BEYOND THE LAMBTON WORM

The area around the Team Valley was once riddled with waggonways, built to get coal down to the Tyne or the main line railways. One such was the Ouston Waggonway, passing through Birtley.

Accidents on these inclines were not unknown. This one was at the foot of the Blackhouse  incline on the Pelaw Main Railway near Birtley.

Birtley had a station on the ECML. A "Peak" passes the site in 1965 (Ben Brooksbank).

Durham Road, Birtley, in 1912.

A motor bus passes along Durham Road circa 1917.

The War Memorial Garden in Birtley (Creative Commons License).

The first pint of the post, in the Moulders Arms, Birtley.

The area to the south takes its name from the pub, the Barley Mow. It is closed at the time of writing.

The Go Ahead Group operates most of the buses in the Barley Mow area.

On the Tyne & Wear/County Durham border was the Wheatsheaf. It's still open, but is mainly an Italian restaurant.

A Go Ahead 'decker passes by.

Further down the road, the Lambton Worm. Back in 2013, it was owned by Sonnet 43 Brewery.

This is Pelton Fell near Chester-le-Street around 1913.

Onwards then, to Chester-le-Street and here are two views of Front Street circa 1930.

The town is dominated by the railway viaduct, built by the NER and carrying the ECML.

Chester-le-Street station is still open. Here it is in NER times.

Northern General's Chester-le-Street depot housed the unique "Tynesider" and more conventional vehicles.

Northern's Routemasters once plied the main road (Les Flint).

The Go Ahead Group operate more modern buses these days.

United also served the town in 1995.

Shaws was a short-lived offshoot of the Go Ahead Group.

General was the local independent.

Other operators once included Gardiners and Classic Buses.

We'll finish off this post with a few beers. First, there's the Wetherspoons, the Wicket Gate.

The Cricket Club's bar has a selection of real ales.

We conclude in the excellent Butchers Arms, seen as a Cameron's house, but now in the hands of Marstons.

We travel back into Tyne & Wear in the next post.

THERE MUST BE AN ANGEL

Westoe is just a suburb below South Shields town centre. Here is Dean Road, when trams still ran.

 

Westoe Colliery was at the hub of the NCB electrified rail system we saw in the last post. This air view was taken in 1954 (Creative Commons License).

The Coal Board and the colliery owners before them ran a rail service from Westoe Lane to Whitburn. Here's  the last daylight train to Whitburn at 1PM on 22-11-1953 (Photo in my collection, photographer unknown).

The depot of South Shields Corporation Transport was in the suburb of Chichester and housed the trolleybus fleet (Les Flint).

Tyne & Wear utilised Chichester depot for its motorbuses.

Hylton Castle Coaches/Catch-a-Bus ran through the streets of Chichester.

Next stop, Marsden Cottage Halt on the South Shields, Marsden & Whitburn Railway.

Marsden village and colliery seen from the air.

Despite the nearby industry, Marsden Grotto was a tourist attraction and the beach was reached by this contraption.

Approaching Whitburn we pass the cliffs near Souter Lighthouse.

East Street in Whitburn  (Creative Commons License).

A good place for our first pint is the Jolly Sailor.

The Wilson share of Economic, running the South Shields to Sunderland route, had a depot in Whitburn.

In 1986 the Economic name lived on, as seen by this PTE Atlantean passing through Whitburn.

Inland now, to Cleadon, where this Busways Leyland Lynx was photographed in 1989.

An intermediate stop on the Newcastle to Sunderland railway line was at East Boldon, where this ex NER signal box was in charge.

The old and new types of DMU at East Boldon in 1989. Electric units of the Metro system call here today.

Nearby Boldon Colliery also once had a station (Ben Brooksbank).

The area known as Concord, part of Washington New Town, seems to be where it all happens. There's a Wetherspoons called the Sir William de Wessyngton.

The Go Ahead Group serves Concord. The 3-Axle Scania (lower picture) is a demonstrator on loan).

Northern General had a depot in Washington, where the famous Wearsider was kept. 

More vehicles at Washington depot.

LNER 7634 calls at the long-closed Washington station.

To the north, the NCB used loco No 24 HL2545 at Springwell Colliery.

Another deserved pint now, in the Ship at Eighton Banks.

Down in the Team Valley below is Low Fell, where Durham Road was once served by Gateshead trams.

The NER once had a station at Low Fell, on the ECML.

Overlooking it all, the Angel of The North (Creative Commons License).

Next time, we'll be in County Durham again. Here's a link to the route so far.