Ghost Train #1 – Bishop Auckland Traditional Cache
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Ghost Train #1 – Bishop Auckland
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
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This is the first in a series of caches placed near to old Railway Stations in County Durham. Unfortunately most of these stations have long since ceased to operate, however some of the old station buildings have survived.
The first railway to Bishop Auckland opened in 1843 as an extension of The Stockton & Darlington Railway from South Church to The Wear Valley and the town eventually developed into an important interchange point with lines radiating to all parts of the railway network including Darlington, Crook, Shotley Bridge, the Derwent Valley & Weardale, Spennymoor, Barnard Castle and Durham. The station was unusual in shape being triangular, it was no problem if a locomotive needed turning.
The line between Bishop Auckland and Durham opened to freight in August 1856 and to passengers in July 1857 with three intermediate stations at Hunwick, Willington and Brancepeth. A fourth station serving Brandon Colliery was added in 1861. The Bishop Auckland line was a three way junction with the Waterhouses branch trailing in from the west and a spur to Lanchester Valley and Consett leaving to the North-West.
The line also served a number of collieries including Hunwick Colliery with a line to Newfield Colliery and Brickworks from Hunwick Station, West Hunwick Colliery, Rough Lea Colliery, Willington and Sunnybrow Collieries via a link to The West Durham Railway, Brancepeth Colliery (with a colliery line to Oakenshaw Colliery) and Brandon Colliery (with a colliery line to Brandon Pit House Colliery). The line was occasionally used by diverted mainline express traffic to avoid engineering works between Darlington and Durham.
The Durham - Bishop Auckland passenger service ceased in May 1964 although it was re-opened for one day in July 1964 for a Miners Gala train from Brandon, Waterhouses, Ushaw Moor and Fencehouses and a few other stations. Freight facilities were withdrawn from Brancepeth, Willington & Brandon Colliery from August 1964 (Hunwick lost its freight service in 1958) although the line remained in use for freight for a further four years.
Much of the remainder of the line has now been converted into the 9.5 mile Brandon - Bishop Auckland Railway Path. The path begins at Broompark Picnic Area. It passes through the villages of Brandon, Brancepeth, Willington and Hunwick before reaching its end at the Newton Cap Viaduct, outside Bishop Auckland. The Durham platforms at Bishop Auckland have gone and the site is now a Halfords store.
Parking is available in either of the following car parks; Halfords, B&Q, Morrisons or the Train Station itself (although this can get full very quickly at peak times).
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Or pnershy jura ybbxvat...Ovt Oebgure znl or jngpuvat!!!
Treasures
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