Point Pleasant railway station

Former railway station in Tyne and Wear on the Riverside Branch

54°59′32″N 1°30′33″W / 54.9921°N 1.5092°W / 54.9921; -1.5092Grid referenceNZ315664Platforms2Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyNorth Eastern RailwayPre-groupingNorth Eastern RailwayPost-groupingLondon and North Eastern RailwayKey dates1 October 1898Opened as an unadvertised halt1 January 1902Opened to the public11 July 1966Closed to freight23 July 1973Closed to passengers

Point Pleasant was a railway station situated on the Riverside Branch, a line connecting Byker and Willington Quay. Serving the area of Willington Quay in North Tyneside, the station provided transportation services for local residents and travelers in the region.

Point Pleasant station began its operations on October 1, 1898, initially as an unadvertised halt established by the North Eastern Railway. It was later officially opened to the public on 1 January 1902.^[1]

This area of Wallsend was a hive of activity, and included many famous shipbuilders, such as the Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company. The station was modest, with just two platforms and an iron lattice bridge of the standard North Eastern Railway design. Both platforms had a waiting room, with the booking office situated on the down platform.

History

The Newcastle and North Shields Railway received Royal Assent on 21 June 1836, and the line opened between Carliol Square and North Shields on 18 June 1839.^[2] It ran along the north bank of the River Tyne, although, due to the meandering course of the river, it ran some distance from the shoreline at the eastern end.

The branch line, designed to closely follow the shoreline of the Tyne and serve the rapidly developing industries and communities, was authorised in 1871. It was built along a route "that consisted for the most part of tunnels, bridges, cuttings, retaining-walls, and embankments".^[3]

The branch line opened on 1 May 1879.^[4] The delay in opening the line reflected the scale of the engineering works required to build the many tunnels, cuttings and retaining walls. Despite being a loop line, the line was officially known as the Riverside Branch.^[5]

In the early 1900s, tramway competition caused a rapid decline in the number of passengers using the North Eastern Railway's local services in North Tyneside. Therefore, in 1904, the branch line was electrified, using a 600 V DC third-rail system.^[6]

Demise and closure

Between 1909 and 1948, an hourly all-day service ran on the line. In the late 1940s, passenger services on the branch were reduced to peak hours only, catering primarily for commuter traffic from the shipyards along the River Tyne.

The station's goods facilities closed on 11 July 1967. During this time, the line was de-electrified in 1967, and converted to diesel multiple unit operation. By the early 1970s, traffic on the line had dwindled.^[7]

The last passenger train operated from Point Pleasant on 20 July 1973,^[1] with the branch line officially closing to passengers three days later.

References

^ ^a ^b Quick, Michael (2009). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology. Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 325. ISBN 978-0901461575.
^ Allen, Cecil J. (1974). The North Eastern Railway. London: Allan. pp. 81 and 82. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1. OCLC 1255585.
^ Tomlinson, William Weaver (1914). The North Eastern Railway: Its Rise and Development. Newton Abbot: David and Charles.
^ Allen, Cecil J. (1974). The North Eastern Railway. London: Allan. p. 115. ISBN 0-7110-0495-1. OCLC 1255585.
^ Young, Alan (1999). Suburban Railways of Tyneside. ISBN 1-871944-20-1.
^ Hoole, Kenneth (1974). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: Volume IV, The North East. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. p. 204. ISBN 0-7153-6439-1. OCLC 643508708.
^ Young, Alan (1999). Suburban Railways of Tyneside. ISBN 1-871944-20-1.