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Trainspotting at Little Benton Sidings, Newcastle.


rowanj
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There were a handful of Standard 5's  on Tyneside though they don't seem to have been very popular, not particularly surprising in an area with a surfeit of A2's, V2;2 and B1's. Heaton has rostered one of theirs' on a parcels, which has been held at Little Benton South. Quite why is a mystery, as the Down line was clear enough to allow the N10 through on a humble LOCO coal. The N10 is a North Eastern kit, the 5MT re-numbered Bachmann.IMG_20191110_131104.jpg.e20997ace32a8d23510a00e4320a5dc2.jpg

 

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After that came a spotters dream. I always wanted to see 60700, but I haven't even found photographs of it as far north as Newcastle in BR days. It seems to have been used predominantly south of its' Doncaster base. No doubt the spotters thought it was another A4, and probably fell off the fence when W1 sailed past. I "built" it when I was less geographically fussy about my locos, and it is a Hornby A4 modified with Graeme King resin parts, and I keep it and run it occasionally out of sentimentality- and because it's my railway.IMG_20191110_162954.jpg.0760994616a02a7f3ad4d4e69c8df099.jpg

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After the excitement of the W1, it's back to reality with the G5 on the Businessmen's Special to Newbiggin. This went from Central rather than Manors, and went on the more direct line on the ECML rather than the loop via Benton , joining the North Tyneside loop at Benton Quarry Junction then the Blyth and Tyne mainline at Backworth. The G5 is an ancient NUCast kit, and I keep meaning to do more to it. One of these  days....

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I hope folk viewing this thread don't find it too boring. The layout is really a large-ish diorama to allow me to run my locos- loco building and adapting is my main pre-occupation these days- and so getting different views to make life more interesting is almost impossible. But that was what spotting was like in an essentially semi-rural location in the late 50''s/early 60's.

 

Anyway here is Heaton's 60511 heading to Edinburgh , probably on a relief, The leading coach, to the howls of the purists, is a MK1 SO which came with one of the Hachette magazine series, for about £3 if I remember, I bought several, and have modified a few using Comet or similar sides, and replaced the wheels. I meant to upgrade the underframe, but other than on a converted RO, I never got round to it. A "layout" coach in the extreme ! The A2/3 was a GBL A2 modified using Graeme King resin parts, on a modified Bachmann chassis.

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This is my short rake of LMS stock- not very prototypical. They are ex-Airfix coaches with Comet or similar etched brass overlays. There are a few photos of LMS stock running between Newcastle and Edinburgh, and vice versa, but all have ex-LNER locos on the front, and none of the captions explain what the train is. I suspect they wrer usually reliefs with the stock all that was available on a busy Summer Saturday or whatever,

 

This is a bit different, as the train is clearly an excursion. I have a picture of 46162 at Newcastle on a train from the Midlands (or was it Manchester... I need to check). In this case the train is a returning Saturday excursion to Whitley Bay. Though nothing like as busy with holiday traffic as , say Scarborough,  Whitley Bay did see a fair amount of excursion and holiday special traffic and this is what is happening here.

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1 hour ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

AIUI, the majority of excursions to Whitley Bay were from Glasgow, specifically during the Glasgow Fair fortnight.

That's true, and I have to say it was a great time to spend at Whitley Bay and the Spanish City for young teens - and not for the trains, either!!!

 

Booklaws Vol 18 has a photo of 45549 from Upperby on a return excursion to Workington in May 1957. The train stock is all LMS . My 46162 was at Upperby at some point so I have some sort ox excuse - not that I need one..

 

Actually, my photo of 46162 at Newcastle was dated 1962, with a caption stating is was a Saltley loco on a Saturday relief from Birmingham. So it would have gone no further north than servicing at Heaton for the return journey- still a couple of miles from my location.

