later to become Allens West Station. The branch served the market town, which was in Yorkshire, although the branch terminated in County Durham on the North Bank of the River Tees. The branch was opened on 17 October 1825, three weeks after the main line, and a horse drawn service was provided to Yarm until 1833. The Yarm branch was closed in 1871.

The Croft branch was authorised under the Act of 23 may 1823 but it was not opened until 27 October 1829; ten years later it was purchased by the Great North Of England Railway [GNE], which had thought to incorporate it into their main line from Gateshead to York. In the event, the GNE built only the section from York to Darlington, but it did use part of the Croft Branch through what is now Bank Top station. North of Bank Top the branch was used as a connection with the S&DR until the Newcastle and Darlington Junction [N&DJ] completed its line from Shincliffe and joined the Croft branch at Parkgate Junction.

The completion of the NDJ on 18 June 1844 brought into being the famous level crossing over the S&DR a short distance to the north of Parkgate Junction. The first North Eastern Railway {NER] Rule Book gave very explicit instructions for the working of this crossing, including the statement that the coal and mineral trains are invariably to give way to the passing passenger trains. Every driver had to sound his whistle at least half a mile before reaching the crossing, and continue to do so until he has got the attention of the signalman. Speed over the crossing had to be limited to 10m.p.h. Anyone disregarding the rules had to be reported and the signalman to be liable to a fine of Five Shillings in every case in which he shall omit to report any engine driver or other person not complying with these rules.

On 27 December 1830, the new Middlesbrough branch was opened by a train from Darlington hauled by Globe. A notable feature of the opening ceremony was the exhibition of a single block of coal, weighing over two tons, which had been brought down the line from the Black Boy Colliery. Several coal wagons were added to the train at Stockton and at Middlesbrough the new coal staiths were demonstrated in action. Full operation commenced on 1 January 1831. The main feature of the new line was a suspension bridge over the River Tees. Its elegant design by Captain Samuel Brown, R.N., had been chosen on account of its cheapness from a number submitted by various engineers including Timothy Hackworth. The bridge had a single span over river of 281 feet, yet it weighed a mere 111 tons.

The foundation stone was laid on 18 July 1829 and when the bridge was finished it was severely tested to demonstrate its strength (nominally a 150-ton load). The tests included placing a concentrated load of 18 tons on the centre, casing a depression of 9.3 inches, and later various numbers of wagons were run across. The final test used a loaded train of 66 tons 12 cwt, which caused a disturbance in the stone piers, as a result of which the bridge was permanently weakened. The bridge consequently became a liability and before an iron girder bridge replaced it in 1844, it had been deemed prudent to separate trains and haul loaded wagons across one at a time.

A portion of the Clarence was opened in July 1833 and Tomlinson records coals for landsale passed from Sim Pasture to Stockton in August 1833, severely affecting the amount sold by the rival S&DR. The first coals were shipped at Stockton and later, from 30 January 1834, at Haverton Hill; in the same year, the line was extended to Port Clarence and shipment commenced using a single loading point.

Just before World War I it was decided to electrify part of the Clarence railway in order to move West Durham coal to the marshalling yards at Newport (near Middlesbrough) faster and more economically. The electrification started in the Shildon Yards and used the S&DR to Simpasture Junction, where it followed the Clarence Railway to Carlton. From Carlton the wires followed the West to South curve to join the Wellfield to Bowesfield line of 1877; beyond Bowesfield the route lay along the 1830 S&DR Middlesbrough extension. Electrification was completed on 1 July 1915. Because of the war there was much less traffic than had been expected, due to restrictions on exporting coal. By 1934, extensive renewals of the overhead equipment were becoming due and it was decided to abandon the electric working and revert to steam. On 7 January 1935 the extensive yards at Shildon were closed and on 9 July 1935 the engine shed followed suit. The ten electric locomotives were transferred to Darlington for storage and, except in one case, never ran again. The locomotives were finally broken up in 1950.

