Thorpe Thewles Station - Then & Now
(Photograph courtesy of Darlington Railway Museum)
The above photograph of Thorpe Thewles railway station was probably taken during the 1950s. The images below were taken from similar vantage points and shows the same view as it was after the lines closure plus how it looks today.
(Photograph courtesy of Wynyard Country Park)
And now as it is today. No-longer a rural station but the visitors centre and tea rooms of Wynyard Country Park (formerly the Castle Eden Walkway).
(Photograph courtesy of Mr. T.W. Allison)
Thorpe Thewles was a small
country station located on the Stockton and Castle Eden branch of the North East
Railway approximately 5 miles north of Stockton-on-Tees and slightly northeast
of the village it served. The line was opened for traffic by 1882.
The branch itself was an
important part of the railway network, taking pressure off the heavily used
routes around the Stockton area. There was never a great potential for passenger
revenue, as the communities served were quite small. Around the turn of the
nineteenth century Thorpe Thewles itself only had a population of around 300.
Nevertheless, in the 1930's, the branch was provided with 5 trains a day in each
direction between Stockton and Wellfield.
The bulk of traffic was
coal, together with materials for the regional industries especially
shipbuilding. The line connected Teesside with Sunderland and Tyneside. Hay,
livestock and clover were the usual goods cargo handled by the station, and
there were coal drops to serve the surrounding community.
(Photograph courtesy of Wynyard Country Park)
Thorpe Thewles station closed to passengers on 2nd November 1931, and closed for goods traffic on 2nd. April 1951. The line continued to be used for through traffic until 1968.
Acknowledgements for information: David Thurwell - David has made a scale model of Thorpe Thewles Railway Station as it was in the 1920s and 30s. To learn more about David's model see the appropriate entry in this site's Links section.
