Sunniside to East Tanfield
From north to south the stations are Sunniside, Andrews House, Marley Hill, Causey Arch and East Tanfield, the southern end of the line and once the site of East Tanfield colliery (Tanfield map, read 23 October 2026). The railway calls the trip a six mile round trip, so it is about three miles each way. It was built to take coal from the Tanfield collieries to the Tyne (history).
Older than Stockton and Darlington
The railway’s history page says the route dates back to 1725, a whole century before the Stockton and Darlington Railway, and calls Tanfield the world’s oldest railway (history). That is the railway’s own claim, and we have not checked it against another source. Railway Magazine adds a timeline: Causey to East Tanfield opened in 1839, the North Eastern Railway took over in 1881, and the preserved line ran its first passenger trains from Marley Hill in 1977, reaching East Tanfield in 1993 (Railway Magazine).
Causey Arch
Historic England lists Causey Arch at Grade I and describes it as a “Wagonway bridge. 1727 by Ralph Wood for Mr. Wortley and Col. Liddell”, 105 feet long and 80 feet high, and “Considered to be the first railway bridge in the world” (Historic England, list entry 1240816). The railway gives the date as 1725 (map); Historic England’s 1727 comes from a date stone at the foot of the west abutment, and Railway Magazine splits the difference with 1725 to 1727.
The shed and the engines
The engine shed at Marley Hill was built in 1854 (map). The engines are the small, hard working kind built for collieries and works. Twizell, built by Robert Stephenson and Co in Newcastle in 1891, carries the name Beamish Railway No. 3. Horden came from Andrew Barclay in Kilmarnock in 1904, and Stanley, from the same builder in 1920, was built for East Tanfield Colliery itself. Sir Cecil A Cochrane, of 1948, was in 1998 among the first preserved engines in the UK to get a new boiler (steam locomotives).
Planning the day
Trains ran on Sundays and bank holidays from 15 February to 18 October 2026, plus Saturdays in the summer school holidays and event days; Mince Pie Specials start on 27 December (FAQs). The main entrance is at Andrews House and Marley Hill, Gateshead NE16 5ET. Parking is free there and at East Tanfield, and for Causey Arch a free countryside car park is a 5 to 10 minute walk away (getting to Tanfield). The nearest main line stations are Newcastle Central and Durham, and the X30, X31 and X32 buses stop at Andrews House. Dogs travel free on a lead. Planning a run of days out? Our railway journeys page lists every line we cover.
Photographing the line
The bridge is the picture: seen from the wooded valley beside Causey Arch station, or walked across, with the Waggonway Walk on to East Tanfield (map). Old stone and woodland suit an upright framed canvas, printed as taken or in one of our studio styles.
Sources: Historic England list entry for Causey Arch; Tanfield Railway history (both read 23 October 2026).
