Excavation on the Brunton and Shields Railway at Weetslade,North Tyneside

Abstract

Excavation and recording of a section of the Brunton and Shields Railway, near Wideopen, North Tyneside, has revealed remains of two phases of trackbed, both dating to the first half of the 19th century. The original 1826 line, which was horse-drawn, lay in a cutting over 1m deep. The line was relaid in 1839 for the introduction of a locomotive. Clear evidence was found for the construction method of both the 1826 and 1839 tracks, although no sleepers or rails were found in situ.

The excavation has shown that, despite continual use of the line for over 150 years, signifi cant remains survived of the earlier trackbeds, the depth of the cutting being the principal factor in their preservation. The excavation is one of comparatively few investigations of an early railway to examine a single section of line in detail. The remains uncovered date from the era of iron rails and stone sleepers, which distinguishes it from other published excavations from the north-east, where earlier wooden waggonways were revealed. The work demonstrates the wider potential for early railway remains to lie beneath later lines, even those in recent use, and emphasises the need to examine the routes of early lines archaeologically.