Tyneside electrics

[Arpster]

Ah, that makes sense then. I didn't realise they'd demolished a load of high rise flats from that area. I only ever went to Julies once and also ended up in pretty unexpected surroundings. Perhaps it was some kind of wormhole?!

 

This accident report about a runaway electric at Manors makes interesting reading: http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_ManorsJunction1926.pdf

 

Arp

[Michael Delamar]

for someone who has never actually been to Newcastle but is planning to in the future

 

tell me, is there much of a social difference between the north and south of the river?

 

certainly is where I am from.

[Porcy Mane]

 I only ever went to Julies once and also ended up in pretty unexpected surroundings.

 

I'll be telling your Dad...

 

 Perhaps it was some kind of wormhole?!

Julies... not much bigger than a wormhole...  (I'm talking an earthly physical wormhole, not a quantum physics wormh0le).

 

P

[Arpster]

The time I was in Julies it smelled horribly of gas, just to add to the delights!

 

for someone who has never actually been to Newcastle but is planning to in the future

 

tell me, is there much of a social difference between the north and south of the river?

 

certainly is where I am from.

 

Not a lot really. North and South Tyneside are, in many ways, considered one place and each have their own areas which are more upmarket and others which are less desirable. Newcastle is very much the big daddy culturally, but North Shields, South Shields and Gateshead all have their own character and identity too. I suppose overall Newcastle is more affluent. And then there's Sunderland...

 

Arp

Edited March 19, 2013 by Arpster

[Porcy Mane]

Micheal,

A thesis could probably be authored on this. Generally speaking if it was a lively.. whey hay… boozy night you were wanting then North of the river.

You would get plenty of folk from south of the river going north to spend there dosh but very few travelling in the opposite direction.

When pub closing was at 10:30 then 11:00 after chucking out time a steady stream of folk would be seen crossing the Swing Bridge south to visit “The Boat”. The two versions of The Boat, Tuxedo Royale and Tuxedo Princess (I think one of them had a spell in Liverpool) were moored on the South Bank as they were not allowed to permanent moorings on the owners’ preferred north quay.

The Boats are long gone but with the advent of The Sage, The Baltic and other Gateshead developments the south side is now far more attractive.

Lord Haw Haw summed up the Newcastle vs. Gateshead debate quite well when in one of his broadcasts he explained how the during the coming night Newcastle would become a maelstrom of death due to the Germans dropping bombs all over the City but he then went on to placate the people of Gateshead, for on them, he said, “the Luftwaffe would drop… … …SOAP!”

Happily the days of JB Priestley deriding Gateshead and the Durham coal owner, The Marquis of Londonderry describing the town as, "the long, dirty lane, leading to Newcastle” are long gone.

When you come North make the time to do a bit of exploring both sides of the river. I think you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised.

 

Porcy

Who’s more that a little bit biased in this.

 

Ps Further down the river at Shields those from the South would get there own back by reciting the oft quoted phrase, “North Shields is the Sunny Side BUT South Shields… the money side”… You remember that Arthur K?...

[DavidH]

The money side? That'll be the BT building then. Can't be referring to all those empty offices on the south side of the river ...  

 

David (on the  North side)

[Michael Delamar]

the Pelaw area looked interesting to me, i can only recall seeing a few shots of the area,one being the nice shot of the baggage car hauling 2 vans. I like how the electrified lines crossed over to head for Tyne dock and I like the signal box, there is footage from it in one of the BTF films.

 

incidentley did this then join the route to Tyne dock that was used by the Consett ore trains? ie did the 9fs run over the 3rd rail?

I cant seem to find as much info on the south side, particularly Pelaw and Tyne dock stations.

[Fat Controller]

the Pelaw area looked interesting to me, i can only recall seeing a few shots of the area,one being the nice shot of the baggage car hauling 2 vans. I like how the electrified lines crossed over to head for Tyne dock and I like the signal box, there is footage from it in one of the BTF films.

 

incidentley did this then join the route to Tyne dock that was used by the Consett ore trains? ie did the 9fs run over the 3rd rail?

I cant seem to find as much info on the south side, particularly Pelaw and Tyne dock stations.

I think the Tyne Dock to Consett trains ran via the flat crossing (Pontop Crossing) on the Newcastle- Sunderland line, thence to Washington and Consett, so would have been a few miles west of the third-rail. There would have been other freights using the 3rd rail route, though, to Simonside Wagon Works and BSC Jarrow. The former still ran, using one of the double tracks to South Shields, after the Metro took over. The Metro ran on the other track.

[62613]

Micheal,

A thesis could probably be authored on this. Generally speaking if it was a lively.. whey hay… boozy night you were wanting then North of the river.

You would get plenty of folk from south of the river going north to spend there dosh but very few travelling in the opposite direction.

