The Durham & Sunderland Railway and the opening of the First station

On 13 August 1834, the Durham & Sunderland Railway was granted parliamentary powers to construct their main line between Sunderland South Dock and Durham City, and a branch linking Haswell to main line at Murton Junction.^[1] The Sunderland to Haswell section was the first to be completed, officially opening on 30 August 1836^[1] and the first station at Ryhope (co-ordinates: 54.8694°N 1.3559°W / 54.8694; -1.3559) was opened on 19 October 1836 as the temporary southern terminus of the line's first passenger service from Sunderland Town Moor.^[2] From April or May 1837, D&SR passenger services were extended to a station at Haswell^[2] where passengers could change for services to Hartlepool from the adjacent Hartlepool Dock & Railway station (though the different companies' tracks were not, initially, connected).^[1] The line between Murton and Durham was completed gradually and, when finally opened on 28 June 1839, it served Durham City by means of a station at Shincliffe Town,^[3] over 1 mile (1.6 km) from the centre.^[2] The steep topography that the line traversed meant that, unlike many of its competitors, D&SR opted to haul its trains using a series of stationary winding engines,^[1] with change-over between the Sunderland and Seaton Bank Top engines having been undertaken at Ryhope.^[4]

NER improvements and the opening of the second station

In 1846, the Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway purchased the D&SR.^[3] and promptly renamed itself the York & Newcastle Railway.^[5] The York & Newcastle Railway later also took out a lease on the HD&R^[1] before both were amalgamated into the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway in 1848 and then the North Eastern Railway in 1854.^[6]

By around 1860, the NER had converted the ex-D&SR network to locomotive haulage^[7] and Ryhope's passenger services were diverted to new northern termini at Hendon in 1858 and then Sunderland Central in 1879.^[8] From 1877, the opening of a new chord to connect the ex-D&SR and ex-HD&R lines at Haswell saw Ryhope served by direct through-trains to West Hartlepool^[9] and, from 1893, construction of a new terminus at Durham Elvet finally provided the station with trains to Durham City centre.^[3]

v t e Hartlepool–Haswell–Sunderland Line and Hartlepool–Ferryhill Line
Legend
Durham Coast Line to Newcastle Wearmouth Rail Bridge over River Wear D&SR Staithes Port of Sunderland Gladstone Swing Bridge over Hudson Dock Entrance River Wear Commission Railway to eastern South Docks South Dock (Goods) South Dock Locomotive Shed Hudson Dock Staithes Sunderland Town Moor (1836–1858) Hudson Dock Staithes Sunderland Central (1879–present) Hudson Dock Staithes Hudson Dock Staithes former York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway to Penshaw Hendon (1858–1879) Hendon Bascule Bridge over Hendon Dock Junction River Wear Commission Railway to eastern South Docks Hendon Burn (1854–1868) Hendon Dock Durham & Sunderland Railway │ Londonderry, Seaham & Sunderland Railway Hendon Gas Works NER extension Durham & Sunderland Railway Durham & Sunderland Railway │ Londonderry, Seaham & Sunderland Railway Silksworth Colliery Railway to collieries Ryhope (original) Ryhope East Durham Coast Line to West Hartlepool via Seaham Ryhope (second) Seaton Bank (1 in 44) Seaton (second) Seaton (original) Seaton Bank Top (Site of stationary winding engine) Rainton & Seaham Railway to collieries Rainton & Seaham Railway to collieries & Seaham Harbour Murton Plane Durham to Sunderland Line to Durham Elvet Murton (Site of stationary winding engines) South Hetton South Hetton Colliery authorised HD&R Main Line to Moorsley (not built) South Hetton Railway to collieries & Seaham Harbour Haswell (HD&R) (1835–1877) Durham & Sunderland Railway NER chord Haswell (D&S) (1836–1877) Haswell Colliery NER chord Hartlepool Dock & Railway Haswell (1877–1952) East Coast Main Line to Durham Shotton Waggonway Byers Green Branch to Bishop Auckland Ferryhill Clarence Railway GNEC&HJR East Coast Main Line to Darlington Leamside Line to Leamside Clarence Railway to Stockton Coxhoe West Cornforth Shotton Bridge Thrislington Colliery Shotton Colliery Coxhoe Bridge authorised Littletown Branch to Littletown (not built) Mineral Railway to East Hetton Colliery authorised Durham Branch to Gilesgate (not built) Raisby Hill Quarry Ludworth Colliery Garmoundsway Moor Colliery Cassop Waggonway to Collieries Kelloe Bank Head (Site of stationary winding engine) Thornley Colliery Trimdon Grange Colliery Trimdon (original) Wheatley Hill Colliery Trimdon Colliery Thornley Trimdon (second) Mineral Railway to Deaf Hill Colliery & Quarries Castle Eden Brewery Wingate Grange Colliery Wellfield Wingate NER branch │ GNEC&HJR │ Hartlepool Dock & Railway Castle Eden Railway to Thornaby NER branch │ Hartlepool Dock & Railway Hutton Henry Colliery Castle Eden Castle Eden Colliery Hesleden Hesleden Bank Top (Site of stationary winding engine) Original rope-worked incline (1 in 34) Hesleden Bank NER deviation lines (1 in 50) Durham Coast Line to Sunderland via Seaham Culvert over Crimdon Beck Crimdon Dene Viaduct over Crimdon Beck Durham Coast Line to Stockton Hart West Hartlepool Hartlepool Dock & Railway │ NER branch NER extension │ Hartlepool Dock & Railway Stockton & Hartlepool Railway to West Hartlepool Docks Shipyards Hartlepool Docks Coal drops on demolished dock wall Victoria Dock Staithes Victoria Dock Hartlepool (second) Stockton & Hartlepool Railway to West Hartlepool Docks Hartlepool (original)

