A view of a steam passenger train at Redmarshall South Junction, including the tracks,. c1960A view of a passenger train being hauled by steam locomotives at the rear, shown at Redmarshall South Junction joining the Castle Eden Railway. c1960A view of Redmarshall South Junction and signal box, including a steam hauled passenger train. The junction was previously known as Carlton South Junction A view of Redmarshall South Junction and signal box, including a steam hauled passenger train. The junction was previously known as Carlton South junctionA view of a passenger train being hauled by steam locomotive No. 62064 Kl, and with another locomotive at the rear, shown at Redmarshall South Junction joining the Castle Eden Railway. A view of a passenger train being hauled by steam locomotive no. 62064, a Kl, and with another locomotive at the rear, shown at Redmarshall South Junction joining the Castle Eden Railway 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
You are correct Ken, the line was used as an occasional route for passenger specials. In order to allow the passage of passenger trains the signalling system, permissive block from Bowesfield Jn to Redmarshal Jn, had to be temporarily changed to Absolute Block to prevent more than one train in the long section at any one time. This required the driver of each train entering the section to be issued with a ‘Block Change Ticket’ by the signaller controlling the section and handed back to the signaller at the exit from the section. From memory these tickets were coloured Brown with a blue stripe for the ‘Down Line’ and Blue with a Brown stripe for the ‘Up Line’.
Hi I was brought up in Redmarshall in the 60s. I am very interested in the history of Redmarshall station and would like to know how to get hold of some pictures of the station.
Ken you’re right – I was on the other side of the tracks in Seamer Grove, more than likely the only regular services were workers trains to the munitions factory at Aycliffe during the war years – See website for the Aycliffe Royal Ordnance Factory. It was also used as a diversionary route during periods where maintenance work was being carried out on the ECML and the coastal routes and there were several ‘specials’ in the early sixties, I believe before the line closed.
The Bowesfield – Redmarshall section of this line did not carry a regular passenger service. There were however occasions when excursion or special services passed over it and occasionally, for example in November 1955, the Sunday Middlesbrough – Newcastle services used it due to engineering work on the regular route via Stockton, reversing at Redmarshall and using the east-west line at Norton Junction to regain the normal route.
From 1936 I lived in a new house (Carter built) in Oulston Road backing on to this line. Anon says the section never carried a regular passenger service but for sure there were occasional passenger excursion trains on a Saturday or Sunday in my pre-War childhood.
The railway line running from Bowesfield Junction past Hartburn,Fairfield and Hardwick, to Redmarshall South and West Junctions was built by the North Eastern Railway to relieve pressure on the original routes of the S&D Railway and Clarence Railway from the West Durham coalfield to Middlesbrough and Stockton.The Bowesfield to Redmarshall -then named Carlton -section was opened on 1st May,1877 There were later plans to make this route and the line from Redmarshall South Junction up through Thorpe and Wynyard to Wellfield and on to Sunderland -opened 1st March,1880 – a secondary main line for the East Coast Main Line. With this in mind a curve connecting the Eaglescliffe to Stockton line and the Bowesfield to Redmarshall line was built and opened at Hartburn in 1901. However, it closed in 1903 and the plan was apparently abandoned.The Bowesfield Junction -Redmarshall section never carried a regular passenger service, but a sparse stopping passenger train service did operate on the line north of Redmarshall through Wynyard until 1931; and from time to time Royal trains decanted their distiguished passengers on their visits to Wynyard Hall. Needless to say the civic authorities in Stockton and Hartlepool had viewed the impact of the 1901 route, which by-passed the towns, with some concern and had communicated these concerns to the North Eastern Railway Co.
I have heard the story about the civic authorities opposing the idea of trains by-passing Stockton via the Redmarshall line but can’t think why there should be such an objection?
Hello Pam. I,m sorry not to reply but I have just come across your message. Yes it would be Tithbarne Farm. As I remember the Farm would now be on Tithbarn Road at Hardwick. It would also be your Grandparents that we would visit. The time we went there would be 1950-53.
This line also saw V2,s A3,s and on one occassion an A4(60010) use this route but in the reverse format. When engines had had light repairs generally at GAteshead/Heaton etc they would work a freight to Stockton North Shore then run light to Thornaby via Hartburn Jnc. be turned at Thormaby pick up freight at Tees-Yard and work back via Bowesfield Jnc to Redmarshall taking the route to Stillington and on to Ferryhill picking up the East coast main line and then back to Tyneside!
