The railway began in the early 1970s as an idea from engineers and enthusiasts Jack Wakefield and Don Proudlock. A special trio was completed by the third founder, Micheal Henderson who still owns the railway today.
On Saturday, July 2 visitors and fans celebrated 50 years of the miniature railway with a reopening ceremony, with owner Michael on hand to cut a ribbon to mark the occasion.
The railway is the last public steam-hauled working railway of the 9 ½ inch gauge to be found anywhere in the country.
See these 10 photos with the earliest pictures taken in 1972 and the latest in 2022.
5. Drivers
Preparing to drop a set of wheels in 1980 with driver Keith Nye, leaning with the pick in the foreground. Although now living in Leeds, Keith is still a regular driver to this day and will have been driving for 50 years himself in 2023. Photo: Henderson Collection
6. Cutting of the ribbon
Pictured -r are Matt Nunn, owner Michael Henderson and Anthony Coulls of the National Railway Museum, York. Photo: Kevin Brady
7. South Marine Park
On March 31, Good Friday in 1972, the Lakeshore Railroad in South Marine Park, South Shields, carried its first passengers. Photo: Henderson Collection
8. First season
Jack Wakefield, one of the founding three, readies Mountaineer for another trip round the lake during the first season of the railway in 1972. Photo: Henderson Collection