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The Tanfield Railway is a heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former horse-drawn colliery wooden waggonway, later rope & horse, lastly rope & loco railway. It operates preserved industrial steam locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service every Sunday, plus other days, as well as occasional demonstration coal, goods and mixed trains.
The line runs between a southern terminus at East Tanfield, Durham, to a northern terminus at Sunniside, Gateshead. Another station, Andrews House, is situated near the Marley Hill engine shed. A halt also serves the historic site of the Causey Arch. The railway claims it is "the world's oldest railway" because it runs on a section dating from 1725, other parts being in use since 1621.
The volunteer-staffed railway is run by three bodies: Friends of Tanfield Railway, Tanfield Railway Trust which owns the railway, the locomotives and rolling stock, and The Tanfield Railway Company which operates the railway.
The Tanfield Railway Company is split into four departments; each has a manager and director: Engineering who maintain locomotives, Operations including drivers and guards, Carriage & Waggon who preserve carriages, and Commercial which operates shops, events and the passenger side of operations.
Many older shorter coal waggonways existed to the north of the present heritage line, in the Whickham and Lobley Hill areas, but the Tanfield Waggonway was a much longer and heavily engineered route which gave the Grand Allies market dominance all year round (although supply to SE England was still subject to North Sea winters). The Tanfield route was in continuous use from 1725 until final closure in 1964.
The route and structures of the oldest section of the now preserved part of the line, between Sunniside and Causey, dates from 1725, and is thus the world's oldest railway still in operation.
The Marley Hill engine shed was built by 1854, and was in industrial use until 1970. The shed is on the Bowes Railway, whereas locos used on the Tanfield branch were stabled at the nearby Bowes Bridge MPD (a sub-shed of Gateshead), the coaling ramp and turntable pit of which are still visible adjacent to the track between Andrews House and Sunniside. A winding engine occupied the Bowes Bridge site from 1840 to 1881, a locomotive shed from 1881 to 1962. The headshunt by Marley Hill signal box is the point where the west-east Bowes Railway crossed the south-north Tanfield branch.
When the Tanfield Railway began running trains in 1977 a curve was installed to allow Marley Hill locos and trains onto the Tanfield Branch. Marley Hill engine shed is the oldest in the world still used for its original function. As collieries on the NCB line closed in the 1960s, coal was brought by road to adjacent drops for onward rail transport, and the shed saw further use servicing other local colliery locomotives.
Originally a wooden railed horse drawn wagonway, conversion to a steel railed railway began in 1837, and by 1840 was complete as far as Tanfield Moor Colliery, using stationary steam engines, gravity inclines and horses. In 1881, while operated by the North Eastern Railway, steam locomotives replaced the stationary steam engines and horses. Although primarily a coal railway, it did carry some passengers. The railway closed when the last colliery on the line at East Tanfield ceased production in 1964.
The preserved line was first built from Marley Hill to the current northern terminus, Sunniside Station, with passenger trains beginning on 2 July 1981, and an official opening ceremony on 14 July 1982. Andrews House station just south of Marley Hill sheds was completed between 1987 and 1989 and was equipped with platforms, a water tower, a station building and a footbridge. The first train south to Causey was on 27 July 1991, with the official opening ceremony being held on 15 August 1991. The first train further south to the current end of the line at East Tanfield occurred on 18 October 1992. East Tanfield Station itself was opened in 1997. The Causey to Tanfield section is through a wood lined gorge.
Part of the reason the line was preserved was the fact Marley Hill shed remained open until 1970. The vintage machinery in the workshop is still capable of full locomotive overhauls. The oldest locomotive on the railway was built in Gateshead in 1873, and all of the railway's carriage stock dates from the 19th Century.
