Durham, more afternoon steam activity at 2:55 p.m.
Northeast England during the steam era. Depicting the end of the 1950s in 1959, Durham station during the afternoon at 2:55 p.m. 52A Gateshead shed's A1, 60147 "North Eastern", standing in for the regular 50A York North shed A2 turn, draws the 7:30 a.m. from Colchester in to the station, passing Gateshead shed's A3, 60038 "Firdaussi" on the 10:27 a.m. Edinburgh to Leeds. The modernisation plan will see the first English Electric Type 4 diesels arrive at 52A during October and the 1960s will see the end of steam haulage.
60147 North Eastern has a six coach set of BSK, CK, RB, CK, SK, BSK with 2 BG bringing up the rear. The RB is a veteran Gresley carriage while 1st Class passengers have BR Mk1 CK carriages. The remainder are Thompson carriages. Catering vehicles could have long working lives. The trailing CK, while a BR Mk1 is still in carmine and cream ("blood and custard") livery. One of the Brake gangways, a Gresley is also in the old "blood and custard" livery. It took several years to repaint all carriages in to maroon, just as it had taken several years to supersede the LNER's teak livery. During weekdays an A1 was the emergency engine at 52A. 60147 deputising for a failed engine at Newcastle earlier in the day is my explanation for the A1 finding itself at York, and here is using "train 46" as a means to return to Tyneside. The regular 50A A2 pacific would later return to York on the 5:30 p.m. Park Lane sidings to Dringhouses Class C goods, so 52A will have to find a suitable replacement.
60038 FIRDAUSSI is at the head of the 10:27 a.m. from Edinburgh to Leeds, having taken over the train at Newcastle at 2:35 p.m. Again, the consist is a mix of Gresley, Thompson and BR Mk 1 carriages, but with only the Gresley RB and a single Thompson BSK, the Mark 1s have almost completely displaced older pre-nationalisation stock. The consist is a BSK, CK, SK, RB, CK, SK and BSK.
52A's A3 will work back from Leeds on the 5:00 p.m. service from Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle, which leaves Leeds at 7:20 p.m. By Durham North Signal Box in the background, a Gresley A8 pacific tank is on duty as Durham station banker. The A3 may need assistance to take "train 137" up the 1 in 100 bank from the station to Relly Mill junction. 60038 will gain a double chimney in August 1959.
The changes to come with the arrival of diesel power at 52A will see neither 60147 nor 60038 reach the end of 1960 at 52A. 60147 will shift to 52B Heaton but in 1962 will go to 52D Tweedmouth, before her last year of work will see her at 50A York, being withdrawn in August 1964. 60038 will move to 55A "foreign" MR Leeds Holbeck, spending three years there before a move to 55H Leeds Neville Hill. She will be withdrawn five months later, in November 1963.
The A8s are in the process of being withdrawn as DMUs displace them from local passenger services. Sunderland shed will be one of their last holdouts and Durham shed, being a sub shed of Sunderland's will allocate them to banking duties. By mid-1959 almost half the class have been withdrawn. None will remain in service by the close of 1960.
July 2017 - Photobucket links switched to Imgur.