thumb|Track layout diagram of the railway's yard and station loops.
The North Tyneside Steam Railway and Stephenson Steam Railway are visitor attractions in North Shields, North East England. The museum and railway workshops share a building on Middle Engine Lane adjacent to the Silverlink Retail Park. The railway is a standard gauge line, running south for from the museum to Percy Main. The railway is operated by the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA). The museum is managed by North East Museums on behalf of North Tyneside Council.
The railway runs along the alignment of various former coal wagonways, which were later used by the Tyne and Wear Metro Test Centre; the museum and workshop building used to be the test facility. The museum is dedicated to the railway pioneers George Stephenson and his son Robert, with one of George's early locomotives, Billy, housed in the museum.
History
Horse drawn and rope hauled waggonways
thumb|right|The railway's location (centre), on the north bank the River Tyne
As the early coal seams of the Northumberland Coalfield near the River Tyne were exhausted, waggonways were laid to serve pits sunk further north. Coal would be unloaded into colliers (coal transport ships) via staithes. The first wagonways used wooden waggons on wooden rails drawn by horses. The first traffic began in 1755 on a line from Shiremoor to Hayhole staithes, and was soon followed by more lines. Wooden rails were eventually replaced by wrought iron. Rope haulage was introduced from 1821, with the museum site being at the top of Prospect Hill. By the 1820s coal was coming from pits further to the north in Seghill, Backworth and Cramlington, while a pit at Murton near Shiremoor had also been added. In 1826 it also became the preferred route for coal coming from Fawdon to the west, to make it unnecessary to use keel boats further upriver.
Traffic increased as further pits opened, and the corridor from Middle Engine Lane down to Percy Main became congested as companies either shared lines or built their own within a hundred yards of each other, depending on which was more convenient. Once they crossed the line of the present A193 Wallsend Road, they fanned out to their respective unloading points. In 1839 the Cramlington wagonway built a new line away from the corridor further to the west, while still passing close to it at the Middle Engine Lane and Percy Main ends. By the 1840s, coal was also coming from Blyth and Bedlington on the east coast, although this ceased after improvements to Blyth harbour in the 1880s. Bittern was moved to York in 1994 in exchange for loaning a Deltic.
In 2007, the Tyne and Wear Museums and North Tyneside Council's head of cultural services have submitted plans for a feasibility study into developing the museum into a premier North East railway tourist attraction, with period buildings, a link to Percy Main Metro station, and all year round opening.
In 2019, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (now North East Museums) were given a lottery grant provided to redevelop the Stephenson Railway Museum. Among a lot of refurbishment in the museum building, this has also seen the name change from the Stephenson Railway Museum to the Stephenson Steam Railway.
In 2023 the Railway was awarded lottery funding to develop a woodland walk covering a two-acre site.
Operation
Management
thumb|right|Middle Engine Lane platform, looking north
thumb|right|Meaford No. 1 at Middle Engine Lane in 2000
The museum is managed by North East Museums on behalf of North Tyneside Council. Volunteers of the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA) operate the railway and assist with the maintenance and conservation of locomotives and rolling stock. The NTSRA is managed by a committee that meets quarterly and has an Annual General Meeting yearly.
Infrastructure
The building on Middle Engine Lane serves as the railway workshop and the museum's indoor exhibition space, the workshop being on the left-hand side. The railway yard has three sidings entering the building from the south, the westernmost being for the workshop, while the two others enter the exhibition space allowing operational stock to be put on display.
The running line of the railway consists of a single track line, with two open-air platforms at either end, both with a passing loop. The northern platform, "Middle Engine Lane", is just south of the museum building. The southern platform, "Percy Main", is immediately south of the point where the Metro crosses the railway, paralleling the length of Brunton Street, to which there is pedestrian access for passengers wishing to leave the train there.
Services
Entry to the museum is free; rides on the trains requires purchase of a ticket. The museum building also contains a gift shop and toilet facilities, and a cafe which opens on certain event days. The cafe was renovated in Autumn 2017. The museum is only open at certain times of the year, and passenger trains are only run on some of those days. and Santa Specials.
