Blackhall Colliery railway station

The North Eastern Railway opened their new coastal line linking the former Londonderry, Seaham and Sunderland Railway at and the former Hartlepool Dock and Railway at to passenger traffic on 1 April 1905. This line was built, primarily, to avoid the steep gradients of the inland route at Ryhope Bank and Hesleden but also provided access to the newly developed collieries along the Durham Coast. However, when the line was opened, the NER chose to build the station to serve the Blackhalls at what became Blackhall Rocks as sinking of the colliery at Blackhall did not begin until 1909 and thus the main traffic that was expected to use the station was that of tourists visiting the caves at…