THE historic Newcastle to Carlisle railway line hadn’t seen anything like it for more than 140 years. Civic leaders, well-wishers, employees and enthusiasts turned out in their hundreds to clap and cheer when Wetheral Station was re-opened in October 1981.
In 1838 their forbears did very much the same thing when the whole line across the North of England was opened for the first time.
And back in 1981, at Wetheral’s historic event it was local parish council chairman, Mr Barry Earp, who harked back to the early days and compared the past with the present.
Sadly in 1967 Wetheral Station became another railway casualty and had to be closed.
But a 12 year campaign led the the great re-opening of the station in 1981.