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The Tyne dock Consett thread.


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You are, of course, correct.  I've can find nothing on them working the line at in in 66/67...

 

There's a few pictures and some good accounts by the late Harry Friend on him driving them up to Consett.

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There's a few pictures and some good accounts by the late Harry Friend on him driving them up to Consett.

 

 

Given they were such an abject failure in the trials I wonder why they were brought back, was there a shortage of converted 24s so double heading wasn't an option?

 

John

Edited by johndon
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They were already ordered un-tried for delivery to Thornaby & Gateshead.

 

Even with the opening of Tyne & Tees Yards the Tyneside, Wearside & Tees-side conurbations still had a multitude of large and small industries and businesses that were railway served, to which the working of, the Clayton was ideally suited.

 

When people talk about the Claytons being a failure on the trials they omit a few pertinent facts. The Scottish Claytons were trialled at a time when their initial reliability problems were not fully recognised or understood. One of the initial pair sent from Scotland never made it out of Gateshead shed meaning a replacement had to be sent for. Despite what has been written elsewhere the Claytons were tried hauling the Iron Ore trains and not just banking it. I spent a week in the next hospital bed to a chap that had been responsible for recording the "time & motion study" information for the trial.

 

No railwayman I've talked to has yet known the reasons why the classes 24, and 25 were initially worked singly on the iron ores. Looking and the temporary nature of the compressor and associated pipework that still meant the loco's needed to be turned at each end of their journey. I have suggested it may have been due to a shortage of suitable compressor fitted diesels but reports in the contemporary railway press at the time give the impression that work was well in hand.

 

One of the first ((It may have been the first but I don't have my records to hand) single Class 24s to work the iron ore slipped then stalled in light drizzle between South Pelaw and Pelton. It had no banker. Fortunately a photographer was on hand to record the event, with driver on bent knees trying to clear the sand pipes.

 

One thing I was told was that some of the 25's despite being recently returned from Derby works were shaking themselves to pieces on the climb up to Pelton and going through Beamish cutting.

 

P

 

P edited to add "slipped then".

 

Edited by Porcy Mane
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  • 1 month later...
37270 with the final track lifting train to leave Consett on 25 September 1984.  Photo copyright Allen Marrs.  The guy standing next to the motorbike is actually Stephen McGahon who's photos I have added to this thread a number of times so it appears that he and Allen were photographing the same train just from different sides of the line...

 

Track-lifting-near-Consett-the-old-North

 

John

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Is that Simonside Wagon Works in the background?

 

No. That's the straight  section of Tyne Dock Loco shed, which wasn't located at Tyne Dock for those that don't know. Simonside wagon works was off to the North West and accessed from St Bedes Junction on the South Shields to Jarrow line or directly from the BR yards at Tyne Dock Bottom. It was located on what is now Waldridge Way.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/9UQwxW1PCrJ2

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