Geograph - photograph every grid square

The Auckland Way uses the former railway alignment between Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor. The earliest part of the railway opened in 1841, linking Byers Green to the Clarence Railway's route to Teesside at Ferryhill. The Clarence Railway was en early competitor to the Stockton & Darlington Railway, active in the transportation of coal from Durham collieries to ports on the Tees. The North Eastern Railway extended the line in 1885, infilling the gap between Bishop Auckland and Byers Green. The last part to open was the first to lose its passenger service in 1939, the remaining services to Spennymoor were withdrawn in 1952.