Trainspotting at Little Benton Sidings, Newcastle.

[rowanj]

Last photo for a while has B16/1 61510 on a"businessmen's extra" Newcastle -Edinburgh. The loco, which now has  a coupling fitted to the tender, is probab;y deputising for a Tweedmouth V2 which has been failed at Newcastle.

Passing on the Up , C;lass 104 is nearly at the end of its;' run from Alnwick. I keep being told how good replacement CD motors can be, so may try one in the coming months.

Finally, in the siding is my work-in- progress rake of enpty minerals. A couple of distressed ex=PO coal wagons an Airfix/Dapol kit and a couple of Bachmann's will be completed by 3 Parkside kits when I get round to building them, 8 wagons plus a brake van may seem a bit short, but I have several photos of such trains in the NE, I'm speculating, but suppose that they were being returned for onward distribution to those yards which didnt have resources to handle the more common hoppers for the household market. Most photos of 16T wagons show them as part of a mixed freight consist rather then as a rake, at least around Tyneside.

[rowanj]

Found these on the phone, so I might as well post them. The K3 on the LOCO coal was about to fail- slipping worm on the motor shaft, which is the only real weakness of Highlevel gearboxes, where the worms need to be glued onto the shaft. Loco is an SEF kit. 

The B16/2 has brought a rake of full cattle wagons down from Berwick, where these vans were often assembled before heading South to the mart at Newcastle, held twice -weekly. Loco is the PDK kit.

Looking North, Little Benton North Box will be closed in 1964 with the sidings in terminal decline, and its; functions transferred to either Little Benton South or Benton Quarry Junction. We used to play in the disused box- very silly, in hindsight- and I had, but have now lost, a pile of logs from the box. They were meaningless at the time, but I so wish I had kept them.

[rowanj]

From 1960, when I was 11 y.o. my grandmother, mother, brother and I went to stay with an uncle who lived near Thames Ditton. This was a great adventure for a train-spotter, and after a couple of years I was allowed to go alone (unimaginable now) on the train to Waterloo and then wander round the London termini. I remember going into an eerie deserted Broad Street on a Sunday, waiting for a tube at Brompton Road and seeing a named Standard 5 passing on the BR tracks, and being thrilled to see SR Pacifics still in regular use on the trains to and from Waterloo. We were NEVER hauled by steam in either direction- always a Class 40.

This lasted for a few years, with the odd gap, until my Gran was too ill to make the journey. In 1967 we missed Easter, but decided to go during the Summer- Mam was a teacher- and I can recall the train slowing down painfully as we left Darlington, and crawling along for what seemed forever, until we passed a line of derailed wagons near Northallerton. Afterwards, I discovered this was the site of the crash between an Aberdeen- Kings X Sleeper and a train of cement wagons, and was the end of DP2.

So here is my DP2 on an Edinburgh-Kings X express, as a sort of personal memory jog. I never saw the loco, though it got to Tyneside often enough.

[46256]

John a poignant reminder of DP2. High level worms , had one or two slip. This is often a result of an unintended motion bind , or a markits axlenut  coming loose. The wheel losing its  quartering. I think on one occasion you heard my verbal reaction, even how far we live apart!

[rowanj]

Lord President has a Down SO extra , which it will have either taken over at or possibly started from York. York crew worked through to Edinburgh from time to time in order to retain route knowledge, and this may be one of those trips. The model is a GBL A4 Cab, Hornby A3 boiler, Graeme King resin castings on a modified Bachmann A2 chassis.

The Rails/Bachmann ES1 takes some empty minerals out of the sidings to Heaton Up Yard. Quite how it is managing to do this is a bit of a mystery, as there was no 3rd rail in the sidings,, but once it hits the ECML, all will be well.

Edited March 12, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

The ex-LMS 42085 was a short-time resident on the NE Region, It had a spell at Heaton, and I have a photo of it at Manors North on a Newbiggin train. After a transfer to Darlington, it got to Newcastle from time to time, including an infamous derailment in Central,  

 

The 2MT was a long-term loco at Heaton, I suspect the intention was to use the class as replacements for J21 and J25's, but in the event, although Heaton and Gateshead got a handful, they were always in a small minority. probably a classic case of prejudice by local railwaymen against newcomers. Other than the 9F's at Tyne Dock, none of the Standards made much of an impression on Tyneside. Both the locos are simply renumbered Bachmann.