The directors of the S&DR were eager to develop their railway as part of a north south railway for County Durham. On 19 April 1842 the railway was opened through Shildon Tunnel to South Church, passing through the east–west ridge that rises to the 500ft contour to the north of the town. The S&DR crossed this ridge by means of the Brusselton Inclines and a further pair of inclines carried the Black Boy Branch over the same ridge to reach collieries on the north side to the east of Bishop Auckland. Although this branch had been authorised in the 1821 act, construction was delayed until the success of the S&DR was assured. The branch was opened in 1827, with horses working it initially until the winding engine on the crest of the ridge was completed. It is estimated that the transport of coal to Shildon by rail instead of horse and cart resulted in a saving of 6.5d (3p) per ton. In addition to the Black Boy Colliery, the branch also served the Adelaide, Eldon and Deanery pits. By 1842 the annual tonnages were-

The S&DR directors arranged for a horse drawn bus service to connect with the southern railhead of the Durham Junction Railway at Rainton Meadows, some 5 miles from the centre of Durham. They even employed a man at Darlington Station, to meet passengers and try to persuade them to make use of this service for their journey northwards. By November 1843, the line had been extended from South Church all the way to Crook, serving Bishop Auckland on the way. It also provided a new means of access to the Phoenix Park Pit area of Etherley, obviating the need for the original inclines and thus allowing the coal to be taken by locomotives via Bishop Auckland.

Though the Brusselton Inclines had been effectively by-passed in 1843, they still provided the only connection at West Auckland with the Haggerleazes Branch, which ran westwards up the valley of the River Gaunless to Cockfield. This branch, just over 4 miles long, was authorised in an Act of 1824 but the early financial difficulties of the S&DR prevented it being opened until October 1830. This line served a number of collieries en route and the only way out was via the Brusselton Inclines. A passenger service was provided over these inclines from 1 December 1833 to 13 October 1858. This service was diverted onto the Tunnel Branch, which had opened for goods traffic two years earlier. This branch ran from the north end of Shildon Tunnel to West Auckland, where it joined the 1825 route. Opening of this line obviated the need for the Brusselton Inclines and they too fell into disuse. For five years the trains from St Helens to Bishop Auckland had to reverse at the north end of Shildon Tunnel. Through running of passenger trains was finally achieved on 1 August 1863 (the line having been opened to goods since 1 February 1863) via the curve from Bishop Auckland to Fieldon Bridge Junction in conjunction with the opening of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway.

The second important main line to the North East was the Leeds & Thirsk – later the Leeds Northern Railway [LNR] – for which the prospectus was issued in May 1844. A further act in 1846 authorised the company to extend its line northwards and to make junctions with the Stockton & Hartlepool Railway at Billingham, the S&DR at Eaglescliffe and the Clarence Railway at Stockton. The LNR service from Leeds to Stockton started on 2 June 1852. The S&DR line was moved between 1852 and 1853, to run alongside the LNR from Eaglescliffe to Stockton. It had been agreed that the LNR should lay an extra two tracks alongside its own for the use of the S&DR for 1,000 years at 1s per annum rental. The S&DR commenced running over the new line on 25 January 1853 and from this date Eaglescliffe became an important interchange point.

At the south end of Eaglescliffe station the two routes crossed on the level as the LNR assumed its position on the northern side of the S&DR. When the Stockton Extension of the LNR was first mooted it was suggested that it should pass below the S&DR in a cutting 18 to 20 feet deep, but John Dixon of the S&DR pointed out that as the object railways is, or ought to be, to afford all possible facilities for the ready transfer of traffic from one district to another the crossing of the two lines at different levels would be unwise. When the crossing was completed regulations similar to those at the level crossing at Darlington were issued, with passenger trains taking precedence over goods and minerals and a speed limit of 10m.p.h.

In 1854, the North Eastern Railway was formed from an amalgamation of the York and North Midland Railway, York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway (which had absorbed the GNE and NDJ), the Leeds Northern Railway and the Malton and Driffield Railway. The S&DR continued as an independent company until the 1 January 1861, when the two companies began working together. Formal amalgamation took place in July 1863.

