Wooler railway station
Encyclopedia
Wooler railway station was a stone built railway station serving the town of Wooler
in Northumberland
. It was on the Alnwick to Cornhill Branch
which ran from Alnwick
to Cornhill Junction on the Kelso line near Coldstream
.
with the market town of Alnwick
and link the North Eastern Railway's Kelso line to its Alnwick Branch. Construction started by the North Eastern Railway in 1884, and the line opened to freight between Cornhill and in 2 May 1887, and the whole line for both freight and passengers on 5 September of the same year. The line had difficulty attracting passengers as many of the stations were some distance from the communities they served. Increased bus competition in the 1920s led to passenger trains being withdrawn on 22 September 1930 although the service resumed briefly during the Second World War to serve RAF Milfield near .
After a severe storm in 1949 washed away a bridge north of Ilderton station British Railways who had recently taken over the line decided that the volume of traffic along the line did not warrant replacing it. The line was thus split into two, to , and to which included Akeld. This coupled with an infrequent service caused the line to go further into decline and the section from Alnwick to Ilderton closed on 2 March 1953 with the other section including Wooler station following suit on 29 March 1965.
Wooler
Wooler is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, by the Cheviot Hills and so is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots"...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. It was on the Alnwick to Cornhill Branch
Cornhill Branch
The Cornhill Branch was a single track branch railway line in Northumberland, England, that ran from on the terminus of the three mile long Alnmouth to Alnwick line via ten intermediate stations to a junction on the to line at Cornhill-on-Tweed.-History:...
which ran from Alnwick
Alnwick railway station
Alnwick railway station was the terminus of the Alnwick branch line, which diverged from the East Coast Main Line at Alnmouth in Northumberland, Northern England. The branch opened on 1 October 1850 and closed in January 1968, leaving the former junction at Alnmouth as the nearest station to Alnwick...
to Cornhill Junction on the Kelso line near Coldstream
Coldstream railway station
Coldstream railway station served the town of Coldstream in Berwickshire, Scotland although the station was across the River Tweed in Northumberland, England...
.
History
Authorised in 1882 the Cornhill Branch was built to link the farming communities of north NorthumberlandNorthumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
with the market town of Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
and link the North Eastern Railway's Kelso line to its Alnwick Branch. Construction started by the North Eastern Railway in 1884, and the line opened to freight between Cornhill and in 2 May 1887, and the whole line for both freight and passengers on 5 September of the same year. The line had difficulty attracting passengers as many of the stations were some distance from the communities they served. Increased bus competition in the 1920s led to passenger trains being withdrawn on 22 September 1930 although the service resumed briefly during the Second World War to serve RAF Milfield near .
After a severe storm in 1949 washed away a bridge north of Ilderton station British Railways who had recently taken over the line decided that the volume of traffic along the line did not warrant replacing it. The line was thus split into two, to , and to which included Akeld. This coupled with an infrequent service caused the line to go further into decline and the section from Alnwick to Ilderton closed on 2 March 1953 with the other section including Wooler station following suit on 29 March 1965.