Around York, however, the 80xxx locos seem to have been well-liked. 80120 is modified GBL on a Bachmann chassis, which I obtained second-hand. It was used extensively on Harrogate/Ripon portions of Leeds-Kings X services, and spent several years on York-Scarborough and Whitby services, Why it is sitting in the sidings at Little Benton is a mystery. The chassis was a very lumpy runner, and I don't use the loco much. Getting it out for a spin showed appalling running and a tendancy to derail. It also runs in the wrong direction. I adjusted the pickups, which the previous owner had obviously had a go at, checked and adjusted the back-to backs which were all over the place, and lubricated it, and it now runs really well, though still "backwards". I cant see an easy way to remedy this without removing the motor to get at the bottom contact , so that is a task for another day.

Edited March 15, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

When I occasionally have reservations about some of the locos which appear at my version of Little Benton, there are some exceptions which even I would hesitate to run. but then again.... why not?  Newcastle Central 1966.

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

After pondering the wisdom or otherwise of an SR MN running through Little Benton, here are a couple of local regulars on fitted freights. The B1 is renubered Baxhmann from the original release, split chassis and all, and it continues to be an excellent runner. The J39 is a detailed GBL body on a split chassis Bachmann,When I put it on a train a few days ago, it was jerky and spluttery, so it went into works, fearing the worst. However stripped down, cleaned and oiled, it now runs nicely, with no sign yet of the dreaded split axles.

For the service, I should tip my hat to OOBill's Youtube videos. His modelling could not be further removed from my own interests, but he has an uncanny ability to get older locos back in action

[John Tomlinson]

1 hour ago, rowanj said:

After pondering the wisdom or otherwise of an SR MN running through Little Benton, here are a couple of local regulars on fitted freights. The B1 is renubered Baxhmann from the original release, split chassis and all, and it continues to be an excellent runner. The J39 is a detailed GBL body on a split chassis Bachmann,When I put it on a train a few days ago, it was jerky and spluttery, so it went into works, fearing the worst. However stripped down, cleaned and oiled, it now runs nicely, with no sign yet of the dreaded split axles.

For the service, I should tip my hat to OOBill's Youtube videos. His modelling could not be further removed from my own interests, but he has an uncanny ability to get older locos back in action

 

 

Like you I have some old split chassis B1's and also a J39, which, touch wood, run fine.

 

I have to smile when some folk make disparaging remarks about this design. All of Bachmann's current Diesels and DMU's, some of which are not exactly cheap, have a similar design of driving wheel, namely each wheel with a short axle stub that pushes into a nylon(?) gear. It is this that can cause the problem on our older steamers. The actual split chassis isn't a problem at all, save that if you wish to add extra pick-ups the mazak isn't very helpful for soldering.

 

I always enjoy your pictures, and these are no exception!

 

John.

[46256]

Hello John, yes I also enjoy OO bills videos servicing and repairing old locos. 
 

Go on let’s see a Merchant Navy on Little Benton…

[rowanj]

The Sonic re-numbered A5/1 on a rake of modified kit-built coaches represents the mix of RTR and kitbuilding which I like to see. The coaches are Kirk with MJT roofs and a combination of MJT, ABS and Comet underframe and bogie parts.  The train is probably an excursion from Saltburn to Newcastle. 

 

[46256]

Hello John how does the A5 run, and how does it compare with the established rtr manufacturers products?.

 

best wishes Brian 

[rowanj]

Hi Brian. Runs really well- I adjusted the BTB of the front and rear bogies, and lubricated the fixing points to make sure they didnt stick.on curves or my dodgy track. Just as good as other RTR at a good price. 

I keep looking at my Craftsman version with a view to converting it to an A5/2. I can overlook some of the inevitable inaccuracies if the result will look the part. I need to track down whether someone somewhere has made a list of the key differences

John

[rowanj]

If I was only modelling the main period which I spent at Little Benton, I would be able to run almost exclusively RTR locos.- all the Pacifics other than an A2/1. V2, B1, K3, K1,J27, Q6, an occasional J72, Ivatt 2MT and 4MT,, Class 40/45/46/47/55/24 and an odd 17 and O3, Anything else was a very odd bird...