The NER was authorised under an act of 1883 to construct a new line from bank Top Station to pass through Dinsdale to rejoin the original route of the S&DR at Oak Tree Junction. This line was opened on 1 July 1887, with the original route of the S&DR via Fighting Cocks being retained for freight services.

The terminus of the S&DR was at Witton Park Colliery. From the colliery the line crossed on a low embankment to reach the Phoenix Pit and then passed underneath Etherley Road, to each the end of the northern section of the Etherley Incline.

The north side of the Etherley Incline rose 176 feet in 1100 yards, whilst the south side rose 312 feet in 2185 yards. Robert Stephenson and Company supplied two 15h.p. engines for this bank in 1825, at a cost of £1,982 15s 0d. A single 20’ by 8’ diameter boiler was used to supply the two engines. The engines with 22" cylinders drove a single drum to work the north slope, the southern slope being initially worked as self-acting incline. Later a double acting drum (diameters of 5’ 0" and 10’ 4") was installed, as at Brusselton. Here the disparity of the slope meant that only the simultaneous working of empty wagons up the southern slope and down the northern slope required effort from the engine, whilst loaded traffic was worked by gravity. Eight loaded wagons descending the southern slope pulled the next eight wagons up the northern slope.

On 26 January 1831 the drum axle broke. About this time a new 40h.p. engine was commissioned. At the summit of the incline can be found the remains of the engine house and accommodation for the engine men, along with the overgrown pond used to supply water for the boiler. Beyond the southern incline, adjacent to the main road, was a junction with the Haggerleazes Branch, which opened in 1830 to Cockfield

West Auckland - In 1911, the station served a population of 6,346 and 51,061 tickets were issued. Two years later 6,316 tons of bricks, 953 tons of manure and 3,599 gallons of creosote, tar and pitch were handled. The station was renamed (from St. Helens) on 1 March 1878. It was closed to goods traffic on 15 September 1958 and to passenger traffic on 18 June 1962.

The RCH indicates that West Auckland could handle Passenger and Ordinary Goods traffic. It was also equipped with a 2-ton crane. The following sidings are listed-

The Gaunless Bridge was planned as a three span bridge. However, floods on 10 October 1824 resulted in the bridge being constructed with four spans, each of 12’ 6" span. The bridge was built of wrought iron in two segmental arches, one curving upwards, the other downwards, with the ends uniting in a cast iron boss. Vertical tie rods cast around both members extended upwards to form the support for the railway beams. The bridge rested on three piers, each consisting of two cast iron columns, braced together for additional strength. The original ironwork was carefully removed in 1901 and is now on display at the National Railway Museum, York. The removal was to allow the bridge to be rebuilt for the reopening of a section of the original 1825 route from West Auckland to serve Brusselton Colliery.

Beyond the bridge can be seen the embankment of the bridge which served St Helens Colliery. Hummerbeck Bridge stands to the west of where the S&DR crossed Burnshouse Lane. This bridge was built to the S&DR’s simple specification that it should be as wide and as high to take a cart fully loaded of hay.

Brusselton Incline - the west incline was 1,960 yards long with a rise of 150 feet, whilst the east side was 880 yards long with a rise of 90 feet. The original engine of 1825 was built by Robert Stephenson and Company at a cost of £3,482 15s 0d. It had two 20’ by 8’ diameter boilers, feeding two 30h.p. engines with 30" by 90.5" cylinders. Originally they drove a single drum mounted on a vertical axis, but in 1826, a horizontally mounted double acting drum was installed. The drum consisted of two sections whose diameters were in the same 2:1 ratio as the lengths of the two slopes. A lever-operated brake was also fitted.

