Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, Redheugh Branch

The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, Redheugh Branch ran from the eastern end of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway at Blaydon (HER 3292) to Redheugh Station (HER 3480).The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, which opened in 1837, was the first passenger railway to provide, at the outset, passenger facilities at intermediate stations. The Brandling Junction Railway Company built a line from Redheugh Station to Greenesfield Station (HER 4374), which was completed in 1839, a rope-hauled incline carrying coal and passengers. From here locomotives drew the wagons to Oakwellgate Station (HER 4368) along a viaduct over High Street and Oakwellgate, necessitating Oakwellgate Station to be constructed on a platform raised 20 feet above street level. Part of the Redheugh Branch route was abandoned following the completion of improved alignments and diversions built in the first decade of the 20th century. The remainder survives as a goods line. The incline, engine house and chimney are shown on Hair's view of Newcastle upon Tyne (1844). Thomas Bell's plan (no date) and the first edition OS plan show the course of the incline.