North East England - Steam Days Screenshots - Large Screenshots Possible

1909 NER D.178 Ordinary Third

Specimen numbering for the Diagram 178 built post-1912

The NERA article on the D.178 claimed that they replaced the Diagram 15 6-wheel Thirds.
Using the specimen numbers post-1912 I have examined which carriages carried those numbers before 1913.
Obviously not all D.15 numbers were taken by D.178 but I am interested to see which numbers the post-1912 builds took.
The NERA carriage numbering book finishes in 1912, so D.178s built 1909-1912 have taken the number listed in the columns compiled in December 1906. Carriages built post-1906 and pre-1913 strike through the old carriage, the previous holder is not always legible.

1913 builds

35 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1913.
81 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1913.
146 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1913.
493 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1913.
877 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1913.
1719 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1913.
3175 - Previously 1882 D.30 - a 24ft 4 Wheel Invalid Saloon - withdrawn by 1912 - struck through in the carriage list.
3569 - Previously 1884 D.119 - a 33ft 6 Wheel Lavatory Third ex-ECJS Third No.88 - non-corridor - converted 1906 but withdrawn by 1913.

1914 builds

43 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1914.
128 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1914.
467 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1914.
517 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1914.
555 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1914.
958 - Previously 1885 D.59 - 3 compt 31ft 4 Wheel Van Third- withdrawn by 1914.
3561 - Previously 1895 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1914.
3565 - Previously 1884 D.139 - 4 compt 35ft6in 6 Wheel Luggage Lavatory Third ex-ECJS - withdrawn by 1914. - N.B. NE D.139 re-used in 1933 when ex-GNR 65ft6in 12-Wheel RC of 1906 transferred to NE Area as No.22262
3578 - Previously 1881 D.118 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Lavatory Third ex-ECJS Third - withdrawn by 1914. - N.B. NE D.118 re-used post-grouping when ex-GNR 58ft6in 8-Wheel TK of 1911 transferred to NE Area.

1915 builds

42 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1915.
124 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1915.
371 - Previously 1886 D.9 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Compo- withdrawn by 1915.
863 - Previously 1886 D.7 - 7 compt 52ft 8 Wheel Bogie Luggage Compo- withdrawn or written off in accident by 1915.
1048 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1915.
1504 - Previously 1886 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1915.
1758 - Previously 1885 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1915.
2076 - Previously 1884 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1915.
2090 - Previously 1886 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1915.

1916 builds

61 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1916.
250 - Previously 1890 D.9 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Compo- withdrawn by 1916.
425 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1916.
827 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1916.
914 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1916.
1601 - Previously 1886 D.9 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Compo- withdrawn by 1916.
2057 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1916.

1917 builds

4 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1917.
143 - Previously 1886 D.7 - 7 compt 52ft 8 Wheel Bogie Luggage Compo- withdrawn or written off in accident by 1917.
225 - Previously 1890 D.9 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Compo- withdrawn by 1917.
394 - Previously 1886 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1917.
503 - Previously 1886 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1917.
607 - Previously 1908 D.160 - 7 compt 49ft 8 Wheel bogie Ordinary Compo- withdrawn or written off in accident by 1917.
828 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1917.
885 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1915.
1524 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1917.

1921 builds

8 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
23 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
330 - Previously 1888 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
408 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
564 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
870 - Previously 1884 carriage note "q" - a 5 compt 30ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1921.
1065 - Previously 1888 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
1766 - Previously 1886 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1921.
2535 - Previously 1887 D.19 - 3 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Van Third- withdrawn by 1921.

1922 builds

7 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1922.
47 - Previously 1886 D.7 - 7 compt 52ft 8 Wheel Bogie Luggage Compo- withdrawn or written off in accident by 1922.
352 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1922.
475 - Previously 1886 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1922.
845 - Previously 1884 carriage note "t" - a 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Third with no drawing available in 1906 - withdrawn by 1922.
1472 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1922.
1759 - Previously 1887 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1922.
2040 - Previously 1887 D.19 - 3 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Van Third- withdrawn by 1922.
2203 - Previously 1890 D.19 - 3 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Van Third- withdrawn by 1922.