In 1831 the traffic over the bank was increased by the installation of a larger engine of 80h.p built by R. & W. Hawthorn, working a 10 ft diameter drum. The maximum capacity was attained on 6 September 1839, with the haulage of 67 runs of 12 wagons per run, giving a total of 904 wagons in a day, loaded with 2,120 tons of coal. As with most stationary engines a breakdown meant closure of the whole line; this happened when the drum collapsed on 3 April 1837. The Hawthorn engine continued in use until the inclines were by passed by the Tunnel Branch, and it was advertised for sale in 1859.

At Brusselton Summit there used to be two rows of cottages, North Terrace and South Terrace. The former consisted of 31 cottages but has been demolished, whilst most of the latter still survives. The most easterly of these cottages has been adapted as a dwelling house. It was originally the engine-house. It is notable for the unusual patterns in the stonework that resulted in the need to meet the thrusts of the winding engine and pull of the ropes. Behind the house is the pond, which supplied water for the boiler of the winding engine.

Before the incline was lifted, when wagons were being scrapped at Shildon Works, the occasional one would be pushed up the incline to the cottages. It then formed a source of firewood until only the wheels and other ironwork remained, these would be returned to the works for scrap.

The next major landmark is the Mason’s Arms Crossing where Locomotion was coupled onto the inaugural train to Stockton. Beyond the crossing is the former Shildon Wagon Works.

The S&DR started to develop this area in 1825, with the construction of their own locomotive works. When William Bouch succeeded Hackworth in 1840, the operations were split off as a separate concern – The Shildon Works Company, which continued until Bouch’s death in 1876. The construction of an engine shed was proposed in 1848 and the resultant facilities were considerably rebuilt and extended over the years. One of the roundhouses was to exist specially fitted out from 1915 for the North Eastern Railway (NER) Electric Locomotives used to haul the coal trains from Shildon to the marshalling yards at Newport. Since the closure of the works, the buildings have been converted into industrial units and a go-kart circuit.

The main line passes the remains of Timothy Hackworth’s Soho Works. Hackworth was appointed Resident Engineer of the S&DR in June 1825. The choice of site for his headquarters was New, or Low Shildon, which at that time consisted of four houses under construction. The site was a logical one, marking the changeover from locomotive to incline working. Hackworth was in any case also responsible for the fixed engines on the inclines. He reconstructed a locomotive built by Robert Wilson as the six-coupled Royal George. This locomotive entered service in November 1827 and was responsible for a 10% increase in the amount of traffic, which was locomotive hauled during the following year. The Royal George is depicted on the badge for Shildon. Nearby are the Soho Cottages where Hackworth lived between 1833 and 1850, which have been converted into the Timothy Hackworth Railway Museum.

Shildon is the furthest point that the railway reaches on the original 1825 route. Trains to Bishop Auckland continue along the 1842 line through Shildon Tunnel to reach the current terminus. In 1911, the station served a population of 14,916 and 136,879 tickets were issued. Two years later 15,777 gallons of creosote, tar and pitch, 5,911 tons of scrap, 4,558 tons of manure, 3,664 gallons of oil and 48 wagonloads of livestock were handled.

The RCH indicates that Shildon could handle Passenger, Goods, Furniture and Livestock traffic. It was also equipped with a 5-ton crane. The following sidings are listed-

From the station, the route of the 1825 S&DR line had junctions with the original branch to Black Boy Colliery and also with the private Surtees Railway. This line served Haggs Lane, Coppy Crooks and the West Durham Wallsend Collieries, connecting with the S&DR at Shildon. Perhaps the most important artefact on its course is Daniel Adamson’s Coach House, adjacent to the Surtees Arms on Main Street, Shildon. Daniel Adamson operated his coach from the coach-house to the Soho Works and also over the S&DR, since they permitted private contractors to use the railway on payment of the appropriate tolls.

