BEECHING BACKTRACKED AS PASSENGER TRAINS RETURN TO ASHINGTON 60 YEARS ON

Greg Freeman is surrounded by modern-day trainspotters on the first Northumberland Line train  

Trainspotting has changed a lot since my day. That’s not a surprise, since ‘my day’ was approximately 60 years ago, around the time of the Beeching cuts that savagely axed so many of Britain’s railway lines.

I pondered this while aboard the first passenger train out of Ashington since 1964, on Sunday December 15, surrounded by some very excitable railway enthusiasts, many of them live blogging to cameras. Most of them had journeyed up the night before to be part of this historic railways moment, including Sam Firbank, from Doncaster, who told a TV interviewer that he had slept overnight in his car.

Northumberland county council leader Glen Sanderson was on the platform as we awaited the arrival of the first train from Newcastle. He told one of the bloggers that the project, costing nearly £300m, to transform the existing freight line to accommodate passenger trains “had been a bit nail-biting at times. It’s been a long journey, unlike this journey, which takes only a half an hour or so to get to Newcastle.”

As the sun rose behind him in spectacular fashion, he added: “It’s the dawn of a new era for this part of Northumberland. I want to see all the stations open over the next few months, and to extend this line.”

The county council leader was referring to the fact that the Northumberland Line project has been beset with delays, as such projects often are, and for the grand reopening only two stations on the line were actually ready to open – Ashington and Seaton Delaval. It is hoped and believed that Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham and Northumberland Park will follow some time next year.

Ashington, home of football’s Charlton brothers and Jackie Milburn, was once described as the biggest pit village in the world. It is hoped that the return of the railway will help to revive its fortunes, as well as speed football fans into Newcastle to watch the Toon. Both Ashington and Blyth were two of the biggest towns in the country to lose their stations under Beeching.

The journey into Newcastle was more scenic than I had expected. Yes, we passed scrubland and scrapyards, distant views of the sea and wind turbines, but there were also spectacular views of the rivers Wansbeck and Blyth as we breezed over their viaducts, past fields of stubble and the odd farm, neat housing estates and others still being built. The stations we passed still looked some way off completion, I have to admit. We joined the Metro at Northumberland Park, and then the East Coast Main line before reaching Newcastle.

Some trainspotters up from the south were blown away by such sights as the Byker viaduct, Newcastle’s bridges and its castle. “Oh, my days!” shouted one.

At Newcastle, as we waited to board our return train, a Northern Rail employee handed out gingerbread men and mince pies. A grandfather seemed to be surreptitiously taking down carriage numbers on his mobile phone as he told his grandson: “This is where all the coal trucks used to run.”

At Bedlington, where the old station building still stands, another line snakes off towards Morpeth, part of the old Blyth & Tyne network which used to serve Choppington and Hepscott, and which is still used for freight, main line diversions and the occasional rail tour. There’s also another industrial line to Cambois and Blyth. Freight rail tracks also exist beyond Ashington, serving Lynemouth power station, and used to go on to Newbiggin-by-the-sea. When Glen Sanderson referred to hopes of extending the line, this is what he means.

No one will know whether reopening the line to passengers has been a success until all the stations are open, of course. But very cheap fares are on offer to encourage travellers. For today’s young rail enthusiasts, Beeching doesn’t figure very large in their world view. But for this ageing trains fan, even 60 years on, the restoration of passenger services to Ashington and intervening stations is one in the eye for the Doctor!