| Hawthorn Leslie and Company , No.2. | Built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company in 1911. Re-entered service after an overhaul in 2013. Withdrawn for overhaul December 2021. Passed boiler test February 2023 and back in service. | Operational | A few different shades of green with lining | Tanfield Railway Trust | 1911 | |
| Sir Cecil A Cochrane | Sir Cecil A Cochrane was built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in 1948 and worked a few miles from its current home. It is currently in regular use on passenger services and may occasionally be seen hauling a shortened coal train. It has recently undergone a 10-year overhaul. | Operational. | RSH works livery (lined green) | Private | 1948 | |
| Andrew Barclay No. 1015 "Horden" | This engine was built by Andrew Barclay. The locomotive has been under restoration since August 2012 and entered revenue-earning service in June 2021. The boiler returned from an external contractor in mid-May 2019. | Operational. | N/A | Private | 1904 | |
| Andrew Barclay No. 32 Stanley | Returned to service in June 2023 following a long-term overhaul. | Operational | Green | Private | 1920 | |
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns NCB No. 49 | Built by RSH in 1943. Passed its steam test on 27 March 2018 thus giving it a new 10 year boiler ticket which expires on 27 March 2028. The locomotive returned to service hauling passenger trains in July. | Operational | Green with white and black lining | Private | 1943 |
| Twizell | Twizell was built by Robert Stephenson and Company in 1891. Owned by Beamish Museum, it is currently on long-term loan to the Railway as it is too big for Beamish's line. After a 15-year overhaul, Twizzel returned to service in 2010. In late 2018 it was withdrawn from service following issues with its boiler and undergoing overhaul. | Undergoing overhaul. | Black, Lined in Red | Beamish Museum | 1891 | |
| Hudswell Clarke No. 38 | Built by Hudswell Clarke in 1949. Undergoing restoration in Marley Hill yard. | Undergoing Restoration | N/A | Rising Sun locomotive Trust | 1949 | |
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns No.38 | 38 was built by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in 1954. It is currently stored in a partially dismantled state, and is in line to receive a cosmetic overhaul. It was one of a number of identical locomotives which went to collieries in Northumberland, and its generator and electric lights are a legacy of its duties on the Ashington system, where they were necessary for night-time shunting in the yards at Ellington and Lynemouth. | Stored | Black, lined in red | Private | 1954 | |
| Hawthorn Leslie Stagshaw | Stagshaw was built by Hawthorn Leslie as an example of a Cristiani compressed steam system locomotive, however when this was unsuccessful, Stagshaw was converted to a conventional steam locomotive in 1927 and is currently stored at the Tanfield Railway. | Stored | Black | Private | 1923 | |
| Black, Hawthorn & Co , Wellington | The oldest locomotive on the railway. Moved to a contractor in Leeming Bar in September 2019 for overhaul to working order. This overhaul stopped in February 2020 and never restarted. It was moved back to Marley Hill in May 2021 and is expected to be overhauled on site instead. | Stored awaiting overhaul | Green with Lining | Private | 1873 | |
| Hawthorn Leslie "Cyclops" | This engine is now stored at the Marley Hill Site | Stored | 1907 | |||
| Hudswell Clarke , Irwell | This engine is stored in large pieces around the Marley Hill site and is a possible candidate for overhaul | Stored | Green with Lining | Private | 1937 | |
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns , No.21 | This engine is stored undercover and a possible candidate for overhaul. Formerly owned by the CEGB for shunting coal at the Stella power stations | Stored | Green with red and black lining | Private | 1954 | |
| Sentinel No.4 | This engine is stored outside on the Marley Hill site and is a possible candidate for overhaul. It is a sentinel shunter and therefore resembles a diesel shunter, yet is a steam engine. | Stored | Red | Private | 1953 | |
| W.G. Bagnall , Gamma | This engine is stored undercover in Marley Hill Engine Shed and can be seen whenever the site is open. | Stored | Originally War Department Black, later NCB Blue with Wasp Striped . | Private | 1945 | |
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Hendon | One of the four surviving crane tanks from Doxford's Shipyard in Sunderland. This engine is currently stored | Stored | Dark Blue | 1940 | ||
| Hawthorn Leslie No.13 | CEGB loco from Dunston Power Station. This engine is currently off site | Stored | 1928 | |||
| Andrew Barclay No.6 | This engine is currently stored | Stored | 1910 | |||
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns No.44 | A former stable-mate of No. 49 at Backworth Colliery. This Engine was built to a similar design as Nos. 16 and 38, but slightly smaller. It is currently stored in Marley Hill yard minus its saddletank and the top half of its cab | Stored | Blue | 1953 | ||
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns No.47 T | This engine is currently stored | Stored | 1954 | |||
| Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns No.16 | Another loco from the Backworth Colliery system. Built to the same design as No. 38, although minus the generator and electric lights. This engine is currently stored | Stored | Dark Blue | 1957 | ||
| Hawthorn Leslie No.3 | This engine is currently stored | Stored | ||||
| Hawthorn Leslie Huncoat No.3 | This fireless locomotive is currently stored | Stored | ||||
| R and W Hawthorn "Enterprise" | ||||||
The railway also has other unrestored coaching stock.
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