This early railway was opened in 1834 to transport limestone
from the quarries above Stanhope in Weardale and coal from the
various collieries in North Durham to South Shields. Its consulting
engineer was Robert Stephenson and the line was built without an
Act of Parliament and by means of 'Wayleaves' where the company
paid the landowner an annual rent for crossing their property. Not
surprisingly as word got out so the landowners started asking for
extortionate rents and the line was bankrupt by 1840.
Rowley had three platform faces, a side platform with the
station buildings and an island platform. Having been closed to
passengers in 1939, goods facilities lingered until June 1966. The
line through Rowley survived until 1969 served by Tyne Yard
'trippers' en route to Durhills Sand Quarry which was the terminus
of the line after the closure of Weatherhill and Crawley
inclines.
In 1972 the station was dismantled and transported, stone by
stone, to Beamish, the North of England Open Air Museum
where it was painstakingly rebuilt and furnished, as it would have
been in 1913. Rowley Station was re-opened at Beamish in July 1976
by the Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman. The station now forms part
of the Museum's NER exhibit, complete with goods yard, signal box
and rolling stock
Note on the cache - there's a tool nearby that will help you
out. Please replace the tool and cache as you found them.