60s Industrial Steam (i.e. non-BR)

[Mark Saunders]

1 minute ago, russ p said:

 

But as you know mark  some couldn't use them to save their lives! 

 

The current crop of shutter would not know which end to use.

 

Under buffers coupling was easy from right to left but needed more practice left to right, screws could be done if they were not choked with rust or could be coupled using the top of the buffer as a fulcrum.

 

The main thing was to ensure that the buffer faces had touched before coupling as at one time many store men were one armed former shunters!

 

 

[russ p]

7 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

The current crop of shutter would not know which end to use.

 

Under buffers coupling was easy from right to left but needed more practice left to right, screws could be done if they were not choked with rust or could be coupled using the top of the buffer as a fulcrum.

 

The main thing was to ensure that the buffer faces had touched before coupling as at one time many store men were one armed former shunters!

 

 

 

But if a second set of lower buffers would make it difficult,  I'm sure the lads on the ground could get round it 

[Trev52A]

I've already shared some colour pics from Swalwell Disposal Point (on the opposite bank of the River Derwent to the NCB Derwenthaugh system) in the '1970s Industrials' thread, but here are the first ones I shot from 1968 and 1969:

 

I had noticed the branch coming off the BR line in 1967 while looking for good spots to photograph BR steam-hauled coal trains to Stella South power Station the previous year - here I'm standing on the foot crossing on the line near its junction with BR as 63395 heads west with a loaded train on 13th May 1967, but I didn't get to explore the area with a camera until April 1968, as per the first two below:

 

 

 

 

71515 was the maroon example. 75167 was probably blue under the muck - it certainly was in my 1971 photos, and the branding had been changed to 'Johnsons (Chopwell) Ltd' by then - (the name change had taken place in 1968)

 

Trevor

Edited December 30, 2019 by Trev52A
typo

[Trev52A]

The other main industrial steam-powered railway system near my home in Gateshead in the 1960s was at Norwood Coking Plant, a ten minute walk away. I was aware of three different steam locos which were used, namely No 77 'Norwood' (although I think the name was a later embellishment) - an 0-6-0ST by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns (their No 7412 of 1948); No 2531/72 - an 0-4-0ST which was another RSH example (their No 7799 of 1954); and No 502 - an Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST (their 2317 of 1950). These pictures all date from 1968.

The last time I saw working steam at this location was in 1979 when No 77 (by then a standby loco for the regular diesel) was in action, as shown in the '70s Industrial Steam' thread.

 

The first three show No 77

 

Although I got a good view of the action through the fence I occasionally summoned up the courage to walk in through the main gate with my camera and was never chased away, thankfully!

This one shows the plywood(?) sliding shutter to provide a bit more shelter in the cab.

 

Next is the small RSH 0-4-0

 

I didn't see the AB loco in action too many times - this is probably the best picture I took of it

 

The technical details of the locos comes from the mine of information which is 'The Industrial Railways & Locos of Co. Durham - (Part 2, NCB)' by Mountford & Holroyde, (2009) which has helped me in compiling this entire thread.

 

Loco No 77 was saved for preservation, but the other two shown were scrapped in 1971.

The system was closed down and the site eventually cleared in the 1980s and by 1990 it had been transformed to become part of Gateshead's National Garden Festival. Today housing covers much of it.

 

As a final touch, here is my only picture of a train on the Team Valley Trading Estate private system, which I took in 1965 or 1966 during a break from watching trains on the ECML in the background.

It appears to be a Peckett 0-4-0ST which bore a plate with the enigmatic 'R.O.F.9 No 7'. The first bit presumably means Royal Ordnance Factory but I can't track down any further details. On the right stand some vans on the exchange sidings with BR which fell out of use a few years later. On the left is the approach road to the site of Low Fell station which was a favourite spotting location for the happy band of youngsters I was proud to be part of.

 

Trevor

Edited December 31, 2019 by Trev52A
added extra info

[50A55B]

The Disused Stations site entry for Thorpe Arch lists ROF 9 as Aycliffe.

