Rolling along towards green steam railway

6:01am Friday 8th December 2006

A RAILWAY carriage pulled into the North Tyne for the first time in 50 years yesterday, as plans take shape to create Europe's first green steam rail line.

The 25-ft-long passenger carriage is owned by rail enthusiasts Jim and Kate Rees, of Stanhope, County Durham, who are working with the Forestry Commission and the Kielder Partnership to develop the plans.

The partnership is investigating the possibility of reviving a section of the defunct Border Railway line, as part of the Kielder Big Picture, in Northumberland, a scheme to make the area one of the region's prime tourist destinations.

If the project goes ahead, the Rees' Green Dragon locomotive would pull the carriage over a two-mile stretch of narrow-gauge railway between a new water ferry landing stage, at Gowanburn, and Kielder Castle, via Kielder's historic 19th Century viaduct.

The carriage has now gone on display at Leaplish Waterside park, off the C200, as a focal point for wider consultations on the scheme.

Paul Nichol, Kielder Partnership officer, said: "Although it's early days, we thought it was important to allow people to see the scale of the carriage and the potential of the venture.

"The next stage is to commission a survey to look at the proposed route of the line and the feasibility of laying new rails. This will happen in the new year.

"If it all comes to fruition, it will be a major step forward in improving access to this beautiful area, while being a sustainable tourist attraction in its own right."

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