Rolling stock
Stock list
{|class="wikitable" style="clear:both;"
!Image
!Name/No.
!Built
!Builder
!Class/Type
!Status
|-
! colspan=6 align=center | Steam locomotives
|-
|150px
|No.1
|1951
|Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
|
|Static Exhibit
|-
|x150px|center
|Billy
|1816
|George Stephenson
|
|Static Exhibit
|-
|Bagnall No.401|150px
|No.401
|1950
|Bagnall
|Victor/Vulcan
|Operational
|-
|150px
|Ashington No.5 Jackie Milburn
|1939
|Peckett and Sons
|
|Operational
|-
|Kitson A-Class A.No.5 NTSR|150px
|A.No.5
|1883
|Kitson & Co.
|
|Static Exhibit
|-
|Hunslett Austerity No.69|150px
|No.69
|1953
|Hunslet
|Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST
|Undergoing Overhaul
|-
|150px
|No. 4
|1953
|Sentinel Waggon Works
|Sentinel 0-4-0VBGT
|Undergoing Overhaul
|-
|150px
|No. 2 (Pony)
|1912
|Hawthorn Leslie
|Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST
|Awaiting Overhaul
|-
! colspan=6 align=center | Diesel locomotives
|-
|Class 08 No.08915|150px
|No.08915
|1962
|Horwich Works
|British Rail Class 08
|Operational
|-
|Class 03 No.03078|150px
|No.03078
|1959
|Doncaster Works
|British Rail Class 03
|Operational
|-
|Consett Iron Company No.10|150px
|No.10
|1958
|Consett Iron Company
|
|Operational
|-
! colspan=6 align=center | Electric locomotives
|-
|Tyne and Wear Metrocar 4001|150px
|Tyne and Wear Metrocar 4001
|1975
|Metro-Cammell
|British Rail Class 599
|Static Exhibit
|-
|Harton Electric E4|150px
|Harton Electric E4
|1912
|Siemens
|
|Static Exhibit
|-
|150px
|3267
|Operational
|-
|150px
|43010
|Operational
|-
|150px
|43172<br>Ex-53172
|Operational
|-
! colspan=6 align=center | Wagons
|-
|Dogfish wagon NTSR|150px
|DB 992993
|Operational
|-
|150px
|Boldon Colliery No. 103<br>No. 136 Whitburn Colliery
|Operational (battery carrier for E4)
|-
|Matchwagon NTSR|150px
|
|
|
|4 wheel Flat Wagon TTP Cosmetically restored to represent BR Barrier vehicle
|Operational
|-
|Flat wagon NTSR|150px
|ZV 733728
|
|
|4 wheel Flat Wagon
|Operational
|-
|Tool Van NTSR|150px
|B 774658
|Operational
|-
|NCB Lambton Van|150px
|21
|
|North Eastern Railway
|NCB Lambton Platelayers Van
|Undergoing Restoration
|-
|150px
|DB 996297
|Operational
|-
|Lowmac NTSR|150px
|B 900402
|1949
|Derby
|40 ton 8 wheel Bogie Flatrol Lowmac
|Operational
|-
|Tank Wagon NTSR|150px
|3
|1939
|
|20 ton 4 wheel tank wagon
|Operational
|-
|Tank Wagon NTSR No.4|150px
|4
|1950
|Charles Roberts
|20 ton 4 wheel tank wagon
|Operational
|-
|Leeds Brewery Tank Wagon NTSR|150px
|A 5776
|
|
|20 ton 4 wheel British Petroleum Ltd tank wagon
|Operational
|-
|21t Coal Wagon NTSR|150px
|B 415776
|1954
|Shildon
|21 ton coal hopper wagon
|Operational
|-
|21t Coal Wagon NTSR 2|150px
|722
|1958
|Hurst Nelson
|21 ton coal hopper wagon
|Operational
|-
|21t Coal Wagon NTSR 3|150px
|6555
|1956
|Hurst Nelson
|21 ton coal hopper wagon
|Operational
|-
|Box Container|150px
|
|
|
|5 ton Type BD General Goods Container (Diagram 3/050)
|Unrestored
|-
|Box van NTSR|150px
|B 85xxxx
|Unrestored
|Operational
|-
|Railway Crane NTSR|150px
|DRS 81140
|Smith Rodley
|Stored
|}
Steam locomotives
Billy
Billy was built by George Stephenson in 1816, and was one of the various pioneering designs now known as the Killingworth locomotives, because they were built for use in Killingworth Colliery. It is often referred to as the Killingworth Billy to differentiate it from Puffing Billy, built by William Hedley in 1813 for the Wylam Colliery. Killingworth Billy ran until 1879, and it was presented to the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1881. It is a stationary exhibit, mounted on a short stretch of period track with block-mounted rails, to remain compatible with horse-drawn trains. Horses would have been tripped up by conventional sleepers.
