UK Screenshots for Pre BR Blue. High resolution warning.

It might not look much but this is my attempt to model the Victoria Bridge at Penshaw on the Leamside Line and it consumed about 6 hours work. The next step is to figure out if I can reskin the Arched Viaduct Kit to look like the SAM Bridge Abutments. The real bridge took just 2.25 years to build , opening in June 1838 and cost the equivalent of £3.72 million in modern money. In typical BR fashion it was refurbished in 1989 and the line closed 2 years later.

Victoria Bridge NER C Class 6.5.24 by A1 Northeastern, on Flickr
 
Evercreech Junction has received its own custom signal boxes - a few hours work each all in all. First up Evercreech Junction North 'box - this protected the junction between the main line and the branch and also controlled the upper yard. This box burnt down on the penultimate day of operation under mysterious circumstances leaving only the stone base and lever frame, and there are pictures of S&T engineers working besides the charred remains to reestablish communications with the rest of the line to enable to last trains to run. Of interest here is the middle landing, designed to facilitate token exchange on both the mainline and the loop line running behind the 'box.

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Evercreech Junction South 'box was the more photographed of the two, and is my favourite. It's quite a tall 'box in order to afford the signal man a clear view of the station over the footbridge. This controlled the lower yard and the various sidings. Of interest here are the signal box steps - the signal man gained access to the box from a landing on the footbridge, after which a short bridge connecting this landing to the rest of the 'box provided access. An interesting (unique perhaps?) design and one that exemplified the unique characteristics of the S&D. Pilotwoo is kindly working on a footbridge model with the panel taken out to enable a clear passage.

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Cheers,

PLP
 
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it is 7.26 am at Eastgate station on the Weardale Branch of the North Eastern Railway and whoever is the person viewing the station had better get a move on as the down branch passenger train for Wearhead leaves in two minutes!
The clerk in the booking office won't be thrilled at having to issue them the ticket either, as Stationmaster Dawson has him labelling and stamping the Stationmasters newspaper sale batch, which came in on the train, while the Porter will be getting ready to take both the mail and the newspapers to the Post office in order to catch the morning delivery. The fires were lit in the booking office and waiting rooms only after the departure of the first up branch passenger train at 6.48 am, so the place hasn't warmed through yet, adding to the pressure on the clerk.
The morning on a country station in the early 20th century, as recalled by J.B. Dawson who was just 12 at the time of the grouping and the son of the Stationmaster.
His recollections were published in the North Eastern Railway Association magazine in 1982, when Dawson was 70 and looking back on his childhood at the station.
 
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it is 7.26 am at Eastgate station on the Weardale Branch of the North Eastern Railway and whoever is the person viewing the station had better get a move on as the down branch passenger train for Wearhead leaves in two minutes!
The clerk in the booking office won't be thrilled at having to issue them the ticket either, as Stationmaster Dawson has him labelling and stamping the Stationmasters newspaper sale batch, which came in on the train, while the Porter will be getting ready to take both the mail and the newspapers to the Post office in order to catch the morning delivery. The fires were lit in the booking office and waiting rooms only after the departure of the first up branch passenger train at 6.48 am, so the place hasn't warmed through yet, adding to the pressure on the clerk.
The morning on a country station in the early 20th century, as recalled by J.B. Dawson who was just 12 at the time of the grouping and the son of the Stationmaster.
His recollections were published in the North Eastern Railway Association magazine in 1982, when Dawson was 70 and looking back on his childhood at the station.
Everyone fighting over the NER and the south.

Then there the poor Midland and Furness railways totally forgotten about. 😥

But still very good work there Borderreiver looking forward to it. 👍
 
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it is 7.26 am at Eastgate station on the Weardale Branch of the North Eastern Railway and whoever is the person viewing the station had better get a move on as the down branch passenger train for Wearhead leaves in two minutes!
The clerk in the booking office won't be thrilled at having to issue them the ticket either, as Stationmaster Dawson has him labelling and stamping the Stationmasters newspaper sale batch, which came in on the train, while the Porter will be getting ready to take both the mail and the newspapers to the Post office in order to catch the morning delivery. The fires were lit in the booking office and waiting rooms only after the departure of the first up branch passenger train at 6.48 am, so the place hasn't warmed through yet, adding to the pressure on the clerk.
The morning on a country station in the early 20th century, as recalled by J.B. Dawson who was just 12 at the time of the grouping and the son of the Stationmaster.
His recollections were published in the North Eastern Railway Association magazine in 1982, when Dawson was 70 and looking back on his childhood at the station.

My parents used to go on days out down the Wear Valley from about 1968 and I always loved the "Train Set" appearance of Eastgate and Westgate stations as seen from the road. I remember going to derelict Westgate station in about 1974 with my dad and the whole floor of the ticket office was covered in old wagon labels from the heavy goods traffic there. Just a suggestion you may find "WHR CNR RWC Crianlarich Railway Workers' Cottages" by masontaylor is a very good match for the cement rendered stations on the line. Keep up the good work !

