The depot is located in a triangle of land between Longbenton, Regent Centre and South Gosforth, and can be accessed by trains from both east and west.

In 1904, the North Eastern Railway (NER) started to electrify some of its lines in what is now Tyne and Wear, using the third rail system.

[3][4] A replacement depot was required, and the NER acquired a site on the northern side of the South Gosforth triangular junction in 1921.

Owing to falling passenger numbers during the 1960s, as well as rising costs, and the need to renew life expired infrastructure and rolling stock, the network was de-electrified and converted to diesel multiple unit operation in 1967.

In 1978, passenger service on the North Tyneside Loop ceased, in order to facilitate its conversion to become part of the Tyne and Wear Metro.