North East England - Steam Days Screenshots - Large Screenshots Possible

ECML 1953 - River Tees on a Summer Saturday

Northeast England during the steam era. Now summer is over here is a glimpse of high summer 64 years ago, in a different world. Inspired by more information in the WTTreprint working timetable and Xpress Publishing's book on the District Controller's view I have two trains passing on the bridge over the River Tees to the south of Croft Spa. A Thompson rebuild of Raven's S3 Class 4-6-0, the B16/3 number 61454 on the down line passes another Thompson 4-6-0, this one being an example of his B1 Class, number 61002 IMPALA. They are on very different duties. IMPALA is turned out on the Summer Saturday Only Class A Express train number 1089, 11:00 from Newcastle to Scarborough and fortunately has been made up of good quality, though elderly, Gresley corridor stock for the three hour fifteen minute journey. The B16/3 is on a workaday MX (Mondays Excepted) 10:35 Skelton New Sidings to Croft Junction yard freight running loose-coupled under class H conditions, train number 1816. The line limit between York and Darlington is 90 wagons and the B16/3 is cleared to haul 80 at 25 mph, the same as a K3 2-6-0. There is more to this train than meets the eye at first glance. From the Xpress Publications work I learned that to simplify traffic arrangements many trains between York and Croft Junction, as well as York and Newport Yard on Teesside were consolidated, with one block of traffic to/from the yard at Skelton New Sidings and one block to/from outside the NE Region. In this case the 10:35 includes unbraked wagons from Normanton, which left there at 02:48, (arriving Skelton New Sidings at 06:45) along with a block of empty plate and bolsters bound from Skelton New Yard to Consett. The blocks will be split at Croft. with the steel empties being forwarded to Consett at 08:40 on Monday while the traffic from Normanton will be sorted in to onward trains leaving Croft, also on on Monday morning. The B16/3 will have a couple of hours to coal and water at Darlington shed before heading back to York on the 14:30 Saturdays Only Class H freight bound for East Goods Yard in London, train number 529, taking it as far as York. Loads between York and Croft/Newport could vary greatly from day to day but the pressure of freight on the York to Darlington/Eaglescliffe sections meant that maximising train lengths was necessary to efficiently use train paths, locomotives and crews.

Shots on the bridge, from a field on the north bank and from the Northallerton to Darlington road on the south bank.







 
Last edited:
Ferryhill 1927 - Morning Has Broken

Northeast England during the steam era. 1927, ninety years ago and four years after the grouping, Ferryhill awakes to a new working day. On the shed turntable, a Worsdell J21 0-6-0, number 1811 turns ready to take a train northwards. It is a superheated example of the class, equipped with screw coupling and Westinghouse train brake, so is permitted to haul both pasenger trains and fitted goods workings. Also in the shed environs are another J21, number 315, two J25s, a J26, a J73 and an N10 0-6-2T. In the backgound an F8 2-4-2T waits in one of the station's north bays while a J27 0-6-0 and Q5 0-8-0 pass on the goods lines behind the station.

During the 1920s, LNER tender engines carried their numbers on the tenders and even goods engines were granted single red lining. Financial pressures led to economies from 1928/29, with goods engines losing the red lining, becoming plain unlined black as they passed through workshops. Around the same time tenders lost the locomotive numbers, carrying only the lettering LNER. Locomotive numbers mostly moved to cab sides.

 
Felton Lane Crossing, ECML, Autumn 1922

Northeastern England during the steam era. The fiefdom of the North Eastern Railway, though here we are in the northern section, rural Northumberland and between Morpeth and Alnwick at the northern fringes of the great Northumberland coalfield. Around 5:30 p.m. on an autumn day in 1922, one of T.W. Worsdell's C Class 0-6-0s, number 1510 of Heaton shed, brings the 4:18 p.m. Tweedmouth to Newcastle Saturdays Only Up stopping passenger train southwards through Felton Lane Crossing, which is a little to the south of Chevington Station (in the background). The locomotive is a superheated example of the class, a modification authorised in 1914 for several of the class by the N.E.R. C.M.E. Sir Vincent Raven. Number 1510 has a lengthened smokebox, Westinghouse brake and screw couplings. The superheating enhanced her ability to be used as a mixed traffic locomotive rather than as a goods or mineral engine.