When pub closing was at 10:30 then 11:00 after chucking out time a steady stream of folk would be seen crossing the Swing Bridge south to visit “The Boat”. The two versions of The Boat, Tuxedo Royale and Tuxedo Princess (I think one of them had a spell in Liverpool) were moored on the South Bank as they were not allowed to permanent moorings on the owners’ preferred north quay.

The Boats are long gone but with the advent of The Sage, The Baltic and other Gateshead developments the south side is now far more attractive.

Lord Haw Haw summed up the Newcastle vs. Gateshead debate quite well when in one of his broadcasts he explained how the during the coming night Newcastle would become a maelstrom of death due to the Germans dropping bombs all over the City but he then went on to placate the people of Gateshead, for on them, he said, “the Luftwaffe would drop… … …SOAP!”

Happily the days of JB Priestley deriding Gateshead and the Durham coal owner, The Marquis of Londonderry describing the town as, "the long, dirty lane, leading to Newcastle” are long gone.

When you come North make the time to do a bit of exploring both sides of the river. I think you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised.

 

Porcy

Who’s more that a little bit biased in this.

 

Ps Further down the river at Shields those from the South would get there own back by reciting the oft quoted phrase, “North Shields is the Sunny Side BUT South Shields… the money side”… You remember that Arthur K?...

Ah, the different closing times in Northumberland and Co. Durham. In South Shields in was on the ferry (when it ran!) and into The Jungle, taking your life in your hands.

[Michael Delamar]

I think the Tyne Dock to Consett trains ran via the flat crossing (Pontop Crossing) on the Newcastle- Sunderland line, thence to Washington and Consett, so would have been a few miles west of the third-rail. There would have been other freights using the 3rd rail route, though, to Simonside Wagon Works and BSC Jarrow. The former still ran, using one of the double tracks to South Shields, after the Metro took over. The Metro ran on the other track.

 

thanks, I was also wondering why the modern Tyne dock metro station ends with a road bridge over the end of the line, what is the history there?

[Fat Controller]

Didn't one of the 'Tuxes' go back into service, with a line serving the Greek islands? I'm sure I remember one of Lynne's colleagues remarking that they'd sailed on her sometime in the late 1980s.

I'll be interested to see the changes when we come up in June to see Neil Young.

[Arpster]

The picture on the south side was quite complex. Pelaw was a three-way junction, where the line to Sunderland (non-electrified) carried on straight ahead, the South Shields line (electrified) split off to the left and the Leamside split off to the right. I don't think the electrified line swung over the top until the advent of the Metro in the early 1980s. The Tyne Dock - Consett ore trains ran directly from Washington (further south on the Leamside line) via Pontop Crossing over the Sunderland line into Tyne Dock. This was the former Pontop and South Shields Railway opened in 1834 which ran all the way from Stanhope in Weardale via Consett to the Tyne. The line from Pelaw to South Shields skirted the river through Jarrow and is still open as the Tyne and Wear Metro. As Brian mentioned, freight trains still use this line but run on a parallel track to the Metro as far as Jarrow in order to reach the oil terminal there. Other freight, for the Port of Tyne (where coal is imported now, remarkably) diverges from the Sunderland line at Boldon Colliery to enter the port.

 

Add into the mix the 'other' Tyneside electrics of the Westoe system (e.g. https://www.flickr.com/photos/55727763@N02/8044478612/in/set-72157625953380992 ), the line along the coast to Marsden which carried passengers (http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/marsden/index.shtml ) and Pelaw Main and the Bowes Railway coming down the hill to Jarrow staithes (

) then you've got a really interesting mix of railways!

 

Arp

[Arpster]

There's a map of the railways and waggonways of 'North East Durham' here:  https://sites.google.com/site/waggonways/nz/30/nz3065

 

Arp

[Arpster]

Didn't one of the 'Tuxes' go back into service, with a line serving the Greek islands? I'm sure I remember one of Lynne's colleagues remarking that they'd sailed on her sometime in the late 1980s.

I'll be interested to see the changes when we come up in June to see Neil Young.

 

I'm not sure they did ever put any of them back into service. One was towed to Greece for scrapping (the one which lasted the longest on the Tyne) and the other went to Middlesbrough where it still resides, looking rather forlorn and awaiting its fate. The Shields ferry still runs, happily, and is a lovely trip.

 

Arp

[Michael Delamar]

great info thanks Arp.

I had noticed on google earth the tracks being shared side by side.

 

the Bowes railway is one I want to visit when I eventually get up that way. 

furthest north that way Ive ever got was Sunderland for a model railway exhibition, I found the old rail/road bridge there interesting.

[Arpster]

The Bowes Railway is really on its last legs at the moment through a mixture of lack of volunteers (and interest generally), its location, and arson attacks! The incline is still in use but is badly over-grown and the remaining volunteers seem to struggle on trying to keep as much of it running as possible. It's a shame, because it's a unique piece of railway history. There's also the Stephenson Railway Museum over in North Shields which has the last remaining Tyneside Electric vehicle (the NER baggage car) and the Monkwearmouth Station Museum in Sunderland should you ever pay a visit.

