nicktamarensis

Also, at its height, what was the steam engine complement at DL? Thanks. Nick.

Plus the Cransley Ironworks with its own railway system lay a short distance to the south-west of the town.

Thanks for your comments gentlemen. Has anyone got any dope on the subsequent history of these four wagons (and also their likely period of origin)? Kettering was a centre of the local ironstone industry plus there was the Kettering ironstone industry to the north of the town with a complex of furnaces. Also at the time (as far as I can tell from 'Old Maps'), there was a wagon workshop near the station all of which explain the presence of these types of wagons at the time when the photographs were taken. Nick.

All the pics were taken at Kettering on 16 September 1952.

Hello, I wonder if anyone can help out with any further info on the following pictues of XPO wagons taken by Ted West in the 1950's. 1. 12ton open wagon, tare 6-13, No. 28, white lettering, black shading, pink background. 'D. Ferguson & Son Ltd, Barrhead', 2. 21ton, open steel wagon, tare 11-0-0, No. P236235, Rusty red. 3. 3ton open wagon, tare 6-18, No. 241, red body, black lettering, white shading. 'Burr & Gibbons Southall'. 4. 13ton open wagon, No. 133, red body, black lettering, white shading.'New Cransley'.

Thanks very much gentlemen. Any idea when steam finished at DL? Nick.

Thanks very much for the info. But has the reprint of the 1963 N. Yorks book also been updated?

Thanks very much Porcy. The engines which appear in this collection are No's 3, 7, 12, 21, 36, 24, 45 & 46. Is there any available data on their history and disposal? Nick.

Hello, Slightly (/) off topic I wonder if anyone can identify the location of these DL loco's from the attached scans? All the undated pics were taken by J.T. Clewly. The one of No. 36 includes J26 65744 which was withdrawn in Feb. '59 which might help to narrow the date down a bit. Many thanks, Nick.

Apologies for not replying sooner. Thank you very much for the info - I've assumed Percy Main is the correct depot at the time of the photo. Nick.

Has anyone any info on the rundown and closure of the above please before it was used by Drapers scrapyard? Many thanks, Nick

Hello, I have a picture of D2106 and D2326 on shed at South Blyth on 22 September 1963. Although available records seem to suggest these were Percy Main loco's at the time, does anyone know whether they were ever on the strength at S. Blyth to work the dock coal staithes? Thanks very much, Nick.

Thank you gentlemen. The consensus seems to be last trains '83/4 and rails lifted around '89. Apologies for the late response - I've been away. Nick

Thanks MarkC. Everything helps, believe me! It's easy to assume that once a colliery closed that was it - no more coal from the seams it once accessed.

Many thanks Mark. It's very hard to pin down this sort of info. Cheers, Nick.

Hello, Has anyone any information when this crossing was last used by trains? This I assume would have been the residual traffic to Boldon Colliery and Washington rather than the ore traffic to Consett which had long taken the S. Pelaw route. Also when was the Pontop Crossing SB last used? I know it was destroyed by fire in July 1970, so presumably it was OOU for some time before that. The S&T line itself seems to have been mothballed for some time - but when were the rails finally lifted? Many thanks, Nick.

Hello Dave, Is there any chance I might be able to use your pic. of Renishaw to complement an article on the works I am working on to appear in Railway Bylines? Nick.

Many, many thanks for the additional information, gentlemen. An ex-fireman of my acquaintance actually left BR because he could no longer work with steam and couldn't face the prospect of the 'brave new world' offered by, as he put it, "the shiny but soul-less boxes". In preference, he re-employed himself at a local brewery and found work on, yes, you can probably guess it - the steam boilers the company used! Nick.

Thanks guys for all the info. Most interesting. Thanks also Phil for the picture link. I'm sure you're right about Worcester. Nick.

Thanks Johnster, That's me in the front row mate! Nick.

Thanks very much for the info. They must have been a committed lot at Worcester! Nick.

Hello, I don't remember cleaners being around much after '63 - at least not in the London division sheds of WR. Does anyone have any info on when the breed vanished from the WR scene? Worcester's Castles always seemed to be clean almost to the end but that was the exception I think. Thanks, Nick.

Thanks for the info dudds. As you say, with the medic's help in Clacton, we wish him well and a return to health and hopefully his project.

Hello Jock, Apologies I have just noticed your post and would like to help if I can. I wrote a piece for Railway Archive No. 38 about Barleith Blocks with memories kindly donated by quite a few of the former tenants. There were two track plans dated 1910 and 1937 used to accompany the article. Also there were photographs of the shed and a few of some of the families - mainly Abercrombie who lived in 17B, plus members of the Gibson, Rankin, and Bryson families. Subsequently I tried to obtain for publication the memories of ex-locomen who worked at 67B by advertising in the local Hurlford web. I made one contact, a certain Archie Townsley, but sadly the loss of his wife and other problems prevented him from making any further contributions. Please let me know if I can be of any help. By the way, it is possible to obtain OS 1:2500 scale maps from the Scottish Record office for a fairly nominal fee. This would also give you a detailed track plan of the shed, mineral sidings and surrounding area. Cheers, Nick.