North East England - Steam Days Screenshots - Large Screenshots Possible

This really is a crazy situation Frank. It seems that SP2 is an unfinished, buggy and unstable piece of software if it can't reliably determine from one day to the next if an asset and its dependencies are faulty or not.
 
1920 ECML - Coal for Northallerton

Northeast England during the steam era. N.E.R. Worsdell P3 Class 0-6-0 Number 2238 continues its journey from Croft yard to Northallerton along the ECML with coal for the large coal depot located near the station.




Passing the southern end of the water troughs.




Passing beneath the road overbridge, the slow lines slewing either side to pass through the brick arches.




Approaching the Zetland overbridge to the north of Castle Hills Junction.




Coming off the slow lines at Castle Hills Junction and joining the double track section to Northallerton station.




Passing Castle Hills Junction Signal Box.










 
1914 - NER 10 Ton Perishables vans

North East England during the steam era. My latest commission from Paul is the North Eastern Railway Diagram F9 10 Ton Fitted Perishables Van. Around 245 were built between 1909 and 1911 and as late as 1947 around 129 remained in NE Area stock. A further 18 F9s remained in use as Refrigerated Vans (out of 23 converted some time before WWII) with another 5 remaining in use as Insulated Vans (out of another 23 so converted prior to WWII). In 1945 8 had been allocated to Fish Traffic (from a photograph in Tatlow's Volume 2B on LNER Wagons at least 1 was taken from the Insulated Van conversions).




The 290 Class 0-6-0T is shunting two F9s some time before WWI. The van closest to the engine is in the post-1911 livery of Indian Red while the van furthest from the engine is in the Crimson Lake livery applicable to new vans outshopped between 1906 and 1911. Given that vans were shopped at much greater intervals than carriages old liveries could persist for some time and periods of a decade between repaints were not unknown. Wagons and Vans in pre-grouping livery were still seen (though in small numbers) as late as the mid-1930s.
 
1942 - The N.E.R. 10 Ton Perishables Van Diagram F9

A generation further on and the F9s in LNER Red Oxide livery are in the hands of a J71 0-6-0T.




The van closest to the engine is in the post-1937 livery with small NE lettering. The van furthest from the engine is in the pre-1937 version with large NE lettering.

In the background a Steel bodied 20 Ton Coal Hopper to Diagram 100 (Metro-Cammel pattern) stands on the coal staithes. The other pattern 20 Ton Diagram 100 I have is the Hurst-Nelson one, which differs in details from the Met-Cam one.
 
1920 - ECML - Down Express Goods at Low Wiske Troughs

North East England during the steam era. A N.E.R. S2 Class 4-6-0 is in charge of a down fully ATB fitted express goods working between York and Newcastle Forth Banks. The S2 is not taking water at the Low Wiske water troughs since it has watered at York and is only going as far as Newcastle before proceeding to Gateshead shed for servicing. It will likely be returning to York with another express goods later in the morning.




The N.E.R. under Wilson Worsdell introduced 4-6-0 locos in the company during 1899 with the ten S Class (B13) engines. However, they were not as free running as expected on the principal passenger expresses and they were quickly cascaded to lesser services with the arrival of the S1 Class (B14). Thirty more S Class were built between 1905 and 1909 to haul the newly introduced express goods services. For twenty years after the introduction of the S Class Worsdell returned to the 4-6-0 arrangement with the S1 Class (1900) while Raven turned out the S2 Class (1911) and S3 Class (1919). The S1 did not take the ECML top slot from the R Class 4-4-0s in 1900 and neither the S2 nor S3 displaced the company's V, V-09 and Z Class Atlantics from the premier express passenger services. Despite this, each class did a great deal of work on secondary passenger expresses and express goods services.

 
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1921 - Weathered F9 vans at Blackhill N.E.R.

Northeast England during the steam era. Blackhill County Durham and two F9 perishables vans are being shunted by a 290 Class 0-6-0T.




The locomotive is a 290 Class 0-6-0T, a rebuild from redundant Fletcher era 0-4-4T BTP (Bogie Tank Passenger) engines. The introduction of Wilson Worsdell's O Class 0-4-4T rendered the BTP surplus to requirements. The N.E.R. loathed wasting engines and while some found new work powering steam autocar formations others were rebuilt to fill a need for 0-6-0Ts without resorting to new building. Several of the 290 Class survived in to British Railways days.

