Station Name: RYHOPE (2nd site)[Source:Alan Young]
 Ryhope station looking north in the early twentieth century. It was opened in 1894, several years after the derailment of an express train on the curve beyond the station (which was realigned to make it less severe). The platform buildings, footbridge and signal box are distinctively NER structures. On the left (down) platform the booking office and waiting rooms are within the single-storey twin-pavilion structure; its glazed verandah is a feature of many NER stations designed in the period when William Bell was the company’s architect. On the up platform are a timber waiting shed with toilet and the two-storey
station house. Photo from Alan Young and John Mann collections  
1897 OS 1: 2,500 map. The first station site (see 1st NER and 1st LR station pages) is no longer named and two separate Ryhope stations are drawn in detail. A building adjacent to the site of the original NER station is marked with a gated track approaching it from the south. The new Ryhope NER station’s platforms are shown clearly, with the main building on the up platform adjacent to George Street. On the down platform a waiting shed is shown with the stationmaster’s house to the north. A footbridge is at the north-eastern end of the station for use by passengers wishing to change platforms and a set of steps at each end allows pedestrians on the road crossing the railway to use it; this arrangement was presumably provided before Robson Place was diverted from crossing the line at the level to diving under it.
1920 OS 1: 2,500 map. Ryhope is identified simply as ‘Station’. The main building is shown with twin pavilions embracing a glazed verandah.
 1953-54 OS 1: 2,500 map. Ryhope station closed to passengers in January 1953. The platforms and buildings are complete. Although the station appears never officially to be known as Ryhope ‘West’ the building at the north end of the down platform is described as ‘West Station House’.
Looking north-east along the down platform of Ryhope station in 1950. The locomotive on the three-coach passenger train is an 0-4-4 ex-NER Class ‘O’, later LNER/BR Class G5; unfortunately, its number is illegible.
Photo from Ted Burgess collection 
In July 1952 an excursion from Durham (Elvet) is arriving at Ryhope station. Although the Elvet terminus had closed to regular passenger traffic in January 1931 it continued to be used by specials, notably on Durham Miners’ Gala days, until July 1953; the train seen here is possibly such a Gala day service. The J39 0-6-0 Gresley-designed loco was built by the LNER at Darlington works in March 1934. At first numbered 1472 she was renumbered 4852, receiving the ‘6’ prefix after nationalisation. The loco was withdrawn from 52B, Heaton shed, in December 1962 and was subsequently cut up.
Photo from Chris Smith 
Ryhope station looking north-east in August 1958. The station has been closed to passengers for over five years but goods continue to be handled in sidings beyond the footbridge. Weeds are colonising the platforms and the up (right) platform building is derelict; the gents’ toilet at the near end has been removed leaving the wall of the shelter open to the elements. The main building (left) is probably derelict too. It is not known whether the station house is still occupied. The fine NER footbridge remains intact, as it does today.
Copyright photo from Stations UK  Looking north-east at the site of Ryhope station in April 1977. The station has been demolished but the NER footbridge remains intact; its south-western pair of staircases has been removed.
Photo by Alan Lewis from his Ipernity photo gallery 
The NER footbridge is the only surviving structure at Ryhope station; it is in good order and smartly painted. This view is looking north-east along the trackbed in March 2014.
Photo by Clive Nicholson reproduced from Geograph under creative commons licence
The NER footbridge is the only surviving structure at Ryhope station. This view is looking north-east along the trackbed in October 2016.
Photo by Malc McDonald reproduced from Geograph under creative commons licence 
The site of Ryhope station, looking north-east in January 2017. At the far end of the former station the distinctive NER footbridge is still in place.
Photo by Nigel Thompson reproduced from Geograph under creative commons licence
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Ryhope station was immediately south-west of the bridge where Robson Place passed under the railway, having been diverted from crossing the line on the level. The station’s two facing platforms were about 210yd in length. The principal passenger building was on the down (Sunderland-bound) platform. Its design resembled that at Prudhoe (1884) consisting of a plain single-storey, brick-built structure under a slate pitched roof, with wings projecting onto the platform at each end. Between the wings was a verandah enclosed by a glazed, timber screen. The building contained the station offices and waiting rooms. On the opposite platform was a pent-roofed timber structure containing waiting and toilet facilities. At the north-east end of this platform was the stationmaster’s house, a dull two-storey affair in brick with a slightly overhanging pitched roof. Also at this end of the platforms was a standard, curved profile NER footbridge. This was a graceful design made up of cast iron parts which was erected on site. The castings were lettered and numbered to facilitate assembly. Regrettably, the original standard drawing for these bridges is undated, but they appeared at many NER stations in the late nineteenth century. Access to the footbridge was provided both from the platforms and the road side.
In 1931 the passenger service on the Durham (Elvet) branch was cut back to Pittington, although excursion trains (including the annual Durham Miners’ Gala specials) continued to be handled at Elvet station. The September 1937 timetable shows that a frequent weekday service of through trains from Sunderland now operates to Pittington (or to Hetton – the station before Pittington) and on weekdays the interval for much of the day is hourly, with a similar frequency of trains to West Hartlepool though at less regular intervals. Sunday train services are, however, sparse. The 1920s and ‘30s saw increased competition offered by road motor transport, notably buses in this area where car ownership was probably not high. In May 1931, for example, Northern operated a quarter-hourly weekday bus service between Sunderland and West Hartlepool (half-hourly on Sunday) and Sunderland District Omnibus Co provided hourly services every day. Northern also ran a half-hourly service between Sunderland, Ryhope, Murton, Haswell and Thornley – all with stations on the old Sunderland – West Hartlepool railway. Intending passengers enjoyed generous provision of public transport at this time. The notion of buses competing with the trains is somewhat misleading as the Railway (Road Transport) Act of 1928 was promoted by the four big ‘grouping’ railway companies to allow them to operate buses; and under a subsequent agreement made with existing bus interests, railway companies were permitted to acquire up to 50% of the shares in bus companies. The LNER took advantage of this and acquired a financial stake, for instance, in Northern and in Sunderland and District (who provided ‘competing’ buses – see above) as well as United.
On 1 January 1948 most of the railway network in Great Britain was nationalised as British Railways (BR) and the Ryhope stations were allocated to the North Eastern Region (NE). Mr H R Peacock is thought to have been stationmaster at this time. After his death in service on 23 June 1951 it is likely that he was succeeded by Mr H J Millett who held the post until December 1955 when he was transferred to Longwood & Milnsbridge.
The line through Ryhope remained busy with coal traffic and the station’s goods facility (shared with Ryhope East) continued to operate. Ryhope East was to remain open to passengers until 7 March 1960. On this date Ryhope goods was renamed Ryhope East and it eventually closed on 1 June 1964. Ryhope station had been demolished by 1977 with the exception of the footbridge. The line through the station was used by coal trains from Murton Colliery until the closure of this pit in November 1991; the date of track-lifting is not known. Today almost the entire former Ryhope Grange Junction – Wellfield – Hart (West Hartlepool) railway is a traffic-free cycle route, one of many old railway trackbeds in County Durham providing recreational rights of way. At Ryhope the distinctive NER footbridge is all that remains of the station, with staircases on the north-east side only.
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