Northern Heritage - Northern Rail

The coming of the railway opened up access to the countrysideincluding the Lake District. A 1930s scene at Windermere.The rural railwayIn more rural areas the railway helped communities to prosper,even if the railways themselves never did. They allowed farmersto get their produce and livestock to markets and smallcommunities grew up around the stations. Some of these ruralstations have survived and are today busy commuter facilities,taking workers into Leeds, York, Manchester and Sheffield.Others, like the Easingwold Railway, survived nationalisation butclosed shortly after. Some classic rural lines survive on Northern,like the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough to Whitby, and theCumbrian Coast Line from Barrow to Carlisle.The railway was often the main employer in rural areas and evensmall stations had large numbers of railway staff. This group ispictured at Stamford Bridge.An important feature of Northern’s heritage is the large number offine smaller stations we operate. Some of these arequintessentially rural, like Green Road on the Cumbrian CoastLine, lovingly tended by our station adopters. Others servebustling market towns, such as Hexham, Knaresborough andTodmorden.“The Port Carlisle Dandy” This Cumbrian route was horse drawnuntil 1914! From the collection of Simon Clarke.Bus-Rail integration is nothing new! Many of the railwaycompanies operated their own bus services connecting morerural areas with the rail network.