at Witton-le-Wear to , and a small branchline across the river to Bishopley. With all works again undertaken by the S&DR, this line opened on 3 August 1847. After these works had been completed, the BA&WR amalgamated with the WXR. All service were operated by the S&DR, which officially took over the new company in January 1857. In 1862, an Act of Parliament was passed allowing the S&DR backed Frosterley & Stanhope Railway to extend the line to , thus allowing trains to transport limestone from the Newlandside Estate on the south side of the town. The final extension of the Weardale Railway to opened on 21 October 1895. Between Eastgate and Westgate at Cambo Keels, sidings were established to serve the Weardale Iron Company's Heights limestone quarry, which is still in operation today. Decline and closure As elsewhere the UK, rail traffic in the area declined after World War II, with the Wearhead branch the first to lose its passenger trains in 1953. The principal closures came in the 1960s, post the Beeching Axe. Services to Barnard Castle via West Auckland ended in 1962, those to Durham in 1964, and to Crook in 1965. That left only the former original S&DR line to line in operation, along with the freight-only branch traffic to Eastgate. Durham County Council recognised the value of the line to leisure services by 1983 when, with the patronage of David Bellamy, intermittent specials began to serve Stanhope again under the banner of "The Heritage Line", because of the S&DR association. This became a scheduled weekend-only summer service, printed in BR public timetables, between 23 May 1988 and 27 September 1992. Etherley, otherwise known as Witton Park Station, was re-opened on 21 August 1991. It has not re-opened under the post 2010 Weardale Railway operation. In March 1993, Lafarge decided to service the Eastgate cement works by road and end its use of rail. British Rail then announced its intention to close the line due to the loss of revenue. Local authorities sought another use for the line and considered that the only immediate possibility was a steam-hauled tourist service. Formation of Weardale Railway Trust The Weardale Railway preservation project was founded in 1993, with the intention that a private company should take ownership of the line and start a steam service for tourists on the scenic western section. The operating company was known as the