 

The road/rail bridge in Sunderland is the Queen Alexandra ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinzac55/3522241758/in/photostream/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinzac55/3532629821/), the railway part of which lasted barely a decade before it closed.

 

Arp

[Porcy Mane]

Ah, the different closing times in Northumberland and Co. Durham. In South Shields in was on the ferry (when it ran!) and into The Jungle, taking your life in your hands.

 

 

"The Jungle"   Now your'e talking... Fortunately the ex was related so I was always safe in there. Same goes for the Sir Colin Campbell up the bank.

...but better get back to elecrics.

 

P

[Mallard60022]

I can recommend using the Metro and getting a sort of rover ticket;; can't remember the real title of the ticket - great fun especially around the depot and the 'Airport branch'. When I was up a few years back I got off at N Shields and got the ferry to S Shields then metro in to town.

P

[Michael Delamar]

thats something id like to do, have a trip round on the metro and visit the museums in the area and pubs too of course.

 

it is a shame about the Bowes railway I had read about its troubles.

 

Sunderland was the first place Id ever encountered a battered sausage

went in a chip shop and she said "do you want you're sausage battered?" I just said "dont hit it too hard"

[Porcy Mane]

 and I like the signal box, there is footage from it in one of the BTF films.

And a representation of it also appears on the Scalecraft Roadrailer instruction booklet that came in the boxed kits. The Tyneside Roadrailer depot was built directly opposite the original Pelaw station platform.

Thats the track inset into the concrete in this David Christie photograph.

 

http://flic.kr/p/bcbbU8

 

 

P

Edited March 19, 2013 by Porcy Mane

[Arpster]

You can get a Daysaver for the Metro and that's valid on the Shields Ferry too, and the trains to Sunderland. It's about a fiver. If it's pub recommendations you need, I can happily furnish you with some of those!

 

I forgot to mention the Tanfield Railway too, which is worth a visit particularly on the gala weekends when they have the coal trains out.

 

There's some footage of the Harton Electrics towards the end of this clip, plus some bits of Newcastle Central in 1968 in the middle:

 

Arp

[Bon Accord]

Ah, the different closing times in Northumberland and Co. Durham. In South Shields in was on the ferry (when it ran!) and into The Jungle, taking your life in your hands.

 

Jesus wept, the Jungle! Now there's a blast from the past!

Certainly made for an entertaining Friday or Saturday night, the clientèle being that curious mix of local worthies, seamen. fishermen and a few fairies too. If you walked in and there nobody was urinating in the ashtrays or blood on the floor you knew it was a quiet night.

Wasn't it's proper name the Northumbria Arms or suchlike? I believe it's all yuppie flats now.

[62613]

The Northumberland Arms, and yes. Was up there about 15 years ago with Monkseaton Rapper, on a morris trip celebrating the tall ships race in Newcastle. Sad to see the Tyne so empty. We ended up on the Saturday night down at the feery landing in North Shields, and I couldn't believe it had changed so much. The best bit about the weekend though, was the expression on the face of the owner of an Indian restaurant in N shields, when 15 fully-equipped morris men entered his premises, asking for a meal.

[New Haven Neil]

Nostalgia alert!  yes, the jungle is yuppie flats now, a Doctor I used to know lived in one.

 

It's only reading this thread that reminds me how complex the railways south of the river were (I'm a South Shields lad) and how complex, they , er aren't any more!

 

There was a great model of Pelaw box on our old SSMRS club layout, but I don't have any photos of it.

 

Michael, that's not Tyne Dock station that ends under the bridge by the river, it's South Shields.  Tyne Dock was two stations along, the first stop out of Shields being 'High Shields' more commonly known as Trinity, due to being next to the church of that name.  This was all on a tightly curving embankment that the NCB line to high staithes ran underneath, weaving from side to side.  All gone now, no trace left hardly.  The Metro leaves the passenger line alignment almost immediately after leaving South Shields, and traverses a very old railway that latterly was NCB owned.  It re-joins between what is now Chichester (pro, Ch eye chester, not Chich chester!) Metro and Tyne Dock station, which is on the original line.  I was born and grew up not far from the huge colliery on the seafront of South Shileds, which is now Crown Point or something housing estate.  I used to listen to the electrics shunting all night....#sigh#

[Porcy Mane]

Ladies and gentlemen although a little of topic... for those that don't know the area, I present to you that most genteel of North East hostelries, the late lamented... JUNGLE...

 

http://www.jamescott.webspace.virginmedia.com/Pubs/Pubs_010_Jungle.html

 

P

Edited March 19, 2013 by Porcy Mane