Shildon station marks the start of the double track section to Heighington, passing the site of the former Shildon Yards and following the course of the original 1825 route. The track was realigned to its current position in 1869, when the yards were opened. The yards are crossed by an interesting footbridge, starting at the north end there is a long cast iron span with hogged back girders, which carry the inscription Harris + MDCCCLV11 + Maker. Then comes a small brick arch followed by a span over the running lines, and a further four spans with lattice girder sides over the former tracks in the South Yard, used for holding wagons awaiting repair in the Shildon Wagon Works in the later years,

By milepost 7 a branch veered off to serve a nearby quarry. A short distance further on was probably the site of the original exchange platform between the S&DR and Clarence Railway. This early exchange was subject to continual problems with the Clarence, as the S&DR attempted to capture as much of the coal traffic.

Simpasture Junction marks the divergence of the two routes, now is marked by Newton Aycliffe Station, opened in the late 1970s to improve the rail access to the New Town. There was a passenger service along the Clarence Railway until 1842, however a wartime service operated along part of the branch bringing munitions workers to the nearby munitions factory. This service started in 1941 from the Bishop Auckland district to a station called Simpasture. After closure as a munitions factory, the site was adapted to become the Newton Aycliffe Trading Estate. Some rail connections were maintained, though shunting had been handed over to British Railways from circa 1963.

Heighington Station was originally named Aycliffe Lane and was renamed from Aycliffe and Heighington on 1 September 1874. In 1911, the station served a population of 1,137 and 12,163 tickets were issued. Two years later 436 tons of hay/clover and 29 wagonloads of livestock were handled. The RCH indicates that Passenger and Ordinary Goods traffic could be handled. The station was provided with a 2-ton crane. A private siding – Whiley Hill Siding - is also listed. Heighington closed to goods traffic on 2 March 1970.

The adjacent level crossing is where Locomotion was first put onto the S&DR rails. The original single storey office building (G2) and short low platform survive as the Locomotion Public House. The current platforms were extended to serve the adjacent Ordnance Factory, now the Aycliffe Industrial Estate. When the original factory was built, the London and North Eastern Railway was asked for facilities for 30,000 workers a day, hence the need to extend the facilities at Heighington as well as providing two temporary stations on the Clarence Railway at Demon’s Bridge (6 platforms) and Simpasture (4 platforms). In the last year the long shelters, so long a feature of the station, have been demolished along with the murals, which were put up as part of the 1975 celebrations.

Beyond Heighington, the track reverts to a single track, passing Whiley Hill Crossing, where there still stands an S&DR Crossing Keepers Cottage. Approaching Darlington, the route passes the site of the works of the Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mils Limited, on both sides of the S&DR line. The works started production in 1868 and had running powers between the two sections, over the S&DR. At Charity Junction, the single track Stooperdale Curve branched off to form a triangular junction with the Darlington to Barnard Castle Line. This route joined the main line of the S&DR at Hopetown Junction, where the former Darlington Branch diverged to serve the coal drops alongside North Road Station. The S&DRs original carriage sheds once stood in this former triangle of railway lines.

On the north side of the S&DR stood the North Road Locomotive works, which saw the birth and death of many NER locomotives. The works were demolished in 1973. Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth, for the Ministry of Munitions built part of the works in the summer of 1915. The new works being for the production of projectiles for guns. The plant was operated by the NER on behalf of Armstrong Whitworth until 1 July 1916 when it passed to the direct control of the Ministry of Munitions, though still managed by the NER. It was closed in 1919 and the site re-incorporated into the main works.

The Whessoe Foundry was on the south side of the line, begun by William Lister. The works passed into the control of the Kitching brothers in the 1850’s. In 1860 Kitchings sold their nearby locomotive works to the S&DR and handed over control of the former Lister Works to a cousin Charles I’Anson. One of the products of the Kitching Locomotive Works was the S&DR Locomotive, Derwent, now preserved in the nearby Railway Museum. The works were served by sidings off the main line from Hopetown Junction to Barnard Castle.