1923 builds

39 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1923.
193 - Previously 1889 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1923.
274 - Previously 1886 D.9 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Compo- withdrawn by 1923.
360 - Previously 1889 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1923.
1774 - Previously 1885 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1923.
2014 - Previously 1909 D.145 -5 compt 52ft 8 Wheel Bogie Van Compo - withdrawn or written off in accident by 1923. N.B. One of only 3 built 1909-1910 - Nos. 465, 1454 & 2014 1 First & 4 Third Compartments.
2042 - Previously 1887 D.9 - 4 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Luggage Compo- withdrawn by 1923.
2115 - Previously 1888 D.15 - 5 compt 32ft 6 Wheel Ordinary Third- withdrawn by 1923.


This is not a complete picture, since it is not a list of all D.178 carriages built between 1913 and 1923, nor is it a list of all D.15s built between 1881 and 1894.However, overall it is clear that between 1913 and 1922 the N.E.R. was clearing out its old stock, of which the great majority were six wheel carriages. It is also clear that several D.7 52ft Bogie Luggage Composites were either scrapped or written off in accidents between 1913 and 1922. I have speculated elsewhere about the fate of the 52ft CG after corridor stock took over the Newcastle - Liverpool and Leeds - Glasgow express passenger trains and it seems that some of them may have been without work. If the losses are due to accidents then somehow the 52ft CG were somehow particularly unfortunate. I personally lean towards withdrawal and scrapping was their fate, though underframes, bogies, interiors, doors. windows and even panelling may have been recovered for use on new build stock.

Below, a 32ft Diagram 15 6-wheel Third Class carriage, No. 408, built 1887 and whose number was taken by a 49ft Diagram 178 bogie Third Class carriage in 1921. This means that it is likely the 6-wheel Diagram 15 was withdrawn in 1920 or earlier in 1921.


 
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1914: - ECML Race Special

North East England during the steam era. 1914 and a N.E.R. 59 Class 0-6-0 takes charge of a special train from Darlington to Killingworth Sidings Platforms for a race meeting at Newcastle Race course located at Gosforth Park. The train is made up of 32ft Diagram 15 6W arc-roof Thirds, 32ft Diagram 20 6W arc roof 2 compartment Van Thirds, 49ft Diagram 51 arc roof bogie Thirds and a 49ft Diagram 178 elliptical roof bogie Third. The platforms were an island and a flanking platform at the SW side of the station behind the down platform. The facilities for race days had their own signal box, "Killingworth Sidings". The sidings dealt with horse boxes while the platforms were for race goers.


 
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1910: Platinum Print. Amble branch passenger train

A platinum photo effect.
TW Worsdell A Class 2-4-2T with branch train of six-wheelers.

 
Amble Branch Train

Township Crossing on the Amble Branch in Northumberland TW Worsdell A Class 2-4-2T hauling 6-wheel carriages.


 
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Love the screenshot of the Worsdell A class at the level crossing Frank. Being a branchlines and minor lines enthusiast your screenshot ticks all the boxes for me.
 
1920: Burnhope Colliery Branch

Thanks Annie. here is another branch, the colliery one to Burnhope, itself an extension of the one to the northeast, from Pelton level to Craghead. Pelton level on the former Stanhope & Tyne route (later the Pontop and South Shields branch) is the limit of locomotive haulage. To head east from there means going down the rope-worked incline to Stella Gill. Going west from there means going up the rope-worked incline past Eden Hill to East Stanley. the N.E.R. had a couple of locomotives allocated to Pelton Level shed, such as Worsdell's B Class 0-6-2T. Periodically the locos, emptied of coal and water, had to be lowered down the incline to Stella for visits to Gateshead or Darlington works and a replacement hauled up the incline to Pelton Level. careful balancing was required, with the empty wagons being hauled up acting as a brake force on the load going down.


 
Yes I'd heard of Pelton Level shed Frank. It must've been quite a sight to see to see locos, - no doubt very carefully, - being lowered down and hauled up the incline.
 