The wagons are N.E.R. 10 Ton Perishables to diagram F9. I have been reskinning them since I am often experimenting to get a different finish. There are two weathered versions. The Crimson Lake version which was applied for around five years prior to 1911 and the Indian Red version applied from 1911. It is entirely plausible for both to be seen in 1921 since wagons were sent to works at much longer intervals compared to passenger carriages. Post-grouping some wagons and vans could still be seen carrying their pre-group liveries as late as the mid-1930s.

 
1914 - ECML Between Hett Crossing and Croxdale

Northeast England during the steam era. Some trains running along the ECML between Hett Crossing and Croxdale in County Durham circa 1914. The trees follow a rather steeply sided burn, which falls from higher ground in this vicinity to join the River Wear to the south of Durham City.




A Worsdell O Class 0-4-4T heads north on the down line bound for Durham and Newcastle with a local passenger train.




A Worsdell R1 Class 4-4-0 heads south on the up line bound for York and London Kings Cross with an ECJS express passenger train.
 
1950 Shildon Yard

Shildon Yard, near Bishop Auckland is on the 1825 Stockton to Darlington route. Built to handle coal, the neighbourhood had, by 1950, been handling coal traffic for 125 years.




A Q6 brings in a load of empty hoppers.




Am A4 with a diverted ECML express passenger train runs past the Q6 in Shildon yard.
 
1946 - Shunting Coal at Blackhill on the Derwent Valley Branch

Northeast England during the steam era. A grimy J72 0-6-0T delivers loaded coal hoppers to the coal merchants at Blackhill, County Durham. This traffic would survive the closure of the branch between Blackhill and the junctions with the Derwenthaugh and Newcastle to Carlisle lines, only ceasing around the time of the closure of Consett steelworks. After the mid-1950s the single line from Consett Low Yard remained to deliver coal to the coal merchants at Blackhill, despite there also being coal merchants at Consett station. The steep banks between Blackhill and Consett may have had something to do with the Blackhill merchants retaining business in their district.




The steel hoppers are diagram 100 built from 1936 onwards by several contractors on behalf of the LNER. I had Paul Mace build me examples by Metro-Cammell and examples by Hurst-Nielson. I have been busy experimenting with weathering reskinning. These hoppers were rather long-lived, with many lasting in traffic through in to the 1970s before being rebodied by BR. They then lasted in to the mid-1980s. Others had been sold out of BR service to the NCB, where they could be seen in to the mid-1980s at sites such as Westoe Colliery, South Hetton Colliery and Derwenthaugh Coke Works.

While the LNER introduced their grey small NE livery during 1938 wagons carrying the older style persisted in use for some time before being repainted. The steel shortage between 1940 and 1943 meant that production of the diagram 100 was suspended, with the LNER actually turning to production of the 40-year old diagram P6 and P7 wooden hoppers. Many of those were turned out unpainted, with merely a black rectangle each side for chalked instructions. Although not well documented, some of those may have used second-hand wheelsets from scrapped or bomb-damaged wagons.
 
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1949 - Shildon - Mixed Rake of Coal Hoppers and a Q5

Northeast England during the steam era. The LNER Q6 (NER T2 Class) 0-8-0 is closely associated with coal traffic in County Durham, right up to the end of steam in the area during 1967. However, they were not the first attempt by the NER of producing an eight-coupled tender engine to deal with growing train weights. At the start of the 20th century Wilson Worsdell produced his T and T1 Class, both of which bcame LNER Class Q5 (with no part designation). The first ten, built in 1901 as T Class had piston valves, which were "new technology" at the time, while the following batch of ten built during 1902 had slide valves, becoming T1 Class. Thirty more T Class followed during 1903-04 while the final batches, amounting to forty engines were turned out as T1 Class between 1907 and 1911. All fifty T1 slide valve engines worked for the Railway Operating Department (ROD) in France during WWI.

Q5s had a long association with Shildon. During the 1920s, while there were ten electric locomotives working the electrified Simpasture branch between Shildon and Newport there were no less than forty-four Q5s allocated to the ends of the line. They would bring in the coal to Shildon Yard and distribute it onwards from Newport Yard.




The forty-seven year-old veteran gets under way from Shildon Yard. the train is a mix of P6 and P7 wooden bodied hopper, with most of the train made up of Diagram 100 and Diagram 167 steel bodied hoppers.




Approaching Simpasture Junction signal box, a Q6 comes off the Simpasture branch and joins the Bishop Auckland & Weardale line in order to reach the down sidings at Shildon.