The original North Road station was on the East Side of the former Great North Road. This road originally crossed the S&DR by means of a level crossing, replaced by the present bridge in 1857. The current station was built in 1842, incorporating a carriage shed separated by means of a stone wall. In October 1868, the station was renamed from Darlington (North Road). The station was altered again in 1893 by joining two bays to give an additional running line underneath the two span, wooden framed roof. In 1911, 82,045 tickets were issued, goods facilities being provided at Darlington (Hopetown) Goods Depot. The RCH indicates that North Road could only handle passenger traffic. Hopetown could handle ordinary goods, furniture and live stock traffic. It was provided with a 10-ton crane. The station buildings at North Road are now occupied by the Darlington Railway Museum, which opened on 27 September 1975.

Also standing are numerous other railway buildings, including the original goods sheds, now used by the local preservation society and former carriage sheds. Here the A1 Steam Trust are constructing a new A1 class pacific. Apart from the works on the north side of the station, there was also a scrapyard operated by S. Hanratty, which had its own internal diesel locomotive.

Beyond North Road, the track continues over the Skerne Bridge, designed by Ignatius Bonomi and made famous in John Dobbin’s painting of the opening of the S&DR, before reaching the site of Albert Hill Junction. The current lines curve away from the original S&DR main line, to follow the course of the Croft Branch to gain what is now the East Coast Main Line at Parkgate Junction.

On the south side of the lines at Albert Hill, was the Albert Hill Foundry of Summerson’s Foundries Limited, served by sidings a ½mile east of North Road Station. In 19060, shunting was taken over by a crane and the works passed to Lloyd’s of Darlington circa November 1967. Closer to the ECML are the works of Henry Williams, which stated operation in 1883 and still in use as a railway-engineering base today, albeit after several changes of ownership. Rail traffic to these works ceased about 1965.

On the north side of the lines are the remains of the works of the Darlington Forge, which were served by sidings from the S&DR lines. The works closed in February 1967 and have been reused in part by a local haulage company. The early history of the works is confused with that of the South Durham Iron Company and the Darlington Steel and Iron Company, both of whose works adjoined the forge works, and which were subsequently taken over after their owners had gone into liquidation. The Forge Works appears to have started production in 1854.

The Albert Hill works of the Darlington Steel and Iron Company began production in 1858 – 1859. The works were later joined by the Springfield Works on the south side of the S&DR. The two sites being joined by a rail link over the NER line, over which the company’s locomotives ran. The firm only produced rails, and went into liquidation in 1897. The Albert Hill site was taken over by the Darlington Forge and the Springfield Site by Robert Stephenson and Company. The South Durham’s Albert Hill Works was begun in 1855 and was closed in 1883. Three years later it was taken over by the Darlington Forge and merged into their main works.

The S&DR main line originally carried straight on, crossing what is now the ECML on the level at S&D Crossing. An L&NER cast sign still marks the route of the S&DR at this point, having being re-erected as part of the 1975 Celebrations. The single storey shed building was the original GNE locomotive shed, which has recently been sold to a new owner after several years of disuse.

The first section of the old direct line to close, on 21 May 1967, was from Albert Hill to Lingfield Lane Crossing. The remaining section from Oak Tree Junction remained to serve the nearby Patons and Baldwins Factory. Rail traffic to the mill cased in 1973. The line was further cut back to Fighting Cocks to serve a works where railway coaches were cut up. When this closed the line was further cut back to serve the Continuous Welded Rail [CWR] depot at Dinsdale. The trackbed is now a walkway from Darlington to Fighting Cocks, though few artefacts remain apart from some stone sleeper blocks.

Fighting Cocks is another of the inns, which used to do double duty as a booking office when the railway opened. Because the horse leaders tended to avail themselves of the local brews, the S&DR replaced these "inns" with proper stations, and the S&DR station remained in use for passenger services until trains were diverted via Dinsdale in 1887. The RCH indicates that ordinary goods and livestock traffic could be handled. The station was furnished with a 1-ton crane.

The following private sidings are listed by the RCH for Fighting Cocks-

The station closed to goods traffic on 9 March 1964.