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My parents used to go on days out down the Wear Valley from about 1968 and I always loved the "Train Set" appearance of Eastgate and Westgate stations as seen from the road. I remember going to derelict Westgate station in about 1974 with my dad and the whole floor of the ticket office was covered in old wagon labels from the heavy goods traffic there. Just a suggestion you may find "WHR CNR RWC Crianlarich Railway Workers' Cottages" by masontaylor is a very good match for the cement rendered stations on the line. Keep up the good work !

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Thank you kindly for the heads up about the MasonTaylor assets.
I think that I should contact him about building a reasonable facsimile of the rendered station buildings.
The NERA digital express archive now has the supplements and I see that there is a drawing for Wearhead's loco shed.
Now I have to work out how to get that in hard copy.

FYI for anyone who is interested, Paul Mace is about to set to work on building the Diagram 75A 52ft BCL(2-3) carriages for me.
Next job will be the build of the Diagram 75s.
 
Thank you kindly for the heads up about the MasonTaylor assets.
I think that I should contact him about building a reasonable facsimile of the rendered station buildings.
The NERA digital express archive now has the supplements and I see that there is a drawing for Wearhead's loco shed.
Now I have to work out how to get that in hard copy.

FYI for anyone who is interested, Paul Mace is about to set to work on building the Diagram 75A 52ft BCL(2-3) carriages for me.
Next job will be the build of the Diagram 75s.

I have a decent photo of Wearhead Engine Shed. It is brick, three windows on the left visible side, 2 square tall roof vents. Also buttresses between the windows.
 
Washington station is coming along OK with all track connected up and just a few signals and point rods although sadly I don't have a diagram for the Station signalbox which was unusual in that it stood back to back with a disused signalbox. I'm installing the branch line - the Washington Wagonway - to Glebe Colliery and F Pit but this is made harder by the fact that most of the town centre has been razed and replaced by 1969s and 70s housing.

Washington Station 14.5.24 by A1 Northeastern, on Flickr

The most difficult part of this build was the road bridges at the north end of the station where the Leamside and Pontop lines crossed Station Road. It took a couple of hours but turned out better than I had hoped. Chemical Works signalbox on the left was replaced by a BR(NE) modern box in 1958 but there's nothing like it on the DLS so I stuck with the original.

Washington Station 14.5.24 (2) by A1 Northeastern, on Flickr
 
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I will have to look at back issues of the NERA "Express" magazine as I am sure there was an article about Washington station around a year or two ago.
At the time you appear to be representing the Tyne Dock - Consett ore trains were still running through Washington as this part of their route was the original Stanhope & Tyne trackbed.
Hudson used it from a junction a little way north of the northern end of the Victoria viaduct to a junction with the Brandling Railway at Brockley Whins to provide the final links in the chain to bring express passenger trains from London to the Tyne (Gateshead actually, Greenesfield station). Stephensons's High level Bridge was still more than a decade away in the future). It was a circuitous route but then Hudson was a master of the deal and tried to actually build as little as possible. Building stuff made peoplepenniless, as the builders of the Stanhope & Tyne, the cutting at Ferryhill and the Victoria viaduct at Washington all discovered to their cost.

Further south, Durham was not on the main line at all, Darlington Bank Top as we know it did not exist, the main line reached York from the south via the York and North Midland line from Normanton (the GNR had not yet reached York) and the station at York was inside the city walls and which necessitated a reversal. Washington was on "the old east coast main line" but by your shot of the 1960s those days were a long way behind it.
 
I will have to look at back issues of the NERA "Express" magazine as I am sure there was an article about Washington station around a year or two ago.
At the time you appear to be representing the Tyne Dock - Consett ore trains were still running through Washington as this part of their route was the original Stanhope & Tyne trackbed.
Hudson used it from a junction a little way north of the northern end of the Victoria viaduct to a junction with the Brandling Railway at Brockley Whins to provide the final links in the chain to bring express passenger trains from London to the Tyne (Gateshead actually, Greenesfield station). Stephensons's High level Bridge was still more than a decade away in the future). It was a circuitous route but then Hudson was a master of the deal and tried to actually build as little as possible. Building stuff made peoplepenniless, as the builders of the Stanhope & Tyne, the cutting at Ferryhill and the Victoria viaduct at Washington all discovered to their cost.

Further south, Durham was not on the main line at all, Darlington Bank Top as we know it did not exist, the main line reached York from the south via the York and North Midland line from Normanton (the GNR had not yet reached York) and the station at York was inside the city walls and which necessitated a reversal. Washington was on "the old east coast main line" but by your shot of the 1960s those days were a long way behind it.

Yes , I've run an iron ore train however due to the vanilla 9F not working it uses Black Prince and some American gondola wagons since there are no iron ore tipplers either :( Interestingly Penshaw Monument can be seen in the distance but in real life it cannot due to the vast amounts of tree growth around the light industrial buildings erected on the site of the former chemical works ! There's a useful article on the tippler wagons here https://southpelawjunction.co.uk/wp/?page_id=631

9F at Washington 15.5.24 by A1 Northeastern, on Flickr
 
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