The coming of the railways to south west Durham in 1825, in the form of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company provided for the developing coal mining industry, an easier and swifter means of transporting its products across country to the east coast sea ports. Have a look at the Railway Images Gallery.

The railway system around the Evenwood and Ramshaw area can be split into 3 major lines:

1. The Haggerleases Branch
2. The Woodland Branch
3. The Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle Branch Line

The Haggerleases and Woodland branches were built primarily to serve the many coal workings in the area. The Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle Branch Line was to provide an important cross country link between industry on Teesside and the Barrow-in-Furness area.

Various other feeder lines, tramways, railroads etc. existed in the area, all playing their own part in this very extensively worked coal mining area. They included:.

1. The Randolph Incline which connected Randolph Colliery and Coke Works at Evenwood to the Haggerleases Branch.
2. The Gordon House tramway connected Gordon House Colliery at Cockfield to the screens on the Haggerleases Branch.
3. The Railey Fell/West Tees Colliery tramways and line at Ramshaw was linked into the Haggerleases Branch.
4. Carterthorne and West Carterthorne Collieries, west of Toft Hill, were linked by a tramway into the NER Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle Branch Line near Evenwood Station

Aa article from 1986, written by Jon Hale, has been posted and gives a comprehensive account of railways and tramways in the Upper Gaunless Valley. Lots of information is here.

“THE RAILWAYS FO THE UPPER GAUNLESS VALLEY”