After passing the signal box, the Q5 passes the brake van at the end of the Shildon bound train of empties.




Plain track to the east of Shildon. The line nearest the camera is a long refuge siding. Then come the double tracks of the Darlington to Bishop Auckland line, with the double tracks of the Simpasture branch furthest from the camera. The only junction between them is at Simpasture Junction.




Side elevation view.

















 
1921 - Diagram F10 Refrigerated Vans

Northeast England during the steam era. The latest additions to the N.E.R. wagon stable are examples from the 145 ATB fitted Diagram F10 Refrigerated Vans built during 1909.




By 1935 only 95 remained in LNER NE Area stock, falling to 42 in 1940 and down to 19 in 1947. However, in 1940 there were a further 46 F10s on the NE Area books designated as F10/I (Insulated Van) rather than F10/R (Refrigerated Vans), whilst in 1947 there were only 11 F10/I remaining. Some of the F10s found their way in to Fish traffic, designated F10/F. Two were so allocated in 1940 and 21 in 1947. They were probably not on the main line flows to London but possibly on local/regional traffic out of North Shields, Hartlepool, Whitby, Bridlington or Hull. Between 1940 and 1947 a sole example of an F10 was in use as a goods van (F10/G), probably still retaining its fitted status. British Railways moved quickly to scrap them all.

 
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It is interesting to read about the freight stock & never knew insulated vans started so early to be used. Also interesting your comments on the Newport electrified line also. Have seen the model of the mail line NE electric loco in North Road Museum, Darlington. Those Q6 look good at Shildon also.
 
Thanks taillight98. North Road museum, now known as "Head of Steam" is worth a visit, the P2 cousin to A1 Tornado is being built beside the museum. It is about a twenty minute drive from North Road to "Locomotion" at Shildon (or around thirty minutes by train) and now Locomotion is to be significantly extended.

Here is an F10 in its post-1938 guise as a Fish Van (F10/F). I have also been tinkering with the model of the C10 fitted 6-plank wagon.





 
1931 - A3 with Up Class B Goods at Castle Hills Junction

North East England during the steam era. A Gresley A3 on an Up fitted goods at castle hills Junction to the north of Northallerton.




Whilst the Gresley A3 pacific is a top link locomotive the long-standing tradition on the NER (by 1930 the NE Area of the LNER) that an engine arriving at Newcastle will be turned around and sent back to York as promptly as it can, even if it means taking a fast goods train. There were several turns which were passenger - outwards and goods - return (or vice-versa). The vice-versa scenario being the means to place a top link locomotive at York to bring an express passenger train to Newcastle.
 
This is interesting & looks as if BR Eastern Region carried this on as I have had A4 haulage on an ECML semi fast service circa late 1950's. Guess if may have been a balancing turn or maybe cover for a failure..
 
Hello Tailight98. Some examples,

1908 Passenger Engine Working -

Main Line Engines
Gateshead shed - 12.39 am braked goods, Newcastle to York (arr 2.20) 3.45 am passenger, York to Newcastle (arr 6.0).
Gateshead shed - 1.34 am passenger, Newcastle to York (arr 3.08) 4.45 am goods, York to Newcastle (arr 8.28).
Heaton Jcn shed - 6.53 pm passenger, Newcastle to York (arr 8.43) 1.20 am parcels, York to Newcastle (arr 4.15).
Heaton Jcn shed - 12.21 am goods, Heaton to York (arr 3.24) 5.45 passenger, York to Newcastle (arr 9.43) Sunday
York shed - 7.40 am passenger, York to Newcastle (arr 10.10) 12.20 pm goods, Newcastle to York (arr 4.51).
York shed - 12.50 pm passenger, York to Newcastle (arr 2.44) 3.45 pm goods, Newcastle to York (arr 7.38).

By 1952 the preferred "goods" workings appear to be parcels workings, a rare train type in N.E.R. and L.N.E.R. days. Most ECML parcels pre-Nationalisation were moved by attaching full brakes to the rear end, front end (or both ends) of a secondary express passenger train or stopping passenger train. Some trains on the G.N. section of the main line could be mainly made up of full brake vans loaded with parcels, with carriages attached and detached at stations en-route. No wonder then that some of these trains could be rather slow. I have written elsewhere about the length of the Up 7.15 pm out of Newcastle in 1926, the NE non-corridor carriages for which started their Up journey at Edinburgh (they started their day's work at Ferryhill in County Durham and finished it at York). The train was rather long and had quite a load of vans for York and destinations to the south, south-west and north-west of England.
 
