Rowley railway station (England)

Rowley's original station buildings in 2011, seen following their translocation to Beamish Museum.

The station was opened on 1 September 1845 as Cold Rowley as a stop on the Derwent Railway route from Consett to Crook but was renamed Rowley on 1 July 1868. It was situated on the west side of the A68 on what is now the Waskerley Way cycle track which passes through the station site. The goods traffic that was handled at the station was ganister (stone) and livestock. By 1931, passenger numbers had declined to 2,548 and to 753 in 1938, which led to its inevitable passenger closure on 1 May 1939. The station was still open to goods traffic with a single track in the 1950s until it closed completely on 6 June 1966. The line through the station continued to carry mineral traffic until 1 May 1969 and was then dismantled in 1970.[1]

By the 1970s, the station buildings had fallen into disrepair however in 1972 the station buildings were dismantled for reassembly at the North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish.[1] The relocated Rowley station was opened to public as a museum exhibit in 1976 and is presented as a North Eastern Railway station during the Edwardian period.[2]