The set is NER set number 15, one of the "main Line" sets. The core of the set is a 52ft Bogie Lavatory Composite, Two 52ft Bogie Thirds and two 52ft bogie brake Thirds with 3 compartments. It is made up of high quality clerestory roof coaches. The working timetable called for an extra Third coach to be added at Darlington after its arrival at 10:15 a.m. On Saturdays Only a further bogie Third coach was added earlier at 9:39 a.m. upon departure from Richmond North Yorkshire. Both these coaches were added "for the day", taking the Saturday formation up to seven coaches. Today's extras are 49ft elliptical roof Thirds. The working timetable had a "W.T." entry for these two , meaning any bogie Third, of 45ft, 49ft or 52ft length would suffice. This means that the train would have 29 First Class seats but anywhere between 384 and 404 Third Class seats. The arrival in Newcastle at 6:31 p.m. was too late for shopping and the Newcastle United football match would be long over but a few hardy souls from further south at Morpeth might board there and be heading "to the Toon" for a drink, a dance hall or the cinema.

 
Last edited:
borderreiver said:
Hi hholdenaz, I commissioned barn700/paulztrainz to build them for me. He has also built V3 and v4 type North Eastern Railway brake vans for me, along with several different types of hopper wagon. The V1 "York Van" had three variants, V1/1, V1/2 and V1/3. The "Shildon Van"/"Bouch Van" was a holdout from Stockton & Darlington Railway days, with some being built at Shildon after the S&DR became part of the North Eastern Railway. For almost a decade, until 1873 the S&DR section was semi-autonomous, being run by the Darlington Committee and called the Darlington Section. The "Bouch vans" had five chain link couplings, with eight brake blocks acting on the four wheels and all had timber buffer blocks to permit working with chauldron type wagons (which could be found in north east collieries until around 1900). They had primitive solid iron buffers.
Click to expand...

I apologize for referring to an old post, but I do have some questions about that type of brake van. When were they built and how long were they in service? I tried looking on Google, but for some reason, got no luck.

And if you want to know why I'm interested, well, all I can say is that I don’t know any other brake vans that look like a Cupola Caboose.
 
Hi HHoldenaz. I am currently at sea and away from my library but I can give you a quick summary. The "Shildon Van/Bouch Van" had its origins in the Stockton & Darlington Railway, built from 1860. They were built until the 1870s, totalling around 100 vans. Most were gone by the first decade of the 20th century but several seem to have lasted until 1923 or 1924 with one left in 1927, given that replacement vans taking their numbers were built then. The usual practise being that numbers were only allocated shortly (weeks) after the predecessor was scrapped. The "York Vans" to diagrams V1/1, V1/2 and V1/3 also had origins in the mid-19th century railway. Five were still in railway service in 1940. Some found their way to colliery lines, for example those owned by Consett Iron Company, and were used in various roles. The CIC had running powers over the Consett branch to reach Eden Colliery and had to use a brake van on the coal train when running over NER/LNER/BR metals. The six-wheel 20T Brake Van to diagram V3 introduced in 1902 lasted until the mid-1940s,
 
Northeast England during the steam era. Back to doing some work on the BCR Reedsmouth to Bellingham route. Laying out some of the NW part of the town, lying to the north of the railway. Here, just prior to WWII a Gresley D49/2, number 217 "The Belvoir" brings the 6:00 a.m. Hawick to Newcastle passenger train in to Bellingham.







 
Transhipment in Action

Northeast England during the steam era. Circa 1922, here at the south end of Colton station on the ECML in North Yorkshire one of Raven's S3 Class 4-6-0s hauls a loose-coupled freight past on the down line. Working between York and Newcastle the head of the train is made of of 15 Ton 4-wheel Transhipment Vans to Diagram G6. These worked between main warehouses on a daily basis, transhipping less than van load consignments between the hubs. The NER had a pool of fitted bogie transhipment vans of 25 Ton capacity, the Diagram G7 (introduced 1906), but the G6 was built earlier (1903), and in slighty larger numbers (149 G6 v 100 G7). Loose-coupled slow speed unfitted freight vastly outnumbered the faster express fitted freight on the railway. Once unloaded at a transhipment hub such as Newcastle Forth or Gateshead Park Lane, the consignments would be sorted and placed in to road wagons for onward delivery to their destination goods warehouses. In some cases the consignment would be placed on a wagon stopping at a smaller, intermediate warehouse, before then being unloaded and transhipped on to a final road wagon, which would take it to the destination goods warehouse.



 
Last edited:
15T Road Vans and 25T Bogie Transhipment Vans in Northumberland 1922

Northeastern England during the steam era. Chevington station, Amble Junction and Acklington station on the ECML in rural Northumberland circa 1922.



