Northumbrian Railways

Tyneside Electrics

• 1902 In response to the competion posed by trams on Tyneside from 1901 onwards the decision was taken to electrify the Newcastle - Coast routes, using a 600 volt DC third-rail system. The NER board signed contracts for equipment and power supply in December.
• 27/09/1903 Test running began between Percy Main and Carville on the Riverside Branch.
• 29/03/1904 Electric service begins between New Bridge Street and Benton.
• 06/06/1904 Benton to Monkseaton opens.
• 21/06/1904 Monkseaton to Tynemouth opens.
• 01/07/1904 Newcastle Central to Tynemouth via former N&NSR and Riverside Branch opens.
• 01/01/1909 New Bridge Street closed to passengers, new line to Central Station via Manors North opened. Only Benton trains diverted to Central Station, all others terminate at Manors North.
• 11/08/1918 Major fire destroys Walkergate Carrage Sheds along with 34 electric cars.
• 1917 Coast electric services previously terminating at Manors North run into Central Station.
• 1923 Gosforth Car Sheds opened to replace those at Walkergate.
• 14/03/1938 Newcastle to South Shields electric service inaugurated.
• 07/01/1963 Newcastle to South Shields electric service withdrawn and replaced by DMUs.
• 17/06/1967 Last electric train runs. All services now operated by DMUs.

A postcard commemorating the inaugural electric train service from New Bridge Street to Benton on 29/03/1904.

Built at the NER Carriage Works in York, the original 1904 electric stock were open saloons with clerestory roofs, matchboard sides and painted red and cream, later teak by LNER. Originally the entrances were gated but doors were installed at an early stage. Another modification was the drivers window which was reduced to a porthole for added driver protection. Further cars of this type were built in 1909 and 1915.

During 1920/2 35 replacement cars for those lost in the 1918 fire at Walkergate were built at York. These differed from the original batch in that they had elliptical roofs and were painted crimson red, later teak by LNER. These cars were transferred to the Newcastle - South Shields service when the 1937 stock was introduced.

In 1937 64 steel bodied articulated twin-car units built by Metro-Cammel replaced most of the existing stock. Initially painted red and cream they were repainted blue and white  in 1941/42. Under British Railways they were initially repainted  in the early EMU livery of malachite green in 1950/51, in 1960 the later BR  EMU paint sceme of olive green was applied.