Welcome to

Springwell Village, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England

 

The world's only operational preserved standard gauge rope hauled railway

 

Our Springwell site is open Monday to Saturday throughout the year. Trains operate on selected Sundays and special days as advertised.
Operating days for 2008: See here for details

 


 

 

News from Bowes :

  

View pages that have recently been updated:

Restoration news - catch up on developments on the Railway, both on and off the track  

Springwell incline and the Springwell rope wheelpit - describes how the self acting Springwell incline works and looks at the impressive structure that houses the rope return wheel for the incline.

 

Education & Outreach activities. What we are up to in education and training activities and in linking up with others

  Sentinel 10229 comes to Bowes

 

  

 

View our Scrapbook
See past events, news and articles about Bowes.

 

Take the virtual tour
Visit the Railway from the comfort of your chair.

Browse the Archive and Historical Area
History, buildings, artefacts and documents can be seen here


Picture of the month

This was a photo taken during a photo charter at the railway last year

Any enquiries on a photo charter please contact the site      (0191 4161847)

 

Download the Bowes Railway leaflet

as a zipped set of 3 'jpeg' images (about 1.5MB)

About Bowes Railway

Bowes Railway was originally a colliery railway built to carry coal mainly from pits in north west Durham to the Tyne at Jarrow. The earliest section was designed by George Stephenson and opened on 17 January 1826, making it one of the world's first modern railways. It was 15 miles long when completed in 1855. Each end was locomotive worked; the six mile middle section consisting of rope worked inclines with very steep gradients. At its peak, the Railway handled over 1 million tons of coal per year and remained virtually intact until 1968. Between 1968 and 1974, most of the line was closed until only the last 3.5 miles between Monkton and Jarrow staithes were operated by the National Coal Board. However, the original 1826 section between the Black Fell bank head and Springwell bank head was acquired for preservation in 1976 by Tyne and Wear County Council. This comprises Blackham's Hill West and East inclines, which are operated by a stationary haulage engine. It is the only working preserved standard gauge rope hauled railway in the world. In 1977, the Railway's Engineering and Wagon Shops at Springwell were added to the scheme, providing the facilities needed for maintenance.

The whole railway, including the buildings, machinery and rolling stock is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is managed by the Bowes Railway Company, Ltd. (Registered Charity Number 511961) on behalf of the current owners, Sunderland City Council and Gateshead Council.

Supported by
Heritage Lottery Fund
European Regional Development Fund

Please Note

Photographs and drawings are copyright of Bowes Railway or the individual contributors shown. They may be downloaded for personal use only, but prior permission must be obtained for commercial and/or internet application.

All artwork, logos, banners, buttons, etc on this website are copyright of JWT4WEB, and must not be reproduced or used elsewhere without prior permission.

This page last updated 30 March 2008