[tractionman]

Great to see these pics -- I do like trading estate rail systems of the inter-war and early post-war -- probably the appeal of a combination of rail and road systems / vehicles and 'modern' industrial buildings of the time -- anyway, some interesting inf here on the Team Valley Trading Estate  https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?s=a28a8fba692d90902439c66deceb54d8&p=85847612&postcount=27

 

cheers,

 

Keith

 

[Ruston]

3 hours ago, Trev52A said:

It appears to be a Peckett 0-4-0ST which bore a plate with the enigmatic 'R.O.F.9 No 7'. The first bit presumably means Royal Ordnance Factory but I can't track down any further details. On the right stand some vans on the exchange sidings with BR which fell out of use a few years later. On the left is the approach road to the site of Low Fell station which was a favourite spotting location for the happy band of youngsters I was proud to be part of.

 

Trevor

Works No. 2016, built 1944, a W7 type. New to R.O.F. Aycliffe.

[stovepipe]

3 hours ago, 50A55B said:

The Disused Stations site entry for Thorpe Arch lists ROF 9 as Aycliffe.

 

Although by 1942, Thorpe Park was ROF 58 and Aycliffe ROF 59. Leeds was ROF 9 at this point.

[johnofwessex]

Interesting to see signals on an industrial system

[DLT]

Fabulous stuff Trev, thank you so much for sharing.

Cheers, Dave.

[Trev52A]

On 31/12/2019 at 16:57, Ruston said:

Works No. 2016, built 1944, a W7 type. New to R.O.F. Aycliffe.

 

Many thanks for that, Ruston, regarding the 0-4-0ST 'R.O.F. 9 No 7' in my picture a few posts back.

 

Now knowing its Works number I am able to track it down in the book 'Industrial Railways etc..' (which I have mentioned previously), even though it was not an NCB loco, by reason of the fact that it was on hire to the NCB at one point. (The book quotes a Peckett build date of 1941, incidentally.)

 

(Quote) 'Hired from North Eastern Trading Estates Ltd...working from its own shed...in August 1964...worked the section between Ravensworth Park Drift and Allerdene Bank Foot (the section covered in my posts involving the viaduct over the Trading Estate in this thread) until May 1966 ...hire terminated in May 1966.'

 

This would suggest that my picture was taken after May 1966 when it is clearly back on home territory, but before January 1967 when I stopped using this camera.

 

Well, I never knew that!

Cheers

Trevor

 

 

[Wickham Green]

On 27/12/2019 at 12:13, Trev52A said:

Another quite extensive NCB system within cycling distance of my home in Gateshead was centred on the loco shed at Marley Hill, now the headquarters of the  Tanfield Railway. This modern heritage line runs trains over a short section of the former BR Tanfield Branch running roughly north to south, but uses the shed on the NCB route which ran east to west and crossed the BR line on the level at Marley Hill.

I managed two or three visits to the area in 1968.

 

NCB No 83 near the shed at Marley Hill, crossing on the level the route of the former BR Tanfield Branch. Today the ex-BR line is now part of the Tanfield Railway and this part of the NCB route is just a head shunt. The TR Marley Hill signal box has been built here just beyond the loco.

 

Trevor

The same spot last October - from a not dissimilar angle. The pile of bricks beyond No.83 will be the remains of the box which has been recreated by the preservationists on its original foundations. There is still a short length of track beyond the former flat crossing but the crossing itself has been taken out : plain line's better for passengers in four-wheelers, I guess !. 

[highpeakman]

I am really enjoying these pictures. Thank you very much indeed for posting them.

[montyburns56]

NCB 17 at Methil West 1968

 

 

 

NCB Wellesley Washery 1969

 

 

Denbeath Washery 1969

 

 

 

[Trev52A]

I've just scanned some negatives of my shots taken on the NCB Lambton system based on Philadelphia, near Sunderland. Because of the snow and blue (presumably!) sky I have to assume this was the famous 'last day' of steam on 15th February 1969, although amazingly I find I did not record this in my notes!

As with my earlier Ashington pictures I am not sure of the exact locations of some of these. I recognise Bournmoor crossing from other published photos (although this is sometimes written as Burnmoor - unless that is a different place?)

 

These are in the order I took the pictures:

 

'Austerity' No 59 light engine, with the famous Penshaw Monument on the left horizon.

 

This must be Bournmoor crossing, with an 'Austerity' (possibly the same one?) with a loaded train heading south

 

'Lambton Tank' 0-6-2T No 5 (now preserved) with a train of empties(?). Going by the shadows this looks to be heading south, but where?

 

No 5 (I presume) again. Is this the other side of the same crossing shown above? Not sure if the loco is pulling or propelling here.