Above, a Worsdell P Class 0-6-0 (LNER Class J24) gets away from Chevington station, taking the down independent line with the daily pickup goods from Morpeth for the Amble branch. At the head of the train is the NER 15 Ton Road Van to diagram G4. Introduced in 1902, the NER built 271 examples. The G4 had four wheels and two doors per side. One each side has the roller top to assist with loads a little too tall for the regular doorway. The NER van also has lower doors which drop and act as ramps to ease the access by trolleys. Speed is an important factor when loading and unloading consignments from the van. The NER would send a wagon to a customer whose consignment was two tons or more but many consignments were smaller than this.



Above, P Class number 1900 comes off the independent line and takes the Amble branch at Amble junction.



Above, a Raven S2 Class 4-6-0 passes Acklington station with an up fitted freight for Newcastle Forth Banks. At the head of the train are two NER 25 Ton bogie Transhipment Vans. Many of these were commandeered by the War Department during WWI and used in Ambulance trains as stores vans and pharmacy vans. At the rear of the train the brake van and guard accomodation is a former NER 6-wheel 32ft Passenger Luggage van cascaded to the freight department for braked trains. The NER preferred to get its moneys worth out of assets and saved building braked versions of their V4 goods brake van by using old luggage vans (which already had the guard's wheel, seat and lookout duckets). I have no information if (like the later LMS Stove R) guards complained enough to get a stove installed for heating the van.



Above, the S2, number 797 approaches Amble junction from the north. The junction's signal cab spanning the tracks is clearly visible.

This personal T:ANE transdem route of the Amble branch and the ECML between Morpeth and Alnmouth is a work in progress.
 
Last edited:
Amble Junction

Northeast England during the steam era. 1922 and the NER Raven S2 4-6-0 number 797 passes Amble Junction with the Up fitted van service for Newcastle Forth Banks Goods yard. The branch from Amble joins from the left of the locomotive.

The 4-6-0 probably brought the train from Tweedmouth. If it, or any part of it started further north, such as Edinburgh or Leith, then the NBR had its own half-roundhouse shed at Berwick Upon Tweed. The NBR loco would have come off there, or possibly at the yard at Tweedmouth. The NBR shed at Berwick was an early casualty post-grouping. The LNER closed in in 1924/25, moving its ex-NBR locos across the River Tweed to the ex-NER Tweedmouth shed.

That was not a move from Scotland to England. Both the NBR sheds at Berwick and Carlisle were in England, as was the NBR shed at Reedsmouth Junction on the Border Counties Railway. The LNER would also quickly remodel Berwick station. Within a couple of years on from the grouping it demolished the original NBR two-platform station platforms and overall roof, replacing them with an island platform on a new alignment, located a little further to the west.



The 2-cylinder S2 class was Raven's mixed-traffic 4-6-0 using the same boiler as his 2-cylinder T2 Class 0-8-0 (later LNER Class Q6). There was a similar relationship between his 3-cylinder S3 class 4-6-0 (LNER B16) and his T3 Class 0-8-0 (LNER Q7). Neither the T2 nor T3 were superheated. While the T2/Q6 was undoubtably a great success for Raven and the NER, being almost ubiquitous on mineral trains in County Durham right through until the end of North eastern steam in 1967, the S2/B15s were quickly overshadowed by Raven's 3-cylinder S3/B16s. WWII staved off the end for them, but the arrival of Thompson's B1 Class 4-6-0 from 1943 precipitated rapid withdrawals of the B15s. The B15 class was extinct shortly before nationalisation in January 1948.

The 3 cylinder S3/B16 on the other hand was rather more successful than its stepsister the T3/Q7. The T3 class were always too heavy for most colliery permanent way, which quickly made them less useful than the T2/Q6 in the coalfields. The ROD 2-8-0 (later LNER O4) were available in numbers post WW1 and cheaper to buy in as war surplus from the War Department than building a new T3/Q7. It remains unclear why the LNER built 5 more Q7 Class soon after the grouping, doubling the class to ten locomotives, since the O4 ex-ROD 2-8-0s had already displaced the Q7 from long-distance haulage down the ECML to York. With a 55-wagon limit on trains crossing the Tyne bridges at Newcastle most cross-Tyne slow freight actually fell within the haulage capabilites of the large ex-NER 0-6-0s of Class P3 (LNER J27) and later Gresley's J39, which led to the Q7s being under-utilised in traffic. The Q7 would only find its way to the Consett branch and the iron ore trains which they are forever linked with until mid-way through their lives, during WWII, when the class was concentrated at Tyne Dock shed.
 
Last edited:
Hi 4464bittern.
The LMSR 4P at Hellifield is pulling some of Ken Green's LMS coaches from the DLS.
The Peppercorn A1 4-6-2 is by Paulztrainz (barn700) and you can also get a Peppercorn A1 through Darlington Works.
 
