Station Name: USHAW MOOR STATION

Date opened: 1.9.1884
Location: On the east side of Station Road at the end of a short approach road.
Company on opening: North Eastern Railway
Date closed to passengers: 29.10.1951
Date closed completely: 28.12.1964
Company on closing: British Railways (North Eastern Region)
Present state: The station has been demolished - no evidence remains. The Deerness Valley Railway Path runs through the site
County: Durham
OS Grid Ref: NZ227422
Date of visit: September 1967, February 1968, August 1968 & 27.6.2005

Notes: Ushaw Moor Station originally had one platform face but was later converted into an island platform with the addition of a subway, this was later replaced by a footbridge some time after 1923. It retained its original wooden platform building.

When the station opened it didn't have a freight facilities only handling parcels as shown in the 1904 RCH handbook. Some time after that date a small goods yard was opened to the east of the station comprising a single siding serving a small goods dock with a crane.

After withdrawal of the passenger services, the station staff consisted of one station master to cover the two branch stations plus a parcels office/porter and had a daily visit of a parcels delivery wagon from Durham.  In the goods siding was a permanently stabled ancient wooden bogie coach where customers could leave their parcels when the porter was not on duty.  For many years the porter at Ushaw Moor was Jack Railton

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEERNESS VALLEY RAILWAY
The Deerness Valley Railway was incorporated by an Act of Parliament of 30.7.1855 and was sold to the North Eastern Railway on 13.7.1857.

The line opened for goods on 1.1.1858 from Deerness Valley Junction on the Durham to Bishop Auckland line to a point near the junction of The Stanley Incline and the line to East Hedley Hope Colliery. A passenger service wasn't introduced until 1.11.1877 when a single platform terminus was built part way along the line at Esh Winning, the station was named Waterhouses; passenger trains never went beyond Waterhouses.


A second station was added at Ushaw Moor on 1.9.1884.

The passenger service on the line was always of secondary importance with a number of collieries being accessed from the branch.

There were seven signal boxes, these were sited at: 'Deerness Valley Junction' (at start of the branch), 'New Brancepeth' (controlled Ushaw Moor Station and access to New Brancepeth Colliery closed in 1953), 'Ushaw Moor Colliery' (controlled access to Ushaw Moor Colliery closed in 1960) 'Flass Junction' (controlled the three way junction to Cornsay Colliery (closed in 1953) & Brickworks and to Esh Colliery closed in 1968 and Hamsteels Colliery closed in 1958), 'Lemington' (a gate box controlling minor road crossing to a quarry and one street of houses), 'Waterhouses Goods' (controlling access to Waterhouses Colliery closed in 1966, Waterhouses Goods Yard and the level crossing over the main valley road at the start of Waterhouses village)

The final box was at Waterhouses Station. Beyond the East Hedley Hope junction, the line was known as The Stockton & Darlington Railway Deerness Valley Branch with the rope worked Stanley Inclines giving access to Stanley Drifts and Wooley Colliery and on to Bank Foot Coke Works and Chemical Plant at Crook. It was built for Joseph Pease & Partners the owners of Waterhouses Colliery, who also owned the complex at Bank Foot.

In 1922 there were nine trains in each direction with and additional service on Wednesdays and Saturdays but no Sunday service. During the 1930's excursion trains used to run Saturday nights to Newcastle with summer Saturdays to Whitley Bay and South Shields.

In October 1949 the passenger service was reduced to one train per day to Durham Monday - Friday and the passenger service was withdrawn altogether on 29.10.1951 by which date Bradshaw only lists one daily down train at 8.17am.



The two stations remained in use until the 1960's for occasional miners' gala trains with morning passenger trains taking bands, banners and passengers into Durham and bring them back again in the afternoon. The freight service continued until 28.12.1964.

The line originally had two wooden trestle viaducts; the viaduct over the River Deerness to the west of Ushaw Moor station was demolished in the winter of 1967/68 when the track was lifted.

The line has now been converted into the 8 mile Deerness Valley Railway Path which starts at the Broompark Picnic Area and passes through the villages of Ushaw Moor and Esh Winning. County Council ownership terminates on meeting the B6299 near Stanley Crook. A further section links to the B6298 on the outskirts of Crook.

Other web sites: Ushaw Moor Historical Website includes 7 galleries of railway pictures
Durham Miner Project web site. Tickets from Michael Stewart. Route map from Alan Young.

Further reading: Durham's Railways by Charlie Emett - Sutton Publishing 1999
ISBN: 0750920769

To see the other stations on the Deerness Valley branch line click on the station name: Waterhouses see also Deerness Valley Junction


Ushaw Moor Station in 1890 before the footbridge was erected.



1890 1:2,500 OS map. At this time the island platform was accessed by subway which can bee seen to the left of the main station building. The station had no goods yard at this time.

1923 1:2,500 OS map. A small goods yard is now shown to the east of the station comprising a single siding, a small goods dock and a crane. The subway is still shown.

1961 1:2,500 OS map. Although the station is now closed to passengers it remained open for goods traffic until 1964. The footbridge is now shown and the subway has gone.


Ushaw Moor Island Platform in the early 20th century with the original subway before the footbridge was built. The main station buildings (at the other end of the subway) together with the Station House and the Station Hotel are behind the trees to the left.
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection


Stephenson Locomotive Society (North West Area) / Manchester Locomotive Society
West Durham Rail Tour visits Ushaw Moor station on 31.8.1958. A seat now sits on the top of the infilled subway.
Copyright photo from Stations UK


Bearpark Club outing in 1961 - ten years after the station officially closed
Photo by Roy Lambeth


Ushaw Moor Station in May 1964
Copyright photo by Ron Fisher from his Fotopic web site

Ushaw Moor Station in September 1967
Photo by Nick Catford

The site of Ushaw Moor station looking east in August 1978
Photo by John Mann


The site of Ushaw Moor Station in June 2005
The Deerness Valley Railway Path runs through the site
Photo by: Nick Catford

For further pictures of Ushaw Moor Station click here


Home Page
Last updated: Tuesday, 23-May-2017 09:38:00 CEST
© 1998-2015 Disused Stations