Northumbrian Railways

Blyth & Tyne Railway

Evolved from a complex of colliery waggonways in the south-east of the county. As well as carrying vast quantities of coal the B&TR built up substantial passenger service. Survived as an independent company until 1874 when it amalgamated with the NER

• 01/06/1840 Seghill Railway (SR) from Seghill to Percy Main opens for coal traffic.
• 28/08/1841 SR opens for passenger traffic.
• 06/1844 Newcastle & North Shields Railway (N&NSR) operates passenger and goods traffic.
• 1845 N&NSR amalgamates with Newcastle & Berwick Railway and terminates working agreement with SR.
• 1846 SR extended from Seghill to Hartley
• 03/03/1847 SR extension from Hartley to Blyth opens. Company now called Blyth, Seghill & Percy Main Railway.
• 12/06/1850 Bedlington Coal Company's (aka The Davidson Railway) line from Newsham to Bedlington opens for coal.
• 03/08/1850 Newsham to Bedlington opens for passengers, with B&TR operating the service.
• 01/01/1853 Blyth & Tyne Railway (B&TR) formed.
• 1854 Workshops built at Percy Main.
• 1855 Newsham to Bedlington line bought by B&TR from Bedlington Coal Company.
• 01/04/1858 Bedlinton to Morpeth opens.
• 07/11/1859 Bedlington to North Seaton opens.
• 10/1860 Hartley to Tynemouth (Avenue Branch) opens.
• 27/06/1864 New Bridge Street to Tynemouth opens.
• 27/06/1864 Avenue Branch between Hartley and Whitley closed to passengers.
• 01/03/1872 North Seaton to Newbiggin opens.
• 08/1874 B&TR amalgamates with NER.

Blyth & Tyne Branch

• 06/1878 Hirst (Ashington from 01/10/1889) Station opened.
• 1879 South Blyth engine shed opens.
• 1880 B&T passenger trains use a bay platform at the Morpeth mainline station. The B&TR station used for goods.
• 03/07/1882 Line between Whitley and Tynemouth moved nearer the coast. Whitley renamed Monkseaton, new stations at Whitley Bay, Cullercoats and Tynemouth. The new station at Tynemouth is a through station allowing the B&T line to form an end-on junction with the former N&NS line, thus creating the coastal loop.
• 1896 Rebuilt Blyth station opens.
• 1897 North Blyth engine shed opens.
• 01/05/1903 Benton south-west curve opens.
• 01/07/1904 Electric trains introduced on the coast loop between Newcastle Central and New Bridge Street.
• 1904 Passenger service restored on Avenue branch.
• 1904 Benton south-east curve opened.
• 01/01/1909 New Bridge Street closed to passenger trains. Jesmond linked to main line via new station at Manors.
• 09/10/1910 New station at Whitley Bay, to the west of the old station, opened.
• 1914 Track laid to Collywell Bay from the Avenue branch. Never opened to traffic as a result of WWI.
• 25/07/1915 New station at Monkseaton, to the east of the old station, opened.
• 1917 Electric train services all start and terminate at Newcastle Central
• 1918 Fire destroys electric car shed and a considerable amount of electric stock at Walkergate.
• 1923 New electric car shed opened at South Gosforth.
• 02/03/1933 New station opened at West Monkseaton.
• 1933 Collywell Bay track lifted.
• 1937 New electric stock introduced.
• 1940 Benton north-west curve opens.
• 14/07/1947 Longbenton station opens.
• 1950 Passenger service withdrawn between Morpeth and Bedlington.
• 1959 Tynemouth closed to good's traffic.
• 1963 Blyth closed to good's traffic.
• 02/11/1964 Passenger service withdrawn north of Backworth.
• 1965 Percy Main shed closed.
• 1967 South Blyth shed closed.
• 1967 North Blyth shed closed.
• 1967 Electric trains replaced by DMUs.
• 23/08/1978 Jesmond, West Jesmond, South Gosforth, Longbenton and Benton closed for Metro construction.
• 10/09/1979 West Monkseaton, Monkseaton, Whitley Bay, Cullercoats and Tynemouth closed for Metro construction.