Just before the bridge over the road out of Middleton One Row, was the site of the Dinsdale Ironworks of the Linthorpe-Dinsdale Smelting Company, which covered a considerable area. The works were opened by the Middleton Iron Company in 1865 and passed through various hands before closing in 1882. Locomotives may have been used during this period but scanty records survive. The works were reopened circa 1892. The Smelting Company went into voluntary liquidation in August 1946 and the works were sold in 1947. Slag was taken out over a line, which crossed over the 1887 line to a crushing plant between the line and the River Tees. After closure Durham County Council worked the slagheaps, whilst British Railways used the site for the Dinsdale CWR depot, which converted 60ft sections of rail, into 600ft lengths before laying into the main lines. The depot has closed and the site is now used for private housing.

At Oak Tree Junction, the 1887 diversion rejoins the original line of the S&DR, passes further S&DR cottages at Low Goosepool [NZ 370138]. This was the site of another of the original inn and in addition the S&DR provided a depot for local coal and limestone deliveries. The Tees Valley Water Board built a standard gauge branch from Low Goosepool to the Long Newton Reservoirs [NZ 362166], to assist with the construction of the reservoirs in 1900s. Nearby is the sparsely served Teesside Airport Station, built to provide an easy interchange for the airport and currently served by one train in each direction on a Saturday Only.

Urlay Nook was another former inn site. The signalbox still controls the adjacent level crossing and acts as a fringe box to the modern IECC signalling on the ECML, controlled by the new power signalling centre for Tyneside. The nearby chemical works was begun in 1833 and was served by sidings on the north side of the S&DR, the works being shunted by horses until the arrival of the first locomotives.

Allens West marks the site of the original Yarm Station. It served as a private halt for the nearby Admiralty Spare Parts Depot, until it was opened to all passengers on 4 October 1971 (the same day as Teeside Airport). The S&DR Yarm Branch ran alongside the western side of the minor road from the station to Yarm, ending at the back of the former Mercury Garage [NZ 418134].

The stores depot was built on a site operated by Morris Motors and used during World War II as a metal produce recovery plant on behalf of the Air Ministry. The site was served by sidings on the north side of the line, to the west of Allens West Station. The site was then taken over by the Ministry of Defence (Naval Division) until closure in the 1990s.Beyond Allens West station was the former concrete sleeper depot, which has also been converted into private housing.

Eaglescliffe Station opened on 8 June 1852 and the S&DR diverted their trains into the station on 25 January 1853. The station was renamed from Eaglescliffe to Preston Junction in December 1853, and back to Eaglescliffe on 1 February 1878. In 1911, the station served a population of 1,702 and 75,358 tickets were issued. Two years later, 32,624 tons of roadstone, 13,865 tons of sulphuric acid, 12,115 tons of iron ore and 2,328 tons of gannister were handled. The RCH indicates the station could handle passenger and ordinary goods traffic only. The following private sidings are listed-

Traces can still be found of the original S&DR route through the grounds of Preston Hall on the East Side of the A135. Authorisation to extend the station was given on 5 January 1893 at a cost of £13,553, the station being rebuilt in 1896, to provide two separate island platforms and was reduced to its current single platform with prefabricated (and closed) buildings in 1969. The lengthy platform seems to swallow up the single car class 153s and Pacers that form most of the stopping services at this station. Only when trains are diverted away from the ECML, do trains that befit its former grandeur use the station. The nearby village is called Egglescliffe, but the railway thought that Eaglescliffe was a better sounding name for their station.

There were four tracks from Eaglescliffe North Junction, two forming the lines to Bowesfield Junction and Thornaby and the other the direct lines to Stockton, until the 1990s. A new junction was made at the divergence of the lines (Stockton Cut New Junction) and the four tracks reduced to a pair of tracks. At Bowesfield Junction the S&DR is joined by the Castle Eden Branch of 1877 (now disused) and the curve from Stockton Station. The signal box still has the extension built on one end, to house the electrical equipment in association with the NER’s 1915 electrification between Shildon and Newport.

