Railway Memories: The Travels of a Yorkshire Newspaper Photographer

RailwayMemories

SituatedonthestillopenYorktoScarboroughline,thestationhereservedthevillageofWelburnandwasopenedon5July1845 bytheYork&NorthMidlandRailway.ItwasnamedafterthenearbyCastleHoward,andoftenusedbythearistocracy,notably QueenVictoriaandPrinceAlbertasguestsoftheEarlofCarlisleinAugust1850.Anearlyclosuretopassengertraffic,on 22September1930,itremainedstaffeduntil2November1950tohandlesmallvolumesofgoodstraffic.

Withsignsofderelictionallaroundthefinalclosurehasoccurred;thestationbuildingsurvivesasholidayaccommodation.The stationfeaturedintheTVserial‘BridesheadRevisited’in1981andthe2008filmofthesamename;itwasalsofeaturedintheTV programme‘TheArchitecturetheRailwaysBuilt’,series1,episode6during2020. Ref:1622.

Clapham

Thestationwasopenedbythe‘little’NorthWesternRailway(NWR)on30July1849ontheirlinefromSkiptontoIngletonand becameajunctionthefollowingyearwhenthelinkalongtheWenningvalleyfromBenthamwascompletedon1June1850to finishtheroutefromLancastertoSkipton.TheIngletonroutewassubsequentlyextendednorthwards,astheIngletonbranch line,throughKirkbyLonsdaleandSedberghtojointheWestCoastmainlineatLowGill(nearTebay)bytheLancaster&Carlisle Railway(L&C)in1861.DisagreementsbetweentheL&C’ssuccessor,theLondon&NorthWesternRailway,andtheMidland Railway(whohadleasedtheNWRin1859)overrunningrights,andthesubsequentconstructionoftheSettle-Carlisleline,meant thatitneverbecamethemajorAnglo-ScottishroutethattheNWRhadoriginallyintended.TheIngletonbranchwasclosed topassengertrafficon1February1954andcompletelyinJuly1966,althoughregulargoodstraffichadendedsomemonths earlier.LiftingofthetrackfollowedinApril1967.Claphamstationceasedtohandlegoodstrafficon25January1965,whenthe remainingsidingsweretakenoutofuseanddismantledandthesignalboxclosed.

StanierClass5XPNo.45658 Keyes isseeninthesnowatClaphamstation.BuiltatDerbyinDecember1934thelocomotive survivedintrafficuntilOctober 1965.Ref:1889.

LeedsCity

Itwasbusinessasusualduringthereconstruction;aMetro-CammellClass101 standsintheplatform.TheBritishRailwaysHouseofficeblockisunder constructioninthebackground.Atthistimealotofthe‘steamage’infrastructure wasstillvisibleincludingthewatercolumn. Ref:1262.

RailwayMemories

EarlyLNERPacifics

AtthetimeoftheGroupingin1923theNERwasthelargestandmostprosperousoftherailwaycompaniesthatwouldmakeup theLNER,providingthegeneralmanagerofthenewcompany.HoweverthechiefmechanicalengineeroftheNER,SirVincent Raven,wasatretirementageandthenewpostwaseventuallyofferedtoNigelGresleyoftheGNR.Gresleyhadintroducedhis ‘A1’classPacificinApril1922,andRavenwasanxioustoshowthattheNERcouldkeepupwiththeraceforincreasedpower. Raven’sPacificdesignwasauthorisedatthesametimeastheintroductionofthe‘A1’class,publicisedintherailwaypressin July1922,althoughthefirsttwoexamplesdidnotappearfromDarlingtonWorksuntillateDecember,andonlyoneofthemran beforetheformationoftheLNER.Raven’snewclasswasanenlargedversionofthe‘Z’classAtlanticswithalargerboiler,larger cylindersandwidefirebox.TheysharedwiththelaterGresley‘K3’classtherecordforthelargestdiameterboilerinBritain,at6ft. Becauseofthegreatlengthoftheirparallelboilers,thelocomotivesearnedthenickname‘Skittle-alleys’.Comparativetrials betweenthefirstexamplesoftheGresley‘A1’andRaven‘A2’classesconductedinthesummerof1923showedthatthe‘A1’was amoretechnicallyadvancedmachineandnomore‘A2s’werebuilt;theNERadoptingtheGresleydesignasitsstandardexpress passengerlocomotive.