Hi Annie, the Ingleby Incline near Battersby in North yorkshire was a fearsome 1 in 5 and when the 0-6-0 locomotives were brought up or down the incline theiy had their tenders separated and the middle wheelset removed. I don't think that it was that difficult at Pelton Level. Even so, I expect that the No.1 brakesman was in the seat in the engine house and at least one bowler-hatted "high heejun" there to oversee it. There was an accident at the Stella Gill end of the incline when a driver opened the regulator on an 0-6-2T and then subsequently (at the worst possible moment) found he could not close it again!! The loco took to the incline and collided with a rake of wagons descending the incline. The guard waiting for the descending rake took the driver to task, there seemingly being no serious injuries, and the driver blamed the guard for his train running in to the loco!
 
1921 Superheated P3 on Tweedmouth Shed Goods Turn No.6 5 to Heaton Jcn

Northeast England during the steam era. post-WWI on return from wartime secondment running Woolwich Arsenal, N.E.R. C.M.E Vincent Raven authorised a build of thirty-five superheated versions of Wilson Worsdell's P3 Class large boiler 0-6-0s. They would use the N.E.R. standard 3,038 gallon tender with well tank but the frame cutouts differ from the 1905 versions, being lozenge shaped rather than arched. The superheated engines had a P3 boiler, longer smokebox, extended frames and a mechanical lubricator on the left side of the running plate. All emerged from works with shaped cab windows, continuous handrail round the boiler and ross-pop valves mounted on a Ramsbottom base. They were meant for heavy goods trains rather than mineral trains and I have decided to use one on Tweedmouth Shed Goods Turn No.5 from Tweedmouth on the southern bank of the River Tweed near Berwick to Heaton Junction.

Below, No. 2338, the first superheated engine, is in the Up Slow at Amble Junction, having just collected Road Wagon 46a at the junction. The wagon originating at Amble and Broomhill on the Amble branch. The Heaton Junction Shed Engine working Heaton Junction Shed goods turn No.28 on the branch has attached the Road Wagon at the rear of the train, having detached the Brake van to facilitate it. Now the C Class 0-6-0 rostered to turn No.28 has attached the brake van to the rear of the train and after a check of the couplings P3 No. 2338 can resume its journey to Heaton Junction.

The LNWR Horsebox at the head of the train must be empty. No owner would be happy at their horse spending all day on a slow train to Newcastle and the N.E.R. would rather not be responsible for feeding and watering the horse either. I was reading about a farmer moving north with his livestock and posessions during the 1930s. This included several goats and they required milking en-route. The railway company were responsible for this but there is no surviving report on how the staff at Birmingham fared with accomplishing it!



Tweedmouth turn No.6 is, essentially the Up Pick-up Goods service for most of the stations along the ECML in Northumberland, certainly those between Tweedmouth and Alnmouth. Leaving the yard at 5.50 am it will take until approximately 1.45 pm to reach Amble Junction. It probably stayed at the junction for around thirty minutes since at Chevington (Saturdays Excepted) a train arrived at 1.57pm from Newcastle and turned round there, occupying the Up platform road for around ten minutes until 2.14 pm. There was no point in trying to get the goods train through Chevington ahead of it and then holding it up all the way to Morpeth.

At Alnmouth the train had collected a portion from Alnwick and stations along the Wooler branch. At Alnmouth the train also switched over to being worked by a Heaton Junction Shed footplate crew and guard.With an arrival at Heaton Junction around 8.15 pm a Tweedmouth engine will lodge overnight before making the return trip north. Today, since No. 2338 is a Heaton Junction Shed engine it is her that worked north yesterday and this is the balancing turn to take her home. Luckily for Heaton Junction Shed the shed foreman at Tweedmouth has not found it "necessary" to "borrow" the new P3 for an urgent trip to Coldstream, Kelso or Berwick.
 
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1921 Amble Junction

NER C Class on Heaton Junction Shed Goods Turn No. 28, the daily Amble branch goods train, approaching Amble Junction.




I have been running a session to cover the period 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm at Amble Junction.
 
1921: Amble Junction Goods

Several shots from the session at Amble Junction.




Branch goods in the hands of a C Class 0-6-0 approaching the junction.




Branch goods takes the ECML Up slow line at the junction , stopping, ready to shunt the consist in to one of the down branch loops.




