Photographs Of Newcastle: Hexham Railway Station

Hexham is a railway station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between Newcastle, Hexham and Carlisle. The station serves the town of Hexham in Northumberland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway was formed in 1829, and was opened in stages. The station opened in March 1835, following the commencement of passenger trains between Blaydon and Hexham. The line was extended from Hexham to Haydon Bridge in June 1836.

After the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway had been absorbed by the North Eastern Railway, the station became a junction, with the opening of the first section of the Border Counties Railway, between Hexham and Chollerford in April 1858. The first section of a second branch, the Hexham and Allendale Railway, was opened for goods in August 1867. Initially promoted to serve lead mines, the line opened for passengers in March 1869.

Since the closure of the Hexham and Allendale Railway to passengers in 1930 (completely in 1950), as well as the Border Counties Railway in 1956 (completely in 1958),[8] the station has diminished in size and importance. Both lines met with the Tyne Valley Line to the west of the station.

The neighbouring station at Fourstones, located to the west of Hexham, closed in January 1967. Most other stations on the line that remained open, escaping the Beeching Axe, were reduced to unstaffed halt status in the same year.

The bay platform used by both the Hexham and Allendale Railway and the Border Counties Railway was located on the southern side of the station, and faced west. It was taken out of use in the early 1970s and the track lifted, with the land now forming a part of the station car park. The track layout has also since been rationalised, with just a running loop and three sidings retained at the east of the station, along with the distinctive elevated signal box.

Dating from around 1835, Hexham is one of the oldest purpose-built railway stations in the world, and is Grade II listed. The over-line, elevated signal box, located to the east of the station, is also Grade II listed. Constructed in 1896, and once a popular design for the line, it is now almost unique, with the only other surviving signal box of this design located at Wylam.

Since the mid 2000s, the station has accommodated office space for the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership, who opened a kiosk at the station in 2011.

The floral displays at the station have won several awards from the Britain in Bloom scheme.

Description courtesy of Wikipedia.