Ken, I agree, Uncle Dave would have been very interested in this site. I always remember going to Thornaby when my children were young and when passing the Bowesfield Lane junction box, would always say, “Let”s wave to Uncle Davey”. I believe that there is a photo of his junction box on here somewhere.
Although not a railway buff i have found this site most interesting because an old friend who sadly died earlier this year operated the Bowesfield signal box for quite a number of years. Dave Heselwood would have been very interested to see this site also with contributions from his niece Leseley.
Picture t8837 on this site shows a steam loco coasting down the bank from Redmarshall South signal box towards Hartburn and Bowesfield with the fireman relaxing and very little effort required, save for the need to keep the heavy train under control on the downward gradient. It seems amazing nowadays, but these local mineral trains only had the engine and guards van braked -until relatively recently – and any misjudgement could result in a runaway, fortunately rare.On steeper gradients it was sometimes necessary for some of the wagon”s handbrakes to be pinned down to provide extra braking power. Controlling these trains was something of an art. In the opposite direction trains from Bowesfield to Redmarshall and beyond would be raising the echoes on the upgrade and I remember being on Rudd recreation ground, seeing them barking past in the distance with mineral empties, the engine”s exhaust shooting vertically into the air.
To Bob Irwin. Do you mean Tithebarn Farm Bob. My grandparents were on this farm for some years.
A local railway book claimed the Bowesfield end was disconnected soon after closure in 1967, but a single disused track still remained at Hartburn, past Grangefield School, up to Redmarshall South months later. We had to cross the this track to get to the reserve rugby pitches. I remember a track recovery train working from the Bowesfield end up past Grangefield School early on dark mornings during 1969 or 1970 hauled by an EE Type 3. So this working seems to contradict the book, however this was the last regular movement on the line.
I remember as a youth doing a delivery to a Farm each week. To get to this Farm there was a gateway off Harrowgate Lane somewhere opposite the Bishopsgarth School is now. You went down a cart track and had to cross the railway. It was my job to get out of the van and open gates each side of the rails and eventually opening a gate to the Farm yard. They had Geese wandering around the yard and would go for you. The Farm would have been on ground that is now Hardwick Estate. Can anyone remember the name of Farm and its owners?
This section of railway was part of the route between Shildon and Newport chosen for electrification by the North Eastern Railway in 1915. One or two of the overbridges on the line south of the signalbox show marks where the overhead wire would have been attached. The section between Redmarshall South and Bowesfield signal boxes was worked on the “permissive block” system for both up & down trains – an indicator was provided for the south bound trains to show how many trains were in the block section ahead of them.
The line south of Redmarshall South Junction signal box past Fairfield and Hartburn to Bowesfield Junction closed in around June,1967. By this time traffic had greatly declined as much of the traffic on this line originally came from the West Durham coalfield around Shildon and Bishop Auckland which was just about finished by the mid-1960s. I remember seeing trains passing on this line in the spring of 1967. The other line from Redmarshall South Junction which ran over Thorpe Thewles viaduct and up through Wynyard and Wellfield had already closed in summer 1966 and is now part of the Castle Eden Walkway. The very last trains would probably, I imagine, be the trains used in dismantling the line after closure. There is a photo on this site (railway section) of a coal train at Letch Lane bridge taken in 1965.
always wondered when the last train ran down this line i can remember all the bridges etc and the lines being there but cant recall seeing a train run down past fairfield hardwick etc
The train shown is a coast line express service which would normally run from Newcastle via Sunderland, Hartlepool, Stockton, Eaglescliffe & Northallerton to York & beyond. Its normal route through Stockton was closed due to engineering works so the train would have left its normal route after passing through Norton station & travelled to Redmarshall station using the line that runs behind the present day Harpers Garden centre, at Redmarshall a loco would come on the back of the train & reverse it past Redmarshall South box & down to Thornaby along what is now the walkway from Hardwick past Faifield to Hartburn. At Thornaby the loco shown in the photo on the front of the train would come off & the original loco & train (now facing the right way again) would then head south regaining its original route north of Eaglescliffe. I have one of the original brass bells from Redmarshall South box, obtained from the workmen demolishing the box after the line closed (approx 1966). The line that can be seen above the leading loco in the photo is the Castle Eden branch which crossed Thorpe Viaduct approx 1/2 mile north of where this photograph was taken from – the hump back bridge on Letch Lane just past the Electricity station.