As the C Class removes road wagon 46 to place for collection by the 5.50 am Tweedmouth to Heaton Junction goods an S3 4-6-0 passes northbound on the down leg of Tweedmouth Shed Goods turn No.7, the 11.40 am Heaton Junction to Tweedmouth Class B goods. Marshalling was Morpeth, Longhoughton, Little Mill, Christon Bank, Tweedmouth, NB lines. I must get round to getting some N.E.R. 12T refrigerated, fruit and ventilated vans for putting in the Class B turns. Some fitted G.N.R. and N.B.R. wagons would come in handy too.
 
Excellent screenshots Frank. Your N.E.R. project is really coming on.

By the way if you don't mind me asking, - where did you get those telegraph poles?
 
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Hello Annie

They are Paul Mace assets (barn700) and on the DLS.
Search for <kuid2:177548:71756:8> PaulzTrainz Poles 7bar 56lines.
They also come in PaulzTrainz Poles 1bar 2lines to PaulzTrainz Poles 6bar 38lines
 
1921: Amble Junction Goods

The Heaton Junction shed engine on goods turn No.28 drawing the 5.50 am from Tweedmouth in to the up loop at Amble Junction. The Tweedmouth engine on Tweedmouth shed goods turn No.6 will attach the road wagon to the head of the train for easy removal at Morpeth.




The timetable indicates that the 5.50 am (Tweedmouth Shed goods turn No.6) would call at Chevington and Widdrington in the Up direction with road wagon 46. This would make it Monday or Friday, the days when Road Wagon 46 ran between Amble and Morpeth. Amble and Broomhill to Amble Junction behind Heaton Junction Shed goods turn No.28 and from Amble Junction to Morpeth behind Tweedmouth shed goods turn No.6. On Tuesday and Thursday the up road wagon from Amble was 46a for Newcastle Forth Banks and on those days it appears that there was no road wagon for smalls traffic in 46a from Chevington or Widdrington. However, the 5.50 am also hauled road wagons Nos. 91 and 99, and those did accept smalls traffic from both Chevington and Widdrington. No. 91 was the Tweedmouth to Heaton Junction wagon, running daily. It served stations between Alnmouth and Morpeth. (Stations between Tweedmouth and Alnwick were served by Road Wagon No.93, running MWFO and was hauled by the 5.50 am as far as Alnmouth). Road Wagon No.99 was the Alnwick to Morpeth road wagon, (running MWFO).

It seems that Amble and Broomhill had no road wagon in the Up direction on Wednesdays or Saturdays. It did have a road wagon in the Down direction, No.9, so it appears that on Wednesday and Saturday the road wagon returned to Gateshead Park Lane empty. If a customer turned up at Amble or Broomhill with smalls traffic on Wednesdays and Saturdays there was no wagon. However, Amble and Broomhill goods warehouses were open daily so what did they do with this traffic on the days there was no Road Wagon? Did they store it until there was a road wagon or did they consign it some other way? The last passenger train which could make a connection to a road wagon at Chevington departed at 10.51 am. Could the guard on the 12.50 pm goods to Amble Junction have carried it in the guard's wagon for transfer to the guard on the 5.50 am from Tweedmouth at Amble Junction or did it stay with the guard of the 12.50 pm all the way to Morpeth? A contributor to an early NERA magazine in the 1960s wrote about growing up at Eastgate station pre-WWI. He said that an assistant guard rode in the brake van on trains which had road wagons and it was his job to take the invoices to the goods clerks so they could check the consignments as the wagon was unloaded/loaded. presumably also taking outward bound paperwork back to the brake van.

From Amble Junction, the C Class 0-6-0 on Heaton Junction Shed goods turn No.28 would go on to Warkworth station, arriving there at 3.25 pm. This indicates to me that the train also shunted Acklington, but what was it shunting? The 6.45 am from Heaton Junction to Tweedmouth, the down version of the 5.50 am Tweedmouth turn No.6 had passed around 12 to 1 pm and down road wagon traffic was processed. The 5.50 am Up service processed the Up road wagon traffic on its call at Acklington, around 1.15 pm. It is my belief that the 2.38 pm from Amble Junction carried domestic coal traffic for the drops at both Acklington and Warkworth. At Acklington the drops were on the down side, at the opposite end of the platform to the goods shed. I believe that both the 6.45 am down and 5.50am up trains were both quite long and it may have been too time-consuming to accomodate shunting the coal drops and retrieving empties. I believe that the Heaton Junction shed No.28 turn was shorter and could include the domestic coal traffic when required. The train only had 35 minutes at Warkworth before returning south at 4.0 pm.