Onthispage,examplesoftherivaldesignsareseenarrivingatYorkoverthealmost90degreecrossoveratthestation.

Top:Raven’sLNERClass‘A2’No.2402 CityofYork enteredtrafficinMarch1924.OriginallyallocatedtoGateshead,theclass spenttheirfirst10yearsrunningbetweenGranthamandEdinburgh.No.2402alsohadthemelancholydistinctionofbeingthethe firstLNER-builtlocomotivetobescrappedinJuly1936. Ref:1536.

Bottom:Thewinningdesign–Gresley’s‘A1’class–invirtually thesamepositiononthe crossingclearlyshowsthe designdifferences.Builtat DoncasterinNovember1924, itwasrebuiltasan‘A3’in September1943andafteran operationallifeof39yearswas withdrawninMay1963.No.2552 Sansovino wasnamedaftera Britishracehorsethatrantwelve timeswithsixwins.Aspartofa generalLNERpostWorldWar2 renumberingscheme,the locomotivewasrenumbered 53–becomingBRNo.60053. Sansovino waswithdrawnon 27May1963andscrappedat Doncasteramatterofdayslater. Ref:1682.

CivilEngineering

Weedkillingtrain

Oppositeleft:Aregulartask wastheneedtotravelthe networkanddosethetrack withcopiousquantitiesof weedkiller.Asourceofwater wasrequired;thisbeing carriedineitherredundant locomotivetendersortank wagons.Regulartopups wouldhavebeenrequired,a loteasierwhensteamwasin regularuse.Withthesupply pipedtothecoachameans ofpumpingitwasrequired andthemechanicaldrivefor thepumpgearisillustrated. Ref:2311.

Oppositeright:Thebusiness endofthe‘spraying’coach. Theendwindowswouldhave beenaddedtoenablethe operatorstoseewhereto spray;generallythetrain wouldhavebeenpropelled, asagoodviewofthetrack aheadwasrequired.No waitingpassengerswould havewantedtobecoveredin whatwasthenapotentweed killer.Thesystemisstillin useonNetworkRailasa meansofcontrollingweed growth. Ref:2456.

DoncasterSouthSignal Box

Oppositebottom:The currentstationwasopened inSeptember1850bythe GNR,replacingatemporary structureconstructedayear earlier.Itwasrebuiltinits presentformin1938andhas hadseveralslight modificationssincethatdate, mostnotablyin2006,with newbookingofficefortickets andinformation,threenew lifts,refurbishedstaircases andsubway.Thestation BookingHallandOffices wereGradeIIlistedinApril 1988.DoncasterNorthand Southsignalboxeswerepart ofanewpower-signalling schemebeingplannedfor DoncasterbytheLNER beforeWorldWar2.Some workhadstartedbutitwas notuntil1949,thenunder BritishRailways,beforeboth theseboxeswereinuse.The originalSouthBoxwas situatedattheendofthe station. Ref:1640.

Thispage,top:TheinterioroftheoriginalSouthBoxon5January1949.Thesignalmandoesnotlooktooimpressedwiththe presenceofthephotographer;generallysignalmenweresolitarycharacters,anddidnotappreciate‘official’visitors.‘Officialdom’ wasprobablydiscussingthebox’sdemise,thoughjudgingbythestateoftheinterioritwasprobablynotbeforetime. Ref:1642

Thispage,bottom:InsidethenewSouthBox,allthreeimagescarrythesamedate,sothechangeoverwastakingplace.Both NorthandSouthSignalBoxes,alongwiththeoldcolourlightsignals,werereplacedwhenoverheadelectrificationcameanda newPowerBoxwasbuilt,openinginJuly1979.In2020mostofthesignallingwillbetransferredtoYorkRailOperatingCentre, withfullclosureplannedfor2025. Ref:1638.