The Old and the New 1920

Northeast England during the steam era. Blackhill, County Durham in 1920. A Tennant 1463 Class 2-4-0 stands in the station with a carriage set working roster number 34, which is A Newcastle Link A set. It is the 7:10 a.m. from Durham to Newcastle via Blackhill. The set was made up of 4 carriages, YC (4.3) YT, and 2 x YB(4). In the carriage working book the code Y indicates 49ft bogie coaches. Given that the NER had two types of 49ft coach, of arc roof type dating from 1899/1901 or elliptical roof dating from 1907/18, it could be either style if the book did not specify the coach configuration. A 49ft YC (Composite) with 4 First and 3 Third compartments was a rare configuration found in the Diagram 55 Arc roof Composite dating from 1900. Similarly the 49ft YB (Brake Third) with 4 compartments could be a Diagram 53 Arc roof Brake Third. Alternatively, it could possibly be an Elliptical roof Diagram 151 Brake Third.

In today's train I have Link A set 33 made up of two Diagram 151 1907 elliptical roof Brake Thirds, A Diagram 55 1900 arc roof Composite, and a Diagram 52 1899 arc roof Third. At 7:10 a.m. Durham would add and extra coach, coded WT. This meant any available bogie Third coach of 45ft, 49ft or 52ft length could be utilised. A six-wheel coach was not an option for addition. In this case Durham has added a Diagram 51 1899 Arc roof Third. It will run with the consist all through the day, being removed at 5:38 p.m. at Newcastle. Set 34 starts the day at Durham at 7:10 a.m. and will end it at Newcastle at 11:35 p.m. It will operate between Durham and Newcastle via Blackhill, North Wylam, Newcastle and Durham via the ECML and Newburn. The following day the coach set will follow roster number 32, covering a similar circuit but on different timings.

Passenger trains rarely got wholesale renewal. The crack expresses such as the Flying Scotsman did periodically get wholesale renewal, but even then there were cases of individual alterations. Secondary passenger trains and branch trains were assigned coaches from what was available and it was only a new build when there was either no other option or to try and secure a certain traffic flow in the face of competition. Even by WWII around half of the entire pool of LNER coaching stock was of pre-grouping origin. Pre-grouping stock was a significant portion of the fleet through in to BR days. The presence of pre-grouping vehicles was even more prevalent in NPCS vehicles such as the BGs. The arc roof coaches were built for the NER suburban services on North Tyneside but the NER allocated them elsewhere upon electrifying the route in 1904/1905.

While they appear to be an evolutionary step between the NER six-wheel arc roof stock of the 1880s and the clerestory roof bogie coaches, the appearance of clerestory roof 52ft bogie coaches around the same time means the arc roof stock could also be an attempt to produce a slightly cheaper coach for the suburban commuter service by omitting the clerestory and shortening the coach by 3ft compared to the 52ft clerestory stock. Within four years the NER realised that something more radical was required to retain its passenger traffic between prosperous places such as Whiltey Bay and Newcastle.

The engine is a faded star. When introduced by Tennant in the 1880s it would have hauled express ECJS and NER trains between York and Edinburgh via Newcastle. They were soon displaced by the arrival of Worsdell's R Class 4-4-0 (later LNER D20) but put in several decades of work on secondary passenger services. The LNER had withdrawn the entire class by 1928 but one was retained for preservation and is now at the Head of Steam museum in Darlington.

 
Last edited:
Darlington Link B Set 1920

Northeast England during the steam era. Here during 1920 a North Eastern Railway G Class 4-4-0, number 676 stands in Blackhill station with the 8:05 a.m. passenger train to Darlington. This was working diagram number 155 and the consist allocated to the working was one of the nine sets described in the carriage roster as "Darlington Link B sets". The roster details that the core set was made up of 49ft coaches, two YB 5 (The Y indicating 49ft, the B indicating Van (Brake) Third, the 5 indicating 5 compartments) and a YC 3-4 (The C indicating composite, the 3-4 indicating £ First and 4 Third compartments). A maintenance requirement brought a substitute set to Blackhill yesterday with roster working number 156 and it will fill roster duty 155 today. It is made up of three arc roof 49ft coaches. Two are YB 4 and one is YC 3-4. While the First Class seating is unchanged, the Third Class seating is reduced by 20, though on a rural line such as that between Blackhill and Bishop Auckland it will be no problem. The roster added a YT ( 49ft Third) at Blackhill and it remained with set 155 for the whole day until it reached Crook at 9:01 p.m. (Wed and Sat Excepted). On Wednesdays set 155 finished its day at Crook at 9:54 p.m. but on Saturdays it finishes work at Blackhill at 9:50 p.m.