On the way south it arrived at Amble Junction after the branch passenger engine had worked to the junction on its daily goods working. I believe that the turn by the passenger engine was to deliver empties which were not ready in time to leave behind the 12.50 pm goods engine departure and to collect any wagonload traffic which the 5.50 am Tweedmouth and 6.45 am Heaton Junction services may have dropped at the junction. I am trying to determine where the brake van came from for that turn by the branch passenger engine. it was rated as Class B so I am speculating that an elderly six or even 4 wheel luggage van resided at Amble for daily use on the goods turn. I know that the N.E.R. transferred several surplus 32ft six-wheel luggage vans from service on passenger trains to goods service, to be used as brake vans on trains fitted with automatic train brake. I believe that they lost crimson lake livery for indian red livery. these might not have been Diagram 21 vans but the preceding generation, which lacked drawings in the 1897 and 1900 drawings books. I might use modeller's license to have an elderly six-wheeler or even a four-wheeler with a birdcage lookout on the Amble branch for this duty.
 
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1926 ECML - Early morning at Newcastle

Northeast England during the steam era. I am continuing a long-term process of updating pre-TRS2019 assets with window textures and updated bogies built by Paul Mace and applying my HD lettering/numbers. I am also having Paul progress through my old Thompson corridor carriage commissions to add autocouplings, nightmode, TRS2019 fixed glass, and updated HD bogies. Today I am back in 1926, the early LNER era with a Raven B16 4-6-0 bringing in an early down train from York. Technically it is a passenger train, and while it does have two former GNR BCKs fulfilling that role, there are rather more vans attached both in front of and behind them. This is the way that most parcels moved along the ECML and GN Main Line prior to nationalisation, in vans attached to secondary express services and even stopping passenger trains. On the GN Main Line in particular, in the Up direction, a station stop could result in one or more vans being added to either the front or rear of the consist.





Above, the B16 passes Newcastle West as it arrives at Newcastle in the dawn light.





Smoke wreaths the engine and leading vans as it enters platform 8.





It may be 5 am but the cavernous bulk of Newcastle station is not deserted.
 
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1920 Waterhouses Coking Coal bound for Ferryhill at Baxter Wood Sidings

North east England during the steam era. During the 1880s T.W. Worsdell produced his "B" Class 0-6-2T for the N.E.R. to move coal between the collieries and riverside staithes. However, within five years train loads increased and they were displaced from this work by "C" Class 0-6-0 tender locomotives. The train loads continued to increase, leading to haulage being taken over by "P" Class, then "P1" and "P2" 0-6-0 tender locos before train loads eventually required haulage by "T" Class, "T1" Class and "T2" Class 0-8-0 tender engines. The "B" Class continued to work short distance goods trains and found work as carriage pilots and branch passenger engines when fitted with automatic train brake. They also remained useful for short coal trains over short distances on steeply graded lines. On the former Stanhope & Tyne line the class found work on the Pelton Level section between two rope worked inclines. While originally built as compounds T.W. Worsdell's brother Wilson, who succeeded him as C.M.E. proceeded to convert them all to simple saturated engines before the turn of the 19th century.




Here a "B" Class 0-6-2T is assigned to a short distance working between the Waterhouses branch and Ferryhill hauling coking coal and is at Baxter Wood sidings.




After running round, the "B" Class couples up to the train as a BTP Steam Autocar runs along the down line of the Lanchester Branch towards Aldin Grange station.




As the "B" Class waits in the loop, a "P3" Class 0-6-0 passes with a steel train from Consett.




The "B" Class draws its train out of the loop at Baxter Wood sidings.

With the eastern end of the branch at Deerness junction facing north as well as being rather higher than the east coast main line the company used a switchback arrangement with the intermediate level just south west of the northern apex of a triangle of lines between Bridge House Junction, Relly Mill Junction and Baxter Wood Junction. The chord from Deerness Junction to Baxter Wood fell quite steeply and a south facing single crossover connection with a trailing connection from the Up line was laid between this chord and the Bridge House to Baxter Wood Junction chord, controlled by the Baxter Wood No. 2 signal box.

