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.
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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
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