Station Name: THORNLEY[Source: Nick Catford]
Thornley Station Gallery 2: 1950s - January 2014
 The presence of the North Eastern Railway lower quadrant signals makes this photograph somewhat timeless, but removal of the platform lighting tells us the period is after the station closed in June 1952. Signals for the main line are 'Off' for both directions and under magnification the signal box appears to be unmanned. This suggests either the signalman was the photographer or the 'box had been switched out on a Sunday. Odds are it was the latter. Note that the signal box nameplate is still painted white-on-black. The 'Gentlemen' sign on the right points the way to the obvious facilities. Said facilities were accessed via a lobby from which was annexed a Fish Room. This was where live fish brought in by, usually, passenger train in tanks were stored awaiting collection. What would appear to be one of these tanks can be seen effectively dumped on the platform. Access to the Ladies toilets was via the Ladies waiting room, far right.
Photo from Bill Adams collection old2.jpg) A forlorn Thornley station facing south towards Wellfield (Wingate), one time terminus of the Castle Eden Railway. While the running-in board is still present, most if not all the station's oil lamps had been removed suggesting this view dates from after closure which had occurred on 9 June 1952. Thornley never catered for goods traffic, therefore the aforementioned date was final.
Photo from John Mann collection 
In 1963 an English Electric Type 3 (later Class 37) trundles through Thornley with a northbound goods train, probably minerals. These locomotives did not appear in this area until mid 1962 and the example seen here appears to be in its original all-over green livery, i.e. without any form of yellow warning panel. Ahead of the locomotive is a Diesel Brake Tender, the purpose of these being to add to the brake force of diesel locomotives which, experienced showed, had inadequate brake force when hauling heavy, unfitted (unbraked) goods trains and usually coal, mineral and ballast trains. There was also a related problem of heat from locomotive brake blocks causing tyres to crack. A total of 122 of these tenders were built from about 1961, reusing the bogies and parts of the underframes from redundant passenger stock of mostly LMS Stanier and LNER Gresley designs. The 'tank' was filled with anything which would add serious weight to the tenders; scrap metal and/or concrete being typical. Tenders could be coupled ahead of or at the rear of locomotives but ahead of, as seen here, was common and for that reason lamp brackets were fitted and in due course small yellow warning panels as per the example depicted. Diesel Brake Tenders could also occasionally be seen coupled to electric locomotives and the Southern Region's electro-diesels. Many of them went on to receive BR blue livery but during the 1980s were gradually withdrawn and all 122 examples were scrapped. However the heritage Great Central Railway has built another example for demonstration purposes, using parts recovered from a scrapped BR Mark I carriage. The apparent all-over green livery of the locomotive and the yellow panel on the tender might date this photograph to the 1963 - 4 period. On the right behind the dilapidated remains of a platform lamp can be seen the Green Hills branch, by now single track at least through
the station area. Photo from Jim Lake collection  The Thornley station building replaced an earlier building in the early years of the 20th century. The entrance from the booking hall is seen in the centre. Immediately south of it is a flat roofed part of the building; this gave access to the gents' toilet but this part of the building also contained the station's fish house. Fish for local fishmongers would have arrived on a passenger train and was stored here. The final part of the building with a sloping roof was for railway staff and was divided into four small rooms, one of which was probably a lamp room. Another was probably a staff rest room, hence the chimney.
 Thornley station looking north probably in the 1960s. The station buildings are still there but the waiting shelters have both been demolished. The building with a sloping roof was for railway staff. It was divided into four rooms; one was probably a lamp room and another a staff rest room hence the chimney for a stove. The bridge which gave access to the station is seen on the left.
Photo from John Mann collection  Thornley signal box viewed facing south-east. The 'box has been described elsewhere and the black-on-white nameplate tells us the photograph dates from quite late in the life of the 'box (closed 7 January 1968). The purpose of the small hut on the right is not known. A glance at the track in front of the signal box suggests one rail was inside-keyed and the other outside-keyed. This is an illusion as both tracks were check-railed through the station.
Photo from Jim Lake collection 
No doubt photographed from either the signal box or its steps this gloomy scene shows the station building sometime after closure. Beneath the gable end was once the station clock, now gone leaving behind its mounting bracket. Just to the right of the gable end is the obligatory sign informing passengers only to cross the line by the footbridge, access to which appears to be blocked. Perhaps the bridge decking had become unsafe. Further along the platform may be seen the waiting shelter and there was a similar structure on the opposite platform. It appears four of the tanks, or more accurately tubs, once used for transporting live fish have been put to use as planters. Note, left background, the branch signal mounted at the top of the cutting. At left centre background stands the railway cottages, that nearest the camera being somewhat larger and was the stationmaster's house. The caravan looks to be an Eccles 'Bounty' and would have been fairly new at the time of the photograph. How the caravan reached the site is a matter of some bemusement. It could have arrived by rail but if so how it was moved to the higher level causes more bemusement. Other than by rail the only other access to the station was the footbridge over the branch to the left and maps suggest it was no more than, very approximately, six feet wide and neither does it appear robust enough to carry anything larger and heavier than, for example, barrows and small horse or pony carts. The only other way the caravan could have reached the site would have been by towing it across the meadow from the farm track leading off Salters Lane.