 

Loco No.8 heading north at Bournmoor crossing.

 

Looks like I've walked down the line a bit from Bournmoor crossing to see what the problem is with No.2

 

'Austerity' No 7 at Bournmoor crossing. This loco finished up at Derwenthaugh, as shown on some earlier posts.

 

On the scrap line near Philadelphia shed, although the records show that No 51 had a further lease of life at Morrison Busty Colliery later that year.

 

A train of empties(?) passing the loco sheds

 

I was with friends in a car so it is possible we moved around a bit chasing the action. Sadly I have lost track of who I was with that day, some of them no longer with us.

 

Trevor

[russ p]

Fantastic pictures Trevor,  were they still running over BR at this time of had it ceased by then?

[s182ggu]

1 hour ago, Trev52A said:

I've just scanned some negatives of my shots taken on the NCB Lambton system based on Philadelphia, near Sunderland. Because of the snow and blue (presumably!) sky I have to assume this was the famous 'last day' of steam on 15th February 1969, although amazingly I find I did not record this in my notes!

As with my earlier Ashington pictures I am not sure of the exact locations of some of these. I recognise Bournmoor crossing from other published photos (although this is sometimes written as Burnmoor - unless that is a different place?)

 

These are in the order I took the pictures:

 

'Austerity' No 59 light engine, with the famous Penshaw Monument on the left horizon.

 

This must be Bournmoor crossing, with an 'Austerity' (possibly the same one?) with a loaded train heading south

 

'Lambton Tank' 0-6-2T No 5 (now preserved) with a train of empties(?). Going by the shadows this looks to be heading south, but where?

 

No 5 (I presume) again. Is this the other side of the same crossing shown above? Not sure if the loco is pulling or propelling here.

 

Loco No.8 heading north at Bournmoor crossing.

 

Looks like I've walked down the line a bit from Bournmoor crossing to see what the problem is with No.2

 

'Austerity' No 7 at Bournmoor crossing. This loco finished up at Derwenthaugh, as shown on some earlier posts.

 

On the scrap line near Philadelphia shed, although the records show that No 51 had a further lease of life at Morrison Busty Colliery later that year.

 

A train of empties(?) passing the loco sheds

 

I was with friends in a car so it is possible we moved around a bit chasing the action. Sadly I have lost track of who I was with that day, some of them no longer with us.

 

Trevor

 

My favourite tank loco is featured in this collection - does anyone know of a model of Lambton No 5? - I'd love to get my hands on one!!

[Trev52A]

On 14/01/2020 at 20:39, russ p said:

Fantastic pictures Trevor,  were they still running over BR at this time of had it ceased by then?

 

Thanks for that, russ.

My 'Industrial Railways..' bible tell me that the closure of various collieries in the mid 1960s '...severely reduced the tonnage being handled by Lambton Staiths (on the south bank of the River Wear at Sunderland) and on 6th January 1967 these closed too, ending all running (by NCB trains) over BR'

 

I didn't see any of the big 'Lambton Tanks' working coal trains over BR metals but they have been well-documented of course, notably by celebrated Sunderland photographer Ian Carr.

 

Cheers

Trevor

Edited January 16, 2020 by Trev52A
typo

[montyburns56]

Philadelphia NCB

 

 

 

 

 

Slightly OT, but for some nice modelling details/inspiration....

 

 

 

 

 

[Jack]

3 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

Philadelphia NCB

 

 

Slightly OT, but for some nice modelling details/inspiration....

 

 

 

 

 

 

These should be in the 'Prototype For Everything' section - peco O gauge setrack eat yer heart out!!!

[montyburns56]

20 hours ago, Jack said:

 

These should be in the 'Prototype For Everything' section - peco O gauge setrack eat yer heart out!!!

 

Yeah, I bet that even narrow gauge enthusiasts are thinking "that curve is too tight".

[The Johnster]

Those Lambton 0-6-2T locos (when is Rob Gunton going to model one) are handsome beasts, with a hint of Taff Vale about them.  It's the Kitson look with curved top tanks, of course.

[montyburns56]

Nechells Power Station

 

 

 

[montyburns56]

Ex-LSWR B4 Class 0-4-0T ''Corrall Queen'' by the gasworks near Belvidere, at Southampton Docks, in spring 1968.

 

 

[Stephenwolsten]

Thanks Trevor for sharing your amazing images.   They are a marvellous social record.