 

John

Edited by rowanj
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A3 "Sceptre" is simply a renamed/renumbered Hornby A3, and is now a 52B loco. The coach behind the loco was a Hachette BSK, to which I fitted etched sides and an interior to become a BSO. The second coach is a slightly modified Hachette SK, and the third a Bachmann  SK. One day I will tackle the underframes, but I think, from normal distance, they look OK.

 

J39's were reasonably common at Little Benton, though rarer than the J27's and, to a lesser extent, Q6's, They tended to be on shorter freights. A couple of mine pass Little Benton South on fairly typical duties. 

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The O8 has worked its' way to the top of the re-numbering list. I cant remember when it last run, but, plonked on the track, it went perfectly. I have appropriate numbers for Heaton and Gateshead O8's, but don't know the class well enough to know the detail differences, so a bit more research is needed.

 

As a contrast to the untouched RTR, my PDK B16/3 takes the oil train back south- presumably to Yorkshire.

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8 hours ago, manna said:

G'day Folks

 

Yorkshire, well known for it's oil wells.

 

manna

It was headed empty for one of the smaller refineries which were absorbed by Phillips into the Lindsey Refinery at Hull in 1968. The actual oil well was in Berwick. And if you believe all that...

John

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Trainspotters of a certain age will remember that locos which were commonplace 20 miles away were scarce as hen's teeth where they spotted- even on the ECML barely 5 miles north of Newcastle. I never saw a B16/2/3 at Little Benton, though they got to Central occasionally, and the Heaton B16/1's had gone to Yorkshire by the time I was old enough (11) to be allowed to go parent-free to Little Benton.  As for the Tyne Dock T1 kit which is staring at me, least said.

 

However, no excuse is needed for these two, as 60004 heads back to Edinburgh and passes D9002 which will probably come off at Gateshead. I suppose it depends where the train is heading, but I have decided that this is the SO Glasgow (Queens Street) - Whitley Bay..

 

None of my rakes are authentic, but I quite enjoy fitting etched sides. At one time, Hornby had a franchise at Fenwicks in Newcastle and you could pick up heavily discounted stock, including Gresley coaches, So William Whitelaw has a Gresley Full Kitchen sandwiched between a FO and SO, which I enjoy seeing running past,

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As I said a few posts back, it is becoming almost impossible to find any new and interesting photos, so I thought I'd end my regular posts with a picture which sums up my modelling preferences as I approach my 70th birthday. The DJH D20 was modified to late BR state with an extended smokebox and Dave Alexander tender with correct chassis cutouts. It is on what was the class's final duties - Alnwick- Newcastle stoppers. The coaches are either weathered Hornby or, in a couple of cases, modified with etched sides.

 

The J71 is a cut down Mainline J72 with Mainly Trains conversion kit. The short train of Insulated meat are Parkside kits.

 

So building rather than running is the way forward now, but see the plastic rodding lying alongside the track- it will become point-rodding, using Wills parts.

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The scanned photo shows the sort of anomaly which occurred towards the end of steam. I never saw a J38 other than on occasional visits to Edinburgh. On my layout, the train has travelled a couple of miles south and mysteriously transformed into a cattle train. The loco was a basic conversion of the GBL J39, numbered 65912 as per the loco in the photo. Please respect copyright of the photograph.

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Hello John to the uninitiated Midlander that I am I would geve thought these locos commonplace in the north east  shuttling between Scotland and your neck oft the woods. This was in some way mirrored in Brum...jinties the " iconic" midland loco were rare if at all . The only photo I've seen was one laid up in a siding a little further up " my " line at Whitacre, awaiting onward movement to the scrapyard.

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I would think,looking at the train, that the J38 was about at the limit of its capacity for an Edinburgh to Newcastle run, and a K3, B1 or V2 was a much better bet. As far as I know, all the J38 loco s were in Scotland. And I guess by Summer 1964 supply of suitable steam was beginning to be a problem. But it's good to see these oddities. I have another picture of an Eastfield K2 heading south at much the same location in the 50,s. Tempting...