DieselMultipleUnits

WhitbyTown

(Opposite)Terminatingatthecoast,thestationisattheendofa30-mile(48km)linefromMiddlesbrough,thelinefollowsthe RiverEskformuchofitsroute.OpeningbetweenhereandGrosmontin1835,bytheWhitby&PickeringRailway,thelinewas originallyworkedbyhorses,beforebeingconvertedin1845,inordertobeabletoaccommodatesteamlocomotives,followinga takeoverbytheYork&NorthMidlandRailway.In1854,thelinebecameapartoftheNER.FromWhitbyTown,asingletrack branchedupasteepinclinetoProspectHillJunction,fromwhchtrainscouldreachWhitbyWestCliff.Fromheretrainswould journeynorthalongthecoastalWhitby,Redcar&MiddlesbroughUnionRailwaytowardsStaithesandLoftus,andsouthacross theLarpoolViaducttowardsScarborough.ThereplacementfortheoriginalW&PRstationatWhitbyisseenhere(top)following thearrivalofatwo-carMetro-CammellDMUatplatform2,withthepassengersqueuinguptogivetheirticketstotheticket collector,acommonsightatmostrailwaystationsatonetime.Afatherisphotographinghisson(bottom)asthedriverlookson. Thisisbeforerationalisationreducedthestationtoasingleplatform.Todaythestationistheeasternterminusforsummersteam servicesovertheheritageNorthYorkshireMoorsRailway. Ref:2076(top),2074(bottom).

DerbyLightweights

TheBritishRailDerbyLightweightdieselmultiple-unitswerethefirstsuchtrainstobebuiltenmasseforBritishRailways. TheunitswerebuiltatBRsDerbyWorksfrom1954to1955andwereassembledinvariousformations,including12power-twin 2-carunits,84power-trailer2-carunits,andfour4-carunits.Latertwosinglecarunitswerecreatedfromonetwo-carunitwhen passengerloadingsreduced.Bodyframingwasextrudedandrivetedtogether;withpanellingbeingweldedintocontinuous sheetsandrivetedtotheframe.Luggageracksweremanufacturedfromalightalloy.Thefloorshadtwolayersofflameproof hardboard,coveredwithlinoleum.Toreducenoiseandcondensation,theinsidestructureandundersidesweresprayedwith asbestos(thedangernotbeingappreciatedatthetime).Lightingwasby60-watt,24-voltlampschargedbybeltdrivendynamos; withheatingbyusingthetrain’sdieselfuelsupply.ThemildsteelbogiesranonTimkenrollerbearings.Thesesetswereusedas guineapigs,testingoutideasforfutureDMUs.Theirupkeepandmaintenancewaspoorandtherivetedbodyconstructionwas easilydamaged;in1964theoriginaleightunitswerewithdrawnfromtraffic.Oneofthefirstpower-twinstobedelivered, Nos.79001and79501,wasallocatedtoBradfordHammertonStreetandmadevariousoutingsaroundBradfordandLeedsinearly 1954.Thepersoncladinwhiteoverallswouldhavebeenoneofthetechnicalteamsupervisingtheoperationoftheunit.These imagesshowtheunitatBradfordExchange,unfortunatelythedatewasnotrecorded.Despitetheunitshavingbeenconstructed withelectriclights,thetrafficdepartmentinsistedthattraditionalsteamlocomotiveoillampsbecarried. Ref:2084(topleft),2086 (topright),2088(bottomleft),2090(bottomright).

StaffatWork

The‘FairMaid’

Top:Oneaspectofthemainline railwaycompanieswasthepolicy ofnamingtheirimportantservices. Foraperiodin1957/8‘TheFair Maid’wasthenamegiventoa morningLondonKing’sCrossto Perthservice.Thiswasa successortothe‘Morning Talisman’(King’sCross-Edinburgh WaverleyandGlasgowQueen Street)thatranfrom1957-1968. Withnopaintonthebrushthisis almostcertainlyaposedimage. Ref:1016.

Tees-ThamesExpress

Left:Thefiremanof‘B1’class4-6-0 No.61255putsuptheexpress passengertrainheadcodeon 2November1959fortheinaugural runoftheweekdaysonly‘TeesThames’fromSaltburn,via MiddlesbroughtoKing’sCross. Thisearlymorningservicenamed trainceasedrunningattheendof thesummertimetablein1961.The headboardwasahomespunaffair, probablywooden,madebyeither thestationstaff,orThornabyshed staffthatprovidedthelocomotive. No.61255wasbuiltbytheNorth BritishLocomotiveCoinNovember 1947,beingwithdrawninJune 1967. Ref:1026.