The Wallsend branch railway line is a closed branch railway line in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It was standard gauge and in length. The line was privately owned and built by the Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company in the early 1860s to service their collieries, and was enabled by the passage of the ''Newcastle Wallsend Coal Co. Railway Act 1860'' in the

New South Wales Parliament The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...

. Passenger services on the line were also provided by

New South Wales Government Railways The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differen ...

from

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

and terminated at Wallsend Railway Station adjoining the Nelson Street level crossing. It branched off from the Main North line at Hanbury Junction at Waratah, and ran to and beyond the town of

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...

. The line's main purpose was the transportation of coal from the Wallsend A B and C collieries and Wallsend Borehole collieries to the port of Newcastle. Upon the sinking of the Co-operative Colliery at Plattsburg (where Wallsend High School stands today) a branch from the line, with its junction at Stapleton Street, Wallsend, to that colliery was constructed. Another line also left the main Wallsend line at Moore Street,

Jesmond Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city. H ...

, in order to service the Jesmond (later Ellermore Vale) Colliery, the New Tunnel Colliery, and the coke ovens complex, on either side of Newcastle Road. The Wallsend section had ceased to function by 1939 and all rails as far as the Jesmond Junction were lifted. The Jesmond branch continued operations till the mid-1950s. The level crossing gates (c1860) at Nelson Street, Wallsend are still extant, and the

Wallsend Railway Goods Shed Wallsend Railway Goods Shed is a heritage-listed former goods shed at 76 Cowper Street, Wallsend, New South Wales, Wallsend, City of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is also known as Wallsend Locomotive Shed. The property is owned by N ...

built in 1877 at the corner of Cowper and Nelson Streets has been converted into an office building.

References

{{Railway lines in New South Wales Closed regional railway lines in New South Wales Mining railways in Australia Standard gauge railways in Australia Coal mining in New South Wales History of Newcastle, New South Wales

See also

References