LNER (NE Area) Electrification of the Newcastle – South Shields Branch, 1935

Description

Falling passenger numbers on South Tyneside caused by effective bus competition and the intense trade depression caused the LNER to commission a report on the potential for electrifying the Newcastle – South Shields service. With much of the motive power and passenger stock utilised on the South Shields branch over 30 years so it was not difficult to see why passengers preferred the more frequent. bright, airy buses. The report sets out the facts and figures as to whether there was a more cost effective way of improving the service. The solution utilising some redundant electrical equipment from the defunct Shildon – Newport freight line with refurbished North Eastern electric stock dating from 1920 displaced from the North Tyneside lines.