Castle Eden Railway

[1][2][3] Passed under an Act of Parliament as the Stockton and Castle Eden Bridge Railway, it was built by contractor Thomas Nelson.

After the NER was grouped in 1923 as part of the London and North Eastern Railway, by the 1935 the LNER had replaced the electric locomotives with steam.

[1] Originally proposed as a secondary mainline,[1] it mainly carried freight, including: Weardale limestone; West County Durham coal; and Cleveland ironstone to support the growing industrialisation on Teesside.

[1][2][3] In 1905 the Durham Coast Line between Sunderland and Hartlepool was completed, which started the decline of the importance of the Castle Eden Branch as an express passenger mainline.

[3] The residual section reopened to the public as the Castle Eden Walkway in 1981,[1][2] while the old stationmasters house at Thorpe Thewles was opened as a Visitor Centre in 1983.