Blyth railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Blyth
manager = North Eastern Railway
locale = Blyth
borough = Blyth Valley
platforms = 7
years = 3 March 1847| events = First station opened| years1 = 1 May 1867| events1 = Second station opened; first station closed| years2 = 1894–1896| events2 = Rebuilt| years4 = 2 November 1964| events4 = Closed| years5 = 1972
events5 = Demolished

Blyth railway station was situated in Blyth, Northumberland on the North Eastern Railway Blyth Branch line,cite web
title=Blyth Photographs - Blyth, Railway Station (c.1910)
work=communities.northumberland.gov.uk
url=http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/005350.htm
accessdate=2007-04-22] originally part of the Blyth and Tyne Railway.

The railway into Blyth was opened on 3 March 1847,cite web
title=Blyth & Tyne Railway
work=www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk
url=http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/index.php?page=blyth-tyne-branch
accessdate=2008-05-09] and the first station was at Croft Street (now King Street). [harvcolnb|Balmer|Smith|2004|p=56|Ref=none] On 1 May 1867, a new station was opened to replace the original station.cite web
title=Blyth Station
work=www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk
url=http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/index.php?page=blyth
accessdate=2008-05-09] It was at the north end of Turner Street (now part of Regent Street) on the site now occupied by Morrisons supermarket and the Community Hospital. By the 1890s, there had been an increase in goods and passenger traffic,harvcolnb|Balmer|Smith|2004|p=60|Ref=none] and a new station was needed. Plans were originally submitted to build a new station on newly reclaimed land on Bridge Street, between Union Street and Beaconsfield Street, but these were turned down after an objection from the neighbouring Thomas Knight Memorial Hospital, on the grounds of noise. [harvcolnb|Balmer|Smith|2004|p=37|Ref=none]

The existing station was rebuilt by the North Eastern Railway (NER) between 1894 and 1896, at a cost of £20,000; most of the construction by J & W Simpson of Blyth. Despite being situated adjacent to a through line, the station was a terminus. It faced onto Turner Street and had a single island platform projecting from the rear which was numbered 1–7, and was half covered by a glazed apex canopy. Adjacent were a goods shed next to Delaval Terrace and a coaling stage as part of the comprehensive facilities. To the west stood South Blyth loco shed, first built in 1879 as a 3-road shed and extended to 6-road in 1895 [harvcolnb|Balmer|Smith|2004|p=55|Ref=none] , and a cattle dock. To the north passed the freight-only lines leading to the NER coaling staiths, Blyth gas works, Blyth Harbour Commission and shipyard. [cite web
title=Ernies Northumbrian Railway Archive – cb Newsham, South Blyth Staiths, Blyth Station and back to Newsham
work=erniesphotos.fotopic.net
url=http://erniesphotos.fotopic.net/c970017.html
date=2006-05-25
accessdate=2007-12-01]

Originally controlled by two signal boxes, Blyth Signal Box at the end of the passenger platforms and Blyth Crossing Box controlling the level crossing near the engine shed on Renwick Road (previously Alexandra Crescent), in latter years only one box (Blyth Crossing) survived. Blyth Signal Box was destroyed by a German parachute mine on the night of 25 April 1941, killing the signaller instantly. [harvcolnb|Balmer|Smith|2004|p=62|Ref=none]

Passenger traffic was dieselised in June 1958Fact|date=August 2008 and ceased in 1964 following the Beeching Report; the last passenger train departed on 12 August of that year, although coal traffic continued until January 1968. [harvcolnb|Balmer|2002|p=68|Ref=none] The station buildings stood derelict until they were demolished in 1972.cite web
title=Blyth Station
work=ads.ahds.ac.uk
url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/search/fr.cfm?rcn=NSMR03-12083&CFID=456641&CFTOKEN=39977433
date=2003-10-18
accessdate=2007-11-25] Today, nothing remains of the station itself or related buildings, except for the Station Master's house which still stands inhabited at Delaval Terrace.

References

Printed sources

*cite book | last= Balmer | first= Bob | title= Images of England: Blyth | origyear= 1997 | edition = 3rd edition | year = 2002 | publisher= Tempus Publishing | isbn= 978-0-7524-0773-9
*cite book | last= Balmer | first= Bob | coauthors = Smith, Gordon | title= Images of England: Blyth volume II | origyear= 2004 | publisher= Tempus Publishing | isbn= 978-0-7524-3349-3