The original route of the S&DR veered away from the 1830 Middlesbrough branch (as used by the trains to Thornaby and Middlesbrough) to pass through what became Stockton South Goods Depot (which provided the town’s main goods facility) to reach St John’s Crossing. It was here in 1822 that the first rails for the S&DR were laid. At the crossing stood a small brick built house, which would become famous as the World’s First Railway Booking Office. For many years the house housed a small museum of S&DR artefacts but it is now a hostel for homeless men and women. However the plaque recording its use as an office and the crossing and the laying of the first rail are still preserved in the walls of the building. St Johns Crossing closed in the late 1960s. The S&DR continued over the road to end in staithes and wharves on the North Side of the River Tees. However landscaping has removed most of the traces of the industrial past of the area.

Auckland Park (NZ 227285) was probably opened circa 1870 and acquired by Bolckow Vaughan a few years later. It was situated on a short link from the branch (0.75 miles) to Black Boy Colliery, from a junction 1 mile South of Bishop Auckland Station on the line to Shildon. The colliery passed to Dorman Long & Co Ltd on 1 November 1929. The colliery ceased production in 1943 but remained in use for pumping, and locomotives continued to be sent to the workshops for repairs.

The Auckland Park Coke Ovens were adjacent to the colliery and were of the beehive type. The locomotives shunting the tubs along the top. Several Bolckow Vaughan collieries used coke ovens locomotives, but although they were all 0-4-0ST’s of 3 feet gauge, most have not been positively identified. There were two such locomotives working at Auckland Park by January 1880. The ovens ceased production in April 1909.

Though the colliery closed in 1943, towards the end of the Second World War, probably in 1945, the old colliery screens and weighbridge were reopened to handle local opencast coal. A private half-mile branch served them from a junction with the Darlington to Shildon line, 1 mile south of Bishop Auckland Station. After nationalisation of the coal industry the Disposal Point became a Deep Mines Establishment operated by the No.4 Area, and its locomotives were included in the No.4 Area stock. New screens were built in the mid 1950’s, by the National Coal Board Opencast Executive (NCBOE), adjacent to the colliery. In March 1958 No. 4 Area gave up its operation to private contractors, the colliery site being partially cleared. Derek Crouch (Contractors) Limited worked the site until closure on 11 September 1959. The site was cleared in 1963.

Black Boy (NZ 223335) was opened in the late 1820’s and was situated on a branch from the Bishop Auckland to Shildon line, 1 mile south of Bishop Auckland Station. The Colliery ceased production in December 1924. It was later owned by the Black Boy Coal Company (an alternative name for Nicholas Wood and Partners) and then by Bolckow Vaughan and Company Limited.

Eldon Colliery (NZ 239280) appears to date from 1864, in its later form. It was served by a one-mile branch, which left the Bishop Auckland to Shildon line, half a mile north of Shildon Tunnel. The colliery changed ownership from the South Durham Coal Company to Pease & Partners in 1903. The colliery was closed in July 1932 and dismantled in 1933 – 1934 by Thomas W Ward Limited. The brickworks (NZ 238280) were formerly attached to Eldon Colliery but were operated by the Eldon Brickworks Limited. Rail traffic was later discontinued.

Etherley Colliery consisted of three pits, viz Jane Pit (NZ 171304), served by sidings west of the Bishop Auckland to Crook line, quarter of a mile north of Etherley Station. George Pit (NZ 185301) served by sidings north of the Bishop Auckland to Crook Line, half a mile east of Etherley Station and the John Pit whose location is uncertain. Originally a stationary engine worked the John Pit, but a locomotive is recorded here in November 1876, with two more serving the Jane and the George Pits. The John and Jane pits appear to have closed before 1900, but the George Pit, latterly known as Old Etherley Colliery (Bush pit) closed in 1917. They were operated by Henry Stobart & Co Ltd.

St Helens Colliery (NZ 196270) was sunk in 1831. A 1-mile branch originally served this colliery from the S&DR’s Brusselton line, but was later served by sidings North of the Tunnel Branch from Shildon to West Auckland, half a mile east of West Auckland Station. The colliery closed in April 1926.