This book is a reprint of this definitive history of the Alston Branch, which was first published in 1991 and updated in 2001.
It has been unavailable for many years and recounts the history of this scenic NER branch line, which linked Alston in Cumberland with Haltwhistle in Northumberland.
The branch opened in November 1852 under the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway. After a tussle for control between bigger railway companies, the North Eastern Railway acquired it in 1862.
The line closed in 1976, which was justified by providing a new ‘all-weather road’ to Alston, which almost immediately was shown to be unfit for purpose.
Following the closure, the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society leapt into action and, although failing in their initial preservation efforts, have since opened a narrow gauge railway as far as Slaggyford, utilising the old track bed.
Chapter List:
- Origins of the Alston Branch (1800-1862)
- A North Eastern Branch Line (1862-1948)
- Along the Line: Haltwhistle to Slaggyford
- Along the Line: Alston
- The British Railways Era (1948-1976)
- The South Tynedale Railway and Other Narrow Gauge Lines
Illustrated throughout with archive black & white photographs, maps and track diagrams. 120 pages.