1939 - ECML - Darlington

Northeast England during the steam era. The ECML to the north of Darlington on the eve of WWII. An A8, a Gresley 4-6-2T rebuild of Raven's 4-4-4T H Class is hauling an up stopping passenger train made up of arc-roof stock which is almost forty years old. The four-carriage set is book-ended by two Diagram 53 4-compartment Brake Thirds, with an ordinary Composite Diagram 63 and a Third Diagram 54. Ahead of the passenger carriages are a Gresley 4-wheel long-wheelbase covered carriage truck and a veteran ex-NER Diagram 21 Luggage Van.




Sixty CU6 LWB CCTs were built in 1939, with a second batch of fifty-seven following in BR days in 1950. Some of them remained in traffic until 1980. From the start, mail and parcels were probably the usual load rather than cars. The 6-wheel Diagram 21 luggage van was built by the N.E.R. between 1885 and 1895, turning out 172 examples. While seven appear to have been withdrawn from van stock by the end of 1911 (numbers struck through in the NERA book on NER Carriage numbering) most soldiered on past the grouping, though the reluctance for other areas and sections to receive them in trains reduced their workings to those within the NE Area and probably led most to their demise prior to WWII. A working life of 44 to 54 years is not short though. That Thomspon built some 6-wheel full brakes post-WWII is quite surprising, though British Railways banned them from passenger trains around 1959. Some of those Diagram 21s withdrawn between 1906 and 1911 were allocated to use as goods brake vans on fitted goods trains, perhaps keeping crimson lake livery up to 1911 and likely changed to indian red livery from 1912. As building of fitted goods vans caught up with demand the diagram 21s were withdrawn, though I am unclear whether that date was before grouping or afterwards.

The arc roof stock was almost forty years old in 1939, being turned out at the turn of the century to work on the lines around North Tyneside on local passenger trains for commuters. The electrification of the North Tyneside lines in 1904 saw them cascaded elesewhere, losing their Gould couplers and specially constructed buffers for close-coupled work. Several diagrams of 49ft ordinary Third were combined in to Diagram 54 between 1906 and 1911, indicated by handwritten amendments to the December 1905 list the NERA produce in their numbering document. The difference between the diagrams appear to have been due to differing buffer spacings. Once the buffers were changed out to conventional types with conventional spacings the differences were no longer present. At least one Third remained as a Diagram 50, for reasons which are unknown. Several Diagram 53 Van Thirds were built in 1906, as were several Diagram 54 Thirds, so evidently the company thought that the type was still of use to construct, despite the arrival of the first elliptical roof carriages.

Some 22, three-car sets were formed as Newcastle - Sunderland sets, six four-car sets were formed for work in Northumberland around Blyth and five five-car sets were formed in to Newcastle Link B sets. A couple of three and four-car sets went to work around Whitby and Scarborough.


 
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Nice picture & interesting info re the coaching stock used. I have a recollection that in the Whitby area some short wheelbase carriages were used possibly between Whitby & Saltburn. Recollect my father talking about this & the coastal route to Whitby. I went but too small to remember the carriages used.
 
Hello Taillight98 - in the mid-1890s the N.E.R. built several 45ft clerestory roof ordinary non-corridor carriages for use on the tightly curved line between Pickering and Grosmont. Given that the NYMR operates Gresley and BR Mk1 carriages along it now I wonder if it was really such a constraint to justify the build. There certainly were the more usual 49ft, 52ft and 53ft6in carriages operating between Malton and Whitby in NER days, some being through carriages from London. Even the 61ft6in length Gresleys in LNER days. Whether the 45ft carriages lasted in use in the area through to the 1950s was unknown to me but if you recall short carriages, were they clerestories? I will have to go in to the 1926 Carriage Roster to find any evidence of the 45ft type in service but I don't recall seeing them in there. However, thinking about it, if you were used to 63ft Thompsons and 61ft6in Gresleys then a 49ft bogie and even a 52ft bogie coach might have looked like a short wheelbase to you. My guess is, if the 45ft, 49ft or 52ft types were still in service around Whitby, that by the mid-50s they would probably have been in the drab brown paint which was the lot of most pre-grouping carriages in the late 1940s/early & mid 1950s. One or two lucky veterans gained maroon in 1957 but the great cull of pre-nationalisation carriages was not far away.
 
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