No.1
An 0-6-0 side tank built in 1951 as works number 7683. It is thought she was delivered new to Meaford Power Station to shunt coal waggons. It was one of several of its type supplied to power stations by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Ltd., Forth Banks, Newcastle upon Tyne during the 1950s. They were used to transport coal wagons from mainline sidings into the power station, supplying the boiler-house coal bunkers. Their small diameter wheels enabled heavy loads to be hauled at slow speeds. Larger wheeled versions were supplied when long journeys were needed - for example, some colliery systems. Locally they could be seen working at places in Northumberland and Durham including Ashington, Backworth, Stanley and Consett. This loco was purchased from the Power Station by the East Lancashire Railway and hauled their first trains at Bury. After a period in store, she was overhauled at Bury and moved to Tyneside in 1996. It ran for several years before being taken out of service in 2003. It is currently on display in the museum.
Ashington No.5 Jackie Milburn
This 0-6-0 saddle tank was built in 1939 as works number 1970 by Peckett and Sons of Bristol for Ashington Coal Company which operated one of Britain's most extensive colliery railway systems. In 1939, two identical locomotives were delivered to one of Peckett's standard designs and they received the names Ashington No 5 & Ashington No 6. The former spent her entire industrial career on the railway for which she was built. In 1969 she was sold by the National Coal Board to North Norfolk Preserved Railway when the Ashington system was dieselised. However, she returned to Northumberland in 1991 and was repainted into the "as delivered to Ashington Colliery" livery. The loco was additionally named Jackie Milburn in honour of the local football hero. Removed from service and placed back on static display in the museum in summer 2018.
No.401
No. 401 was one of a class of three built for the Steel Company of Wales in 1950, as works number 2994 (2995 and 2996 were built in 1951), to an advanced specification designed to provide a low maintenance competitor to the diesel shunters emerging. As such it had many advanced features not seen on other industrial steam locomotives. It was sold to Austin Motor Co. Ltd., of Longbridge, Birmingham in 1957 before passing in 1973 to the developing West Somerset Railway. Once it became surplus to larger locomotives there, the Stephenson Railway Museum purchased 2994 and repainted it from "Kermit the frog" green to a black livery similar to a NER style. The locomotive was placed on static display in 2008. After a 6-year restoration period it returned to active service in Easter 2019. Repainted into BR Blue early 2019.
No.10
An early diesel built in 1958, Consett Iron and Steelworks No.10 is the last example of in-house production of locomotives by industrial railways in the North East.
Harton Electric E4
Electric locomotive No.E4 was built for the Harton coal system at South Shields.
Coaches, wagons and departmental stock
thumb|right|No.401 on mixed freight at Middle Engine Lane
thumb|right|Ashington No.5 and No.08915 top and tailing Santa Specials
thumb|right|A.No.5 at Percy Main
The three ex-British Rail Mk1 carriages are used for the passenger trains. They were used on the Kings Cross suburban lines. They wear BR Midland Maroon Livery. They were preserved by the Bluebell Railway between 1973 and 1975, and were obtained by the museum in 1986. Other bus stops on Atmel Way in the adjacent Cobalt Business Park provide other connections, including to the two nearest Metro stations - Percy Main five minutes away to the south and Northumberland Park ten minutes away to the north (on the southern and northern sections of the North Tyneside loop, respectively).