But that would be boring, so here is a J21 on a pick-up freight- an LRM kit,- while a Dave Alexander Q7 has a loaded hopper train, probably heading for Weatslade Disposal Point.

[rowanj]

Gateshead seems to have had a strange relationship with its' A4's in BR days, I have a video where a rather snotty commentator, a big fan of the class, refers to the Gateshead contingent as a rather poor lot. I have read that it was the DMPS who wanted the new A1's on the Top Link turns, on the basis of greater reliability added to the fact that many of the trains were heavy rather than particularly fast. Either way, it was more usual to see Haymarket A4;s at Little Benton rather than those from Gateshead,

 

But today, Golden Eagle has an Up express, slowing down before passing Heaton on the approach to Central. Passing is a North Tyneside EMU Parcels Van, taking an unusual route back to the Car Sheds at South Gosforth.

Edited March 26, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

Gateshead's D249 has a Down Fitted freight. The loco is a Lima (or possibly the Railroad update) which has just come out of shops. Although it wasnt a totally useless runner, it has been transformed by the addition of a CD motor from Horns and Whistles. It was such an easy job, I'm looking at a Lima 37, tender-drive 9F and Class 104. While it had it out, I added some extra detail to the front buffer beam, replaced the horrible Lima coupling with a cut down Bachmann slimline version and toned down the red buffer beam. I also managed to lose an oval buffer, so need to replace it, and I'll fit a dummy coupling when I find one.

PDK B16/2 is passing light engine on the way home to York. How much longer is LRM  J21 65110 going to be stuck in the sidings with that pick-up goods?

 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

One of Sunderland's N5's finds itself with a short train of open wagons carrying timber from its' home port, probably for use in the Backworth NCB Complex. The loco is an SEF kit, with the etched overlays, and was the first I brought myself to solder rather than glue. The leading wagons are Hornby PO's which I got from a market stall- actually the one in Tynemouth Station, which is now on the Metro Line. They have been weathered, and PO transfres added using Railmatch Transfers. Modelmaster used to be my "go to", but with there delivery issues, I now use Railmatch where I can. The loads are stirrers , appropriated from various cafes around North Tyneside, from whom I always bought a coffee for myself and Mrs rowan,j and usually a cheese scone too, to ease my guilt.

The V2 is from the excellent, but now, I gather, unobtainable, resin casting by Graeme King. It runs as one of the last to get a general yet keep its' lined-black livery. 60850 is a New England loco in this guise, so is a long way from home,  It must have somehow got to Edinburgh or Berwick, so this must be a relief to one of the Aberdeen fish trains, which it has been stuck on to get it home.

[rowanj]

The N5 has progressed a bit farther North, and is passed by my re-motered Lima D259. The Horns and Whistles CD motor has transformed the running, and a Class 37 of the same vintage has just has its' motor similarly replaced, with the same results. As an experiment, I tried a shot of the train through Scottie Bridge. Not entirely succesful, but I'm afraid I'm getting tired of the same old shots on the mainline. Even in real life, the location wasnt/isnt particularly photogenic.

[rowanj]

Finally, for this round of photos, the re-motered Lima 37 has a freight from Teesside heading North. D6755 was a Thornaby loco, but it had a few months in 1962 at Gateshead, so that is almost certainly where it was based when the photo was taken. I know there are some issues with the body, but I vividly remember folk thinking that the Lima body was a much better bet than the first Bachmann version, and sticking it on the Bachmann chassis, It looks well enough for my purposes. All I did was remove the horrible Lima couplings, replcace one end with a Tony Wright -style metal bar, and add pipework to what will always be the leading end, where the power bogie fits. I added som black paint -actually Revel Anthracite which I find a good substitute for Weather Black- to the grills and to the buffer beams where, on the prototype, there is a recess, At least that is was it looks like on my photos. I added a bit of weathering powder to the roof, but the loco was new to Thornaby in 1962, so I didn't go mad with the sides or bogies. The whole thing , including motor, cost £55, a fraction of the cost of the new Bachmann version,  (£300 ?) though clearly nothing like as good a model. But it does for me.