The Brake Thirds, built in 1900, have cupola lookouts. All the arc roof coaches were built for suburban services on North Tyneside, running between Newcastle via Tynemouth to Manors North. In 1900 Manors North was a terminus, there was no direct connection between Manors North and Newcastle Central. This was laid in as part of the North Tyneside electrification project in 1904/1905. With the arrival of the North Tyneside electrics the arc roof coach sets were dispersed around the north east.





 
This subject keeps referring to
Quote This was working diagram number 155 and the consist allocated to the working was one of the nine sets described in the carriage roster as "Darlington Link B sets". End Quote
Where does one obtain a copy and is there one available for West and North Yorkshire.
 
The carriage roster comes from the North Eastern Railway Association. https://sites.google.com/site/northeasternrailwayassociation/ They have carriage roster books for 1926 and 1932. 1926 is effectively the last NER roster for 1922. I have Bradshaw Reprints for July 1922 and July 1938 but they were purchased online through book sellers. The NERA publication covers the LNER North Eastern Area, so while North Yorkshire is included, West Yorkshire beyond Leeds/Harrogate/Ilkley is not. Great Northern and Great Central sections were part of the LNER Southern Area (along with the Great Eastern lines). The Great Northern Railway Society page is https://www.gnrsociety.com/
 
Last edited:
Blackhill, 1926 Branch Trains

Northeast England during the steam era. Still around Blackhill in County Durham but it is 1926 during the LNER era. At 8 a.m. an LNER E5 class 2-4-0 waits for its 8:05 a.m. departure with the 7:10 a.m. Durham to Newcastle train. In Platform One an LNER D23 Class 4-4-0 waits for 8:07 a.m. and the morning passenger train departure for Darlington via Tow Law, Crook and Bishop Auckland. The E5 is hauling a Newcastle Link A set with an extra Third class coach added to make it a five coach consist. The D23 is hauling a Darlington Link B set with an extra Third class coach added to make it a four coach consist. Both are made up of 49ft coaches, though the Newcastle link A set is made up of older arc roof coaches originally built for the North Tyneside commuter services at the turn of the century. The Darlington Link B set is formed from newer elliptical roof coaches. Two five compartment Brake Thirds to Diagram 150 (code YB 5) and a Composite to Diagram 146 (code YC 3-4) form the core of the set. The extra coach added daily at Blackhill is an eight compartment Third to Diagram 148 (code T).

The D23 has been painted in lined black livery since the grouping, though the E5 has kept lined green livery.









 
Golden Plover at Darlington

North East England during the steam era. Circa 1950 under British Railways at Darlington, A4 number 60031 GOLDEN PLOVER brings an Up ECML express passenger train for London Kings Cross in to the station.



 
BCR Progress

Northeast England during the steam era. Back to the Border Counties Railway and some further progress on the BCR Reedsmouth Junction and Bellingham route. Here I have chosen a D20 4-4-0 to haul the midday train for Hawick.







Above, the D20 passing Countess Park to the south of Reedsmouth.





Above, the D20 arriving at and departing from Reedsmouth Junction.



Above, the D20 crossing the River Rede bridge.



Above, the D20 between Reedsmouth and Bellingham.



Above, the D20 arriving at Bellingham.
 
More BCR Progress

North East England during the steam era. I have been doing more work on my BCR Reedsmouth Junction and Bellingham route. Principally installing point rodding, but also culling payware assets with a view to exporting it to the DLS at some point. Hopefully that will be in the early New Year. Here, circa 1948, a former LNER Class J21 0-6-0 brings the early morning goods up from Hexham for Riccarton Junction. A couple of 12T Vans are road wagons, with traffic for the stations en-route, and to pick up consignments destined for Hawick and stations beyond there in Scotland. One of Reedsmouth Junction shed's J21s will shunt the train at Reedsmouth while the train engine takes on water. At other stations the train engine will have to do the shunting. With the BCR being a rural line in a sparsely populated area there won't be a lot of it to do.









Above, the J21 comes past Countess Park with the morning unfitted goods for Riccarton while the Reedsmouth Junction station engine waits in the southern headshunt for its arrival.





Above, the J21 arrives at Reedsmouth Junction station.









Above, the Reedsmouth Station engine shunts the train.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
The North Eastern Railway BTP Steam Autocars
Replies
19
Views
5K
borderreiver
B
Back
Top