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13 hours ago, manna said:

G'Day Folks

 

Now you need a Picture of a J6 pottering around Little Benton ??

 

manna

It would be nice, as I have a model, but I've never seen a photo of one even as far north  as York, and certainly not in Newcastle ..and not the NSW one..

There are a couple of well known photos of a Brit on a Kings X Newcastle service train, which might tempt me. 

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Craigendoran to Leicester is a service which seems incomprehensible today, and running via Edinburgh is equally strange,. I need, out of interest, to look at the route, but wouldn't a reversal at Queen Street have been required? Presumably  the service ran down to Doncaster? The service seems to have terminated at Leicester London Road- I had thought it would have been Central- but I suppose that explains the LMS stock. the re is a photo showing Harvester at Newcastle in 1961 on the down train, which left Leicester at 5.20 AM, !!!!

 

I have a picture of 60035 Windsor Lad of 64B on a down service on Sat 21/06/58 at Grantshouse on a rake of LMS coaches. The caption asks "Now where did that lot originate from?" Could it be the same service?  

 

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42 minutes ago, rowanj said:

Craigendoran to Leicester is a service which seems incomprehensible today, and running via Edinburgh is equally strange,. I need, out of interest, to look at the route, but wouldn't a reversal at Queen Street have been required? 

 

Hi,

Cowlairs is a triangular junction so this train could gain the Edinburgh route without having to reverse at Queen Street.

 

Roja

 

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36 minutes ago, 37Oban said:

Hi,

Cowlairs is a triangular junction so this train could gain the Edinburgh route without having to reverse at Queen Street.

 

Roja

 

But wouldn't a train like this have had a Glasgow stop?  I must try to track down more info. It seems to have fun for several years as a summer SO, but I confess I had never heard of it.

John

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46 minutes ago, rowanj said:

But wouldn't a train like this have had a Glasgow stop?  I must try to track down more info. It seems to have fun for several years as a summer SO, but I confess I had never heard of it.

John

Hi,

it may have had a stop in Glasgow, but not necessarily Queeen Street (Upper).  It could have run via Queen Street (Lower) or Central (Lower).  Either route would mean it didn't have to make a reversal in Queen Street (Upper) or negotiate Cowlairs Bank.  Personally I think running  via Queen Street (Lower) the more likely option for a stopping service.  I recently travelled this route to Edinburgh with my daughter after a holiday in Oban.  Roja

 

 

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Hi Roja and Brian. Thanks for the most interesting posts. 

 

I'm making assumptions here, but it looks as though this train, which seems to have run in both directions throughout the summer timetable, was to drop off folk who had booked a variety of tours in Scotland. The train therefore only really makes sense, at least in 2019 thinking, if it collected and dropped off passengers at a few destinations en-route. So a stop at Nottingham seems feasible, and given the photo of Harvester at Newcastle, Leeds City also makes sense - Harvester was a Neville Hill Loco. It was presumably changed for a Haymarket loco at Newcastle. The photo of Harvester can be found via a Google search. 

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a bit more on this most interesting train. Amongst the Railscot pictures of Newcastle Central is one dated 23/06/62 with 45605 Cyprus taking the train south. It states the Newcastle departure time of 1.00pm which doesn't fit the timings above. Cyprus had brought in a train from Manchester Exchange (it would usually have been relieved at York ) so this was a convenient way to get it home.

 

https://www.railscot.co.uk/locations/N/Newcastle_Central/15.html

 

And here is the link to the photo of Harvester - both are thumbnails due to copyright restictions

 

https://www.railscot.co.uk/locations/N/Newcastle_Central/12.html

 

So the least I can do is run the train, now just a few miles from Newcastle, headed by 64B's 60087 Blenheim.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

As this layout is a sort of Memory Book of trainspotting at Little Benton from about 1960 -64, here are 3 of us looking suitably disgusted as an often-seen local J27 takes another train of loaded hoppers, probably from the Backworth Coalfield, to some staithes or another on the Tyne.

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