Just to complete the diesel theme, DP2 has an Edinburgh- Colchester turn. This is an interesting train, as according to the 1966 WTT, it conveyed fish wagons from Aberdeen. I imagine it did so before 1966 too, so I may have a go replicating this train at some stage,

[rowanj]

3 generations of suburban/local passenger motive power pass Little Benton South. The DJH A8 ahs a special from Teesside, probably a Race Special for Killingworth Racetrack Station. This is supported by the L1 in the sidings, which almost certainly has been sent there to free the platforms at Killingworth, RTR Bachmann,Iit was produced by them as a Darlington loco , so I saw no need to tamper with its' identity.

The class 104, cut and shut from a Hornby 110, has just had a Horns and Whistles CD motor fitted, which has transformed the running. Looking at Youtube videos, this seems as easy a way as any to re-motor these old things, and I can highly recommend both the product and the service. Usual disclaimer. The train is a SO Alnwick-Newcastle.

 

I re-motored all 4 of my "eligible" stock, including this tender-drive 9F. Again, running and pulling power is transformed. It has a fitted freight from Millerhill back to its' home at York.

 

 

[rowanj]

This is the 16.30 Newcastle to Berwick, one of the last scheduled steam turns from Gateshead, which ended in 1964 when it became a South Gosforth DMU job. Having lost most of its' frontline work, BITTERN has a least got something to do. I have a photo with 60001 on the train, which was highly regarded at 52A. THe loco is a Wills kit on Comet chassis.

 

Look at this mess. I'm trying to convert a decrepid Crownline A5/1 into something resembling an A5/2. So far. most of the work has involved dismantling and trying to sort out the cab, using Yeadon and an Isinglass drawings as the source. The loco is just having a run out to check the work so far hasnt ruined anything, To be honest. it could hardly be worse than the state of the original, picked up as a body shell painted with a 4 inch brush uing Hammerite- or so it seems. Perversely, when I stuck a set of Gibson frames under it, it ran as well as anything I had. Wish me luck. I'll be putting my efforts on my construction thread.

Edited April 20, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

A bit further North, BITTERN has the all=c;ear from the 3-way splitting distant, From our spotting position, we could only see the Home and middle distant, which usually meant a [assenger train and therefore something interesting with the potential for a cop. The left hand distant contolled the North West Curve to Benton and then on yo Newcastle on the electrified North Tyneside loop, A 3rd rail also allowed access to South Gosforth sheds where the EMU's were stabled. It was lifted in 1990 after the closure of Nestle's factory at fawdon and ICI at Callerton on the former Ponteland Branch.. but was interesting for a few years as freight traffic shared tracks with the Tyne and Wear Metro

.The RH distant contolled the North East Curve, and was also electified, it too joining the North Tyneside loop. There were occasional express electrics which joined the ECML to give quicker access to and from Central, and a few Blyth and Tyne services also used it , rather than the more usual trip to terminate/start at Manors North. It still exists, and will become busier next year with the reopening to passengers of the line to Ashington. I have been watching a passing loop being put in where I live to allow a half-hourly service, due to begin in Summer 2024.

The cost of upgrading 18 miles of freight line is many many millions, and will have taken 4 years from when work started. So anyone lookong to get a local line reopened- I wouldnt hold your breath.

 

A Tyne Dock 9f heads home, light engine, after taking an oil train to the Esso Refinery at Whitehill Point. The loco is an-ex-GBL Evening Star, with a tender body from a GBL 76xxx. I forget the tender type, but remember checking when I put the loco together that it was correct. Additional fittings were from the Dave Alexander Tyne Dock kit -air pumps and so on. Another resource much missed...

Edited April 22, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

Seein strangers at little Benton is all very well and good, but this is what I really remember- a procession of J27's. often running tender-first- taking coal one way and bringing empties back the other. 65834 has one of the more unusual turns- 24.5T wagons for one of the Staella Pwer Staions on the Tyne, to the West of Newcastle. 

[rowanj]

A5/2 69839 has an SLS Special from Saltburn to Ponteland as it emerges from Scottie Bridge heading north. It will take the North East curve at Benton Quarry junction, follow the Blyth and Tyne past Benton and Longbenton then take the single line curve around/behind Gosforth Car Sheds before joining the Ponteland line. The loco represents the LNER builds modified for the LNER loading gauge, How I did it, warts and all, is described on my loco building thread,

Edited April 29, 2023 by rowanj

[rowanj]

A5/2 now heading back to Newcastle, and then on to Saltburn via the Coast route through Sunderland and Middlesbrough. It unexpectedly passes the Sonic Models A5/1  waiting to leave the sidings.