Trev52A

@Rugd1022 Three Deltics? Here's three A4s (Ferryhill shed, Aberdeen on 3rd September 1966) Trevor

Signs of the times at Newcastle on 30th November 2019... The bottom sign is now superfluous as far as LNER are concerned - how long before the top one is also redundant? That's 91121 beyond, waiting to leave at the rear of a southbound train. Trevor

Now that the HSTs have gone from the ECML, here are some more reminders of happier times at Newcastle last year: 43305 arriving at the head of a southbound train on 19th August 2019 The distinctive 43238 with 91112 on the far platform on 19th September 2019 Here's a weird one! 43305 departs south (on the left) while its reflection of 43318 on the rear appears to be going in the opposite direction (would have made a good video!!) on 19th September 2019 Trevor

A nicely-weathered 60009 (and crew!) arriving at Newcastle on 15th September 2018 Trevor

Peaks on the WR in the 1970s.. 46013 at Exeter St.D, with D1013 on the centre road on 28th May 1975 129 heads west from Exeter St.D on 7th July 1970 with 'The Cornishman', which I think at the time ran from Bradford to Penzance 45030 approaches Teignmouth on 27th May 1975 46035 departs Teignmouth heading north on 27th May 1975 46019 heads west from Teignmouth on 30th May 1975 46044 approaching the Royal Albert Bridge on 6th June 1977... ...and after arrival at Plymouth, with 46021 on the right 46010 reaches the end of the line at Penzance on 6th June 1977, passing 08643 on station pilot duties Trevor

Newcastle area.. 170 heads north from Newcastle on 27th January 1973 45061 start out from Newcastle over the High Level Bridge on 6th June 1976 46036 at Manors with (probably) empty stock for Newcastle Central on 18th May 1975 Trevor

Some more from Gateshead from the 1970s in colour this time... 46002 leaves the King Edward bridge with a southbound train on 3rd April 1976, above the route of the Redheugh incline (closed about 1896 I think!) Looking right from the same spot, here's 45030 heading light engine from Newcastle Central towards Gateshead depot on 28th March 1976 A grab shot through the fence as 45036 approaches the King Edward Bridge on 6th March 1976 45039 near Bensham with a northbound train on Christmas Eve 1975 Trevor

More 'Peaks' on Tyneside - 1970s D177 at KIng Edward Bridge Junction, Gateshead, on 23rd June 1971 with the 15.20 Newcastle-KX 46033 stands at Newcastle with a terminating train (from Bristol?) on 5th August 1974 as 55016 arrives heading south 129 heads empty stock to Heaton on 9th August 1974 as 55005 heads north with the 'Flying Scotsman' 93 on the slow lines at Low Fell on 11th August 1974 45013 with a southbound football(?) excursion on 29th March 1975 passing the remnants of a derailment at Low Fell Trevor

Living on Tyneside in the 1960s I tended to ignore the day-today 'local' stuff and just photograph the 'visitors' (as I'm sure others also did, sadly)' The Bristol-Newcastle trains often produced a 'foreign' Peak and I have a few to show here, including some green examples, all from the 60s Trying out my 'new' (actually second-hand) Kodak Retinette camera I grabbed this view at Low Fell of green D43 with a southbound Bristol train in 28th January 1967. I'm not sure if i was deliberately including the old station building or if I pressed the shutter too soon! Photographed from the bridge on 16th June 1968 is another green example, D134 on a similar working Here's D171 in blue at the same spot on 15th February 1969 - I think this was a Gateshead example Crew change at Newcastle in July 1969 with D187 on an anglo-scottish train I'll sort out some 1970s pics in due course Trevor

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

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

That's right, Ben. This must be ex-NCB No 60 (Hunslet Engine Co No 3686 of 1948) originally with the Lambton Railway and then at Dawdon Colliery (near Seaham Harbour). It first went to the Strathspey Railway for preservation. (It wasn't one of the ones which went to Derwenthaugh) Trevor

