View source for Tees Valley Railway

{{Short description|Former branch line in Northern England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Distinguish| text = [[Tees Valley line]], the railway line between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox rail line
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{{Tees Valley Railway}}
The '''Tees Valley Railway''' was an {{convert|8+3/4|mi|adj=on}} branch railway line that ran between [[Barnard Castle railway station|Barnard Castle]] on the [[South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway]] line between [[Bishop Auckland railway station|Bishop Auckland]] and [[Kirkby Stephen East railway station|Kirkby Stephen East]], and [[Middleton-in-Teesdale railway station|Middleton-in-Teesdale]] via three intermediate stations [[Cotherstone railway station|Cotherstone]], [[Romaldkirk railway station|Romaldkirk]] and [[Mickleton railway station|Mickleton]].<ref name=":DS:">{{cite web|title=Disused Stations: Mickleton Station|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/mickleton/index.shtml|website=www.disused-stations.org.uk|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>

==History==
The first sod was cut on 19 June 1865 by the Duke of Cleveland, who owned a large portion of land that the railway would cross. Whilst building the line in August 1867, the foreman of works, in a hurry to build a viaduct at Baldersdale, removed the wooden frame from underneath the viaduct being built at Mickleton before the keystone was in place. Four men were injured due to falling bricks, but there were no fatalities.{{sfn|Lloyd|2018|p=58}} Both viaducts survive, but only the [[grade II listed]] Mickleton Viaduct is used as part of the Tees Valley Walk; Baldersdale viaduct is in private hands.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Lune (Mickleton) viaduct)|num=1121839|grade=II|accessdate=18 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tees Railway Path|url=https://www.durham.gov.uk/media/4422/Railway-Path-Tees/pdf/RailwayPathTees.pdf|website=durham.gov.uk|access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref>
===Opening===
Built as the southern section of a proposed a line from Barnard Castle to {{rws|Alston}} that was never completed the section to [[Middleton-in-Teesdale railway station|Middleton-in-Teesdale]] was built by the Tees Valley Railway opening on 13 May 1868, with intermediate stations at Mickleton and Cotherstone. Romaldkirk opened later in the July of the same year.

===Traffic===
The line was primarily used to transport stone from first the Middleton Quarry and later the Park End and Crossthwaite Quarries. Although Middleton Quarry closed in the 1930s the other two quarries outlasted the line.{{sfn|Lloyd|2018|p=59}} Stone was also forwarded from Greengates quarry and much of the stone from Lunedale quarry was railed out on a {{convert|2|ft|6|in|adj=on}} tramway to exchange sidings between Mickleton and Middleton. Work started on a reservoir at [[Grassholme Reservoir|Grassholme]] in 1914 and this provided extra traffic with the addition of transfer sidings for the construction site.<ref name=":NB:">{{cite book|last1=Burgess|first1=Neil|title=The lost railways of Yorkshire's North Riding|date=2011|publisher=Stenlake|location=Catrine|isbn=9781840335552|page=7}}</ref> The original intention of the line was to rail out lead from the adjacent hills, but by the time that the line had opened, the lead industry boom had mostly gone into reverse. However, in 1911, the station at Middleton railed out {{convert|1,985|tonne}} of [[barytes]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hoole|first1=K.|title=Railway stations of the North East|date=1985|publisher=David & Charles|location=Newton Abbot|isbn=0-7153-8527-5|page=177}}</ref>

A shed was provided at Middleton to service the steam trains up and down the line. Most trains worked beyond Barnard Castle and into {{rws|Darlington}} with at least five out and back workings daily in 1922 which had risen to six each way by the 1946 timetable.<ref name=":NB:" />

===Closure===
The line closed for passenger traffic on 30 November 1964 and the line closed to freight on 5 April 1965.<ref name=":DS:" />

==The site today==
Much of the line now forms the Tees Valley Railway Walk, with parking provided at the former site of Mickleton station.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Tees+Valley+Railway+Path|title = Long Distance Walkers Association}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Rediscovering the Tees Valley Railway|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPloK-TA9ro|language=en|access-date=2021-12-13}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
===Sources===
*{{cite news|last=Lloyd|first=Chris|title=Big day when rail came to dale|newspaper=Darlington & Stockton Times|date=18 May 2018|publisher=Newsquest Media Group|location=Darlington|issue=20–2018|issn=2516-5348}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Tees Valley Railway}}
*[http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/mickleton/index.shtml Mickleton station and line history]
*[http://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Tees+Valley+Railway+Path Details of the Tees Valley Railway Walk]

[[Category:North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in North East England]]
[[Category:Rail transport in County Durham]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1868]]