A waggonway running west from a junction with the Wylam Waggonway shown on a map made for the Duke of Northumberland in 1767 (NRO: ZanBellM17/197/A plan 24)

This was a late waggonway, opened by 1827 and is shown on Watson 24/10. It served Callerton Colliery, possibly utilising the staiths on the River Tyne from the disused Fawdon Waggonway. It was managed by William Hedley who developed locomotive steam engines, but who here used stationary engines.

Fawdon Colliery originally sent its coal along the Kenton and Coxlodge Waggonway to Wallsend. In 1818, a new route was designed by Benjamin Thompson, one of the partners owning Fawdon Colliery. This sent the coal south to Scotswood. The line used inclined planes and stationary engines. The re-routing was the cause of much dispute between Thompson and the owners of the Royalty.

Circa 1700-1715. Kenton Estate is bisected by the 90 Fathom Dyke. Extraction of coal from the part of the estate to the south, upcast, side of the dyke, where the coal seams were shallower had begun by the 16th century. By the early 18th century a waggonway carried coal from West Kenton and Montague Main pits down to the River Tyne at Scotswood. This waggonway was closed by 1715 when the coal workings were flooded. Kitty’s drift (HER 6959), a subterraneous waggonway, ran between East Kenton and Bell’s Close on the River Tyne at Scotswood, exploiting untouched seams to the north of the dyke.

A plan of the Brunton Estate of Sir Arthur Hazelrigg dating to 1763 shows a number of coal pits dispersed across the area as well as exploratory boreholes (Turnbull 2009, 130). A map of the early 19th century of the same area (Turnbull 2009, 131) marks the line of an ‘old waggonway’ running north-south across the estate with branches to the north to three pits. The line ran south through West Kenton joining the Kenton Waggonway on its way to the River Tyne at Scotswood.

1765-1800s. Although there were early coal workings within Denton, there is little evidence for the location of early pits or waggonways. A map of Denton from the late 1750s (Turnbull 2009, 120) shows it divided into three parts. East Denton (along with Lemington) belonged to the Right Hon. Edward Montague esq. Towards the river a ‘proposed place for an engine’ is marked which was built soon afterwards. Montague had inherited the estate in 1758 and he (and his wife following his death) developed the Montague Colliery over the later 18th century. Twenty nine pits worked the Beaumont Seam to the south of the Ninety Fathom Dyke as well as shallower seams to the north (Turnbull 2009, 121). Montague Pit and View Pit were sunk near to the river, drained by the pumping engine and Caroline Pit, sunk to 60 fathoms (drained by a second engine set up in 1765 at a depth of 64 fathoms) is shown on Gibson’s (1787) and Casson’s (1801) maps further to the north. Both maps also show a waggonway running from the Caroline Pit to staiths at Scotswood.

A line is shown on Bell (1847) running to the Mill Pit from Elswick riverside.

Coal was mined in the manor of Elswick from medieval times when it was a possession of Tynemouth Priory. There was also an active colliery in Elswick during the 17th century when at least seven pits were in use. Pits owned by Tempest and Carr near the river were served by a waggonway from 1698 (Turnbull 2009, 114). Coal workings in the manor were flooded out in the early 18th century but a steam pumping engine was purchased in 1724 by Wortley and Partners, owners of the colliery, which allowed further working until they were again drowned in 1740. John Buddle had responsibility for the colliery between 1804 and his death in 1843. Elswick waggonway ran to Wortley Pit which was sunk to the Low Main Seam in 1805. A short inclined-plane ran down to a staith on the riverside.

A landsale waggonway serving pits to the west of the Ouseburn. It is shown on a plan of the early 19th century (Watson 28/23 in Turnbull 2009, 111) with a proposal for a longer route for a waggonway to the Ouseburn for seasale. It is not known whether this latter line was constructed.

A short line shown on the First Edition 25” Ordnance Survey running north from a staith at St Lawrence’s in Byker to Picton Main Pit. The area was worked in the 18th century and the pits and the line had closed by the mid-19th century.