Tanfield Railway
The Tanfield Railway is a 3-mile standard-gauge heritage railway in County Durham, running from Sunniside to East Tanfield via Andrews House and Causey Arch. The line claims to be the oldest railway in the world: it occupies part of the original Tanfield Waggonway, opened in 1725 as a wooden-railed colliery waggonway and continuously in use as a railway ever since, predating the Stockton & Darlington Railway (1825) by a full century.
The line includes the world-famous Causey Arch (1726), the oldest surviving railway bridge in the world, a remarkable single-span stone arch built by Ralph Wood for the Waggonway. The Causey Arch is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and lies adjacent to the operating line. The Tanfield Railway specialises in industrial preservation, with one of the largest collections of preserved industrial steam locomotives in Britain.
History
The Tanfield Waggonway was constructed in 1725 by a consortium of Tyneside coal owners (the "Grand Allies") to carry coal from the Tanfield district to the River Tyne. The Causey Arch was built in 1726 and at the time was the longest single-span bridge in Britain. The line operated as a wooden-railed waggonway for decades, was rebuilt in iron, and was eventually absorbed into the NER system. Final closure came in 1964. The Tanfield Railway preservation society was formed in 1971 and the first preserved trains ran in 1977.
Original line history
The original Tanfield Waggonway (1725) was one of the great Tyneside colliery lines and a major carrier of coal in the 18th century. Its 1726 Causey Arch was a celebrated piece of civil engineering, the longest single-span bridge in Britain at the time. The Waggonway was eventually absorbed into the NER and operated as a colliery branch into the 1960s.
Stations and infrastructure
Sunniside is the northern terminus. Andrews House is the headquarters and main passenger interchange, with the Marley Hill engine shed nearby. Causey Arch station is adjacent to the historic 1726 bridge. East Tanfield is the southern terminus.
Route and stations
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Special events and operations
Events include vintage train weekends, the Legends of Industry gala (industrial steam), 1940s weekends, beer festivals, and Santa Specials. Visitors are encouraged to walk to the Causey Arch via the woodland path.
Visitor information
The line is signposted from the A6076 between Stanley and Sunniside in County Durham, easily accessible from Newcastle and Gateshead.