v t e Durham–Sunderland Line
Legend
Durham Coast Line to Newcastle Sunderland Docks Sunderland Central Sunderland Town Moor former York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway to Penshaw Hendon Ryhope Grange Junction Durham Coast Line to Hartlepool Ryhope (1st station) Ryhope (2nd station) Seaton Bank Top Murton Hetton South Hetton Hartlepool Dock & Railway to Hartlepool Pittington Leamside line to Fencehouses Leamside line to Ferryhill Sherburn House Durham Elvet Shincliffe Town

Despite the line's conversion to locomotive working, gradients remained steep, with the first Ryhope station having sat on a gradient of 1 in 60 and the line between there and Seaton having an average gradient of 1 in 44.^[2] On 19 August 1889, a Liverpool to Newcastle express train derailed while rounding the sharp curve at the foot of Seaton Bank at too high a speed, injuring 101 passengers.^[1] In response, the NER realigned the curve and replaced the original Ryhope station with a new one, located on the curve, 11 chains (220 m) further south^[10] (co-ordinates: 54.8674°N 1.357°W / 54.8674; -1.357), in 1894 at a cost of £1,080.^[2] The NER also issued an instruction that all passenger trains descending Seaton Bank must momentarily stop at the new Ryhope station so as to ensure drivers control their speed during the descent.^[1]

This second station was situated immediately to the southeast of George Street, which had been diverted to pass under the railway when the station was built.^[10] A single-story brick-built booking office and waiting room was located on the down (northbound) platform while a timber waiting room and toilet block was located on the up (southbound) platform.^[10] The platforms were linked with a standard late 19th century NER footbridge,^[10] which remains in situ as of 2021. Close to the station was a siding serving a brickworks while a branch to Ryhope and Silksworth Collieries diverged from the ex-D&SR line a short distance to the north.^[10]

Decline and closure

Despite the improvements of the 1850s-1890s, the route through Ryhope continued to provide a steep and indirect route between West Hartlepool and Sunderland and so the NER purchased the Seaham to Sunderland line of the Londonderry, Seaham & Sunderland Railway (which paralleled the original D&SR north of Ryhope) in 1900 and extended it along the coast to meet the ex-HD&R line near at Hart.^[11] The new line, opened on 1 April 1905,^[11] bypassed both Seaton Bank and Hesleden Bank further south^[6] and thus led to the gradual diversion of much of the longer-distance traffic away from the lines through Ryhope station.^[9] The LS&SR had had its own station at Ryhope, approximately 100 yards (91 m) to the east of the NER-build one, which was now under also under NER ownership.^[12] From December 1903, the two stations were administered as one, with a shared station master, and, from 1904, the ex-LS&SR station was renamed Ryhope East.^[12]

The NER became part of the London & North Eastern Railway as part of the 1923 grouping. Already beginning to experience a decline in traffic, the LNER withdrew regular passenger services from the Durham–Sunderland line west of Pittington^[3] on 1 January 1931.^[7] Nonetheless, Ryhope retained almost hourly service frequencies on both lines during the 1930s.^[10]

The LNER came under the control of the North Eastern Region of British Railways following its nationalisation in 1948 and, by this time, the decline in rail passenger and goods traffic was becoming more serious. Nonetheless, BR initially reinstated the hourly service on the Pittington line (previously reduced during World War II) but appears to have been unsuccessful and ticket sales at both Ryhope stations amounted to only 6,917 by 1911.^[10] The Hartlepool–Haswell–Sunderland line lost its stopping passenger service (south of Murton) on 9 June 1952^[7] and Ryhope closed to passengers completely when the remaining Pittington–Sunderland passenger service was withdrawn on 5 January 1953.^[10] Ryhope station remained open for goods to share the burden on Ryhope East's goods-handling facilities and, when the latter closed to passengers on 7 March 1960, the former was renamed so that both goods stations were called Ryhope East.^[10][13] Both closed to goods on 1 June 1964.^[10][12]

The remainder of the Durham line was dismantled west of Pittington following its complete closure on 11 November 1963^[3] while many of the stations on the West Hartlepool line remained open to goods until 1966,^[9] and it was still used by Sunday diversions until the section through Haswell was dismantled in the late 1960s.^[14] Still, the northern section of the former West Hartlepool line was retained through Ryhope to provide a northerly outlet for coal from South Hetton and Hawthorn Collieries^[14] until 1991.^[15] Once this last section of the line was lifted, the Hart to Haswell Walkway was extended to terminate at the site of Ryhope station.^[15]