June 1890 Timetable

Ann Sandell sent me an interesting image today - a copy of the Stainmore Line passenger timetable for June 1890. And it has got a 'local' slant too - it is a copy printed by J.W. Braithwaite's in Kirkby Stephen. It was clearly intended for local use as it also includes Midland Railway services from the West Station.

In June 1890 there were five services daily each way between Kirkby Stephen and Darlington, and five services each way between Kirkby Stephen and Penrith. In Victorian times the through trains from Darlington ran on to Tebay, and you changed at the East Station for the 'Valley Branch'. There are a couple of pictures taken from  what is now the A685 bridge looking east where you can see a train hurrying in from Stainmore with another train 'waiting in the clear' in the loop just beyond the bridge waiting for the incoming Tebay train to depart before it pulls into the platform behind it with the 'Valley Branch' connection.

You can enlarge the picture by left-clicking on it. The 5:00 PM departure from Darlington espcially caught my eye - into Kirkby Stephen by 6:24 PM with nine intermediate stops! So probably around 70 minutes net running time. You would pushed to drive it in that time via 'Barney' today. Must have been a speedy locomotive in charge - in the 1890's perhaps a Fletcher '910' Class 2-4-0?