Fort William 25th August 2016 Trevor

If there are no more 'doubles' I might take you up on that - it's a chance to air an old chestnut of mine (ooer, missus!) and present you all (again) with this, in the hope that someone new to it might be able to help. It has appeared previously on another thread, but no takers. It was taken at Low Fell and shows the northbound car carrier train with a BR Type 2 (complete with diesel brake tender carrying Class 1 headlamps!) aiding a failed(?) Brush Type 4. Goodness knows why I did not make a note of the numbers at the time. Does anyone have a recollection of this and a notebook with the missing information, please? With a bit of detective work I have tied down the date I took this to 2nd August 1967 (previously I was just guessing 1967/68). Hopefully Trevor

Newcastle 29th October 2000 sees a pair of GNER Class 91s going south 'tender-first' through Newcastle. That's not a blemish in the sky - it's the end of a rainbow! Unfortunately I did not make a note of their identities at the time - any offers? Trevor

Nice to see those pics montyburns. Most of them seem to be at the southern end of the Derwenthaugh system at Clockburn Drift, which also had an underground narrow gauge link to Marley Hill colliery (but that's a different story!) Round-topped cab Austerities Nos 7, 58 and 59 came from the NCB's system near Sunderland based on Philadelphia (the Lambton Railway) in 1969 when it closed to steam. In answer to your question - all three were scrapped in 1972 and the whole Derwenthaugh system went diesel in the early 1970s, so no, steam didn't last into the 1980s, (otherwise I would have a box full of colour slides of the line!) The whole line closed in 1985 when the coking plant finished. Trevor

Comings and goings at Low Fell on 5th March 1969.. D8593 (left) and D8598 Trevor

Here's a close up of the left edge of the neg for more detail. If I remember correctly I had the camera balanced on a porter's barrow (remember them?) for a longish exposure. Cheers Trevor

In 1967 'Jubilee' 4-6-0 No 45562 'Alberta' was a regular choice for rail tours (let's face it, there weren't many other working examples to pick from!) and it was always turned out in immaculate condition. Here are three examples: At Newcastle on 25th February with 'The Border Countryman' it had brought from Carlisle About to pass under the Coast Road, climbing from Percy Main on the route of today's North Tyneside Steam Railway on 10th June with the 'Ashington Rail Tour' Climbing past Shap Wells on 7th October with the 'South Yorkshireman' tour. The fireman had just put a round on the fire a second or so before I fired the shutter Trevor

This has been in the 'Class 91' thread but nicely fits the bill here as well. 91117, 91131 and 91115 at Newcastle on 17th July 2019 Trevor

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

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

Lifted unashamedly off the '60s Industrial Steam' thread - Jimmy McIvor, NCB loco driver and gentleman on top of 'his' loco - 0-4-0ST No 81 in 1969 Trevor

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

A final selection of pictures on the Derwenthaugh system from 1968 /69 No 7 approaching the Coke Works as No 58 waits to head north on the single track No 7 shunting at the Coke Works, with my bike appearing in the shot again! No 7 again, standing just to the south of the Coke Works On a foggy day a train of empties passes the Coke Works on its way to the Clockburn drift mine a mile or so further south No 58 blasts past the signal box near the Coke Works - damn! I wasn't expecting the shadow from the signal to fall on the smokebox! A general view south towards Clockburn Drift from the east side Seen from the other side of the line, No 7 prepares to start the run north with a loaded train The drift mine closed in 1983 followed by the Coke Works two years later, which meant closure of the entire railway system, which had been diesel-operated since the early 1970s One other picture I omitted from the beginning is this view towards the marshalling yard at the north end of the line near the connection with the BR junction, with D6794 in action in 1967. I would guess the loco is propelling a rake of empties towards the sidings. The NCB loco shed is away to the left. At this point I was standing on a wooden footbridge which was a perfect vantage point from which to photograph steam-hauled coal trains on the BR line to Stella South power station - the attractions of NCB steam locos would have to wait until the following year. Trevor