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection
 Salters Lane level crossing and Wheatley Hill Junction signal box. The photograph is taken from what is currently the B1279’ and facing north-east the lane leading towards Thornley station and the access footbridge can just be seen at extreme right. The location was 28 chains from Thornley Junction. This signal box dated from about 1879, had a Stevens 23-lever frame and a wheel for operating the level crossing gates. The 'box was downgraded to Ground Frame status on 14 June 1958, its new status apparently being effective from 22 June 1958 which begs the question regarding how the level crossing was operated in the interim. The Ground Frame status was to prove short-lived as it was abolished on 21 May 1968 which was likely when the so-called 'Green Hills Railway' to Wheatley Hill Colliery closed. The black and white painted kerb was probably a remnant of wartime but the presence of the Worboys 'Give Way' road sign would give an earliest date of about 1965. The signal box is thought to have been demolished in 1967 but this is unconfirmed. If true then the question of how the level crossing was subsequently operated comes to the fore once again. Whatever the truth, we will be here looking into the c.1965 - 1967 or May 1968 period.
Photo by John Mann collection 2.jpg)
Looking north at the derelict station in October 1968. The signal box had closed on 7 January 1968 but two, at least, signals remained with their wire runs now hidden among the weeds. These signals were relatively modern upper quadrants with steel arms and mounted upon steel poles, having replaced the North Eastern Railway wooden lower quadrant signals. The signals seen here would in due course be replaced by Fixed Distants. The main line, right, was still in use at this time and mainly for coal traffic but the Thornley Branch, left, was fairly obviously out of use at this time. Close examination shows, at extreme left, track was still in situ but the platform road had long since been lifted. Access to the station was via a track from Salters Lane. The track crossed the branch via the bridge seen on the left and there was apparently no road access, not even for the terrace of railway cottages which sat in the 'V' formed by the two lines. The cottages no longer exist. Thornley station is often stated to have had two platforms when in fact it had three. The third platform is seen here on the left; it was used only for miners' trains and had been disused since 1882. For many years subsequent to 1882 this platform was fenced off but by 1968, as seen here, the fencing had disappeared. Despite the Thornley branch being double track, only one platform was provided for miners' trains. There was a crossover outside the station just around the curve, meaning the section between the crossover and station platform was worked as a bi-directional single line for the purposes of the short-lived miners' trains. It was this section of track which was eventually lifted.
Photo
by Nick Catford
1.jpg)
Thornley station looking north in October 1968 nine months after the signal box closed, it was still standing as its shadow can be seen on the right.
Photo by Nick Catford 3.jpg)
The remains of Thornley station seen from a passing Diesel Multiple Unit, thought to have been the Branch Line Society's Durham Area Railtour of 3 April 1971. Assuming this to be correct the tour used Metropolitan-Cammell Class 111 unit formed E50277/E59532/E50284. Class 111 was a more powerful Rolls-Royce engined version of Class 101. The route of this tour can be seen on Six Bells Junction and it will be noted that the line through Thornley was covered in two parts; Ryhope to South Hetton followed by a jolly around the coast to tackle the other end as far north as Pesspool, which presumably means Pesspool Lane, Haswell. One therefore assumes the section between Pesspool and South Hetton had been abandoned by this time. It is worth comparing this view with that taken in October 1968 in which the branch, going off to the left, was overgrown and the rails rusted. In 1971 the weeds had been cleared and the branch was obviously back in use. Probably the branch had been taken out of use only to later be reactivated to clear coal stockpiles from one or other of the collieries it served and which were being closed down. This practice was not uncommon and many a seemingly out-of-use branch line was temporarily reactivated for reason of clearing stocks. As can be seen, by 1971 Thornley station buildings had disappeared as apparently had the railway cottages. Both the main and branch lines were by then single track while the previous signals had been replaced by Fixed Distants. Thornley signal box had closed in January 1968 and as there is no evidence it was replaced by a ground frame it must be assumed the two single tracks were operated as separate bi-directional lines as far south as, perhaps, Wellfield. A further point of note is the platform edge which quite obviously had been raised at some point in time to what is now standard height of three-feet above rail level.
Photo from Pics of Shotton Colliery Facebook Group 1.jpg) Looking north towards Thorney Junction in August 1985, sevem years after the track had been lifted. All evidence of the station has been cleared away and landscaped. The Thornley Station Industrial Estate has been built on the land between the main line and the Thornley branch.
Photo by John Mann jpg.jpg) Looking north towards Thornley station in June 2014. Little has changed since the 1985 view.Photo
by Roy Lambeth
 One of the Thornley running in boards has been preserved and is mounted in a local kitchen.Photo by Caroline Stewart .jpg)
On 14 July 2024 this was the scene looking north at the former station site. The signal box would have stood in the right foreground. The Thornley Branch to the various collieries and the Green Hills Railway to Wheatley Hill Colliery passed to the left of the sign seen left of centre. Just about discernible in the grass, a narrow footpath follows the course of the branch and emerges on the lane (to Thornley Station Recycling Cantre) which runs east from Salters Lane and once gave access to the footbridge leading to the station. Thornley's main platforms were directly ahead of the camera and curving to the right as does the path now on the trackbed. The surface of the path has something of a 'coal dust' look about it, perhaps evidence of the many thousands of coal trains which once trundled through the station.
Photo by Stephen Psilladas
|
Home Page