Between Baxter Wood No.2 and Baxter Wood No.1 signal boxes the up line of the Deerness Junction to Baxter Wood junction loop became a bi-directional single line while the down line of the chord became three sidings merging together at their northern extremity in to a short headshunt. This seems to have either merely permitted a tank engine to run around or was used to release a brake wagon in to the headshunt for retrieval by a locomotive using one of the three siding lines to reach it.

An engine bringing loaded coal wagons down from Deerness Junction would use a facing crossover to the south of the junction at Baxter Wood No. 2 to take the single loop line. Part way up the loop was a facing crossover connecting to the up Bridge House Junction to Baxter Wood Junction chord. This would permit an engine coming from Deerness Junction to run round its train before taking it south to bridge House Junction. The line between Baxter Wood No.2 and Bridge House Junction was steeply graded, to permit it to dive under the Relly Mill to Deerness Junction section of the Bishop Auckland branch. The loaded train of loose-coupled wagons probably had their brakes pinned down before descending from Deerness Junction and kept them that way while descendintowards Bridge House Junction. This would have required the train to stop just short of Bridge House Junction in order to release the brakes prior to taking to the Up ECML. The opportunity was also likely taken while in the single line loop at Baxter Wood to check the train, as it would be a serious matter if the train developed a fault on the ECML between Bridge House and Tursdale junctions.

If the trains destination from Deerness was north from Baxter Wood, to Witton Gilbert, Lanchester or Consett the Deerness to Baxter Wood chord's single loop line terminated at a trailing switch at Baxter wood Junction from the Lanchester branch down line.
 
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1914: The ECML - Down 10 am London Kings Cross to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh

North East England during the steam era. Summer 1914 and the new East Coast Joint Stock sets are in use for the 10 am London to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen service. We know it now as "the Flying Scotsman" but that official name was still a decade and a world war away in the future. It was known to the G.N.R. men by the nickname "The Scotch Express" while N.E.R. publications referred to it as "The Flying Scotchman". However there were no nameboards, it was not a non-stop express service (you had to wait until 1928 for that) and the timing was limited by the agreement between the east and west coast companies on journey times which ended the "races to the north" of the 1890s.




Here on the Yorkshire section of the ECML between Cowton and Eryholme Junction a Raven "Z" Class Atlantic hauls the down express. At York a N.E.R. Diagram 183 52ft T.P.O. was added to the service, going as far as Edinburgh. For some time I thought that this was merely an empty stock movement on the van's journey from Normantion to Edinburgh, postioning it for the southbound journey from Edinburgh later that evening, but from what I read in the 1912 North Eastern staff magazine I now believe that it was dropping off mail en route. It was capable of doing it. Even if the van was not turned at Normanton for the northbound working, the offside of the three Diagram 183 T.P.O. vans built in 1910 had an arm fitted to enable them to do this.




A closer view of the Diagram 183 behind the "Z" Class Atlantic.




A closer view of the offside showing the single arm.

In 1912 the N.E.R. had nine T.P.O. vans. The three 52ft bogie Diagram 183s built in 1910, five 52ft bogie Diagram 93s built between 1903 and 1904 and a single 32ft 6-wheel veteran dating back to 1890. Two were held as spares in case of failure or to cover works visits, one more was on a summer only roster between York and Scarborough, two were rostered for Leeds to Hull and one was rostered to work Leeds to Bridlington. Those short-distance light duties were in addition to the single rostered example working Newcastle to Edinburgh and two rostered to work between Edinburgh and Normanton, the junction station with the Midland Railway. At Normanto a significant amount of transhipment of mail took place. In 1914 the Midland and North Eastern Railway Joint Postal Service was already over fifty years old. In addition to its nine company vehicles the N.E.R. owned four of the Sorting Tenders in the M.& N.E.J.P.S. along with four Post Office parcels vans. Two of the sorting tenders and all four postal vans worked Newcastle to Bristol while two tenders worked between Newcastle and St Pancras. it is likely that the Midland Railway owned an equal number of carriages and the sets worked north one night and returned south the next.
 
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An interesting and informative post Frank. My first introduction to railway TPO's was the Triang 00 model when I was young and I was fascinated by it.
 
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