EASTERN • TIMES •
The new history periodical for students of the BR(E), BR(NE), LNER and pre-grouping constituents ISSUE NO. 3 • FEBRUARY 2024
EASTERN • TIMES • CONTENTS Introduction 3 Henry Ivatt’s ‘Second String’ GNR 4-4-0s
4-17
Ghosts over Stainmore
18-35
Stratford’s Traction Transition
36-45
No. 60027 Merlin 46-53 My Trainspotting Odyssey
54-61
The Man from the Pru – Part 2
62-79
The Headshunt
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EASTERN TIMES • ISSUE 3
Ghosts over Stainmore
W
BY IAN LAMB
hilst flicking through my ancient scrapbook of over sixty years ago, I came across an old British Railways cutting of the former North Eastern Railway station at Barnard Castle situated nearly seventeen miles west of Darlington. Railway lines radiated from here to Bishop Auckland, Kirkby Stephen, Penrith and Middleton-in-Teesdale. Understandably, that image is now very grainy, but another picture of the period still exudes the attractiveness of the town!
as fierce as 1-in-60 in some of the country’s wildest terrain over the 1,370ft Stainmore Summit. It has captured the imaginations of railway enthusiasts ever since. This dramatic route was laid out by Cumbrian engineer Sir Thomas Bouch, whose bridge across the River Tay collapsed in 1879. However, his engineering reputation was redeemed slightly as the similarly constructed iron viaduct across the River Belah survived until closure. The South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway was primarily built to take coke to the Cumberland and Furness blast furnaces and iron ore back to Cleveland; by 1874 much of the line was doubled. In 1910 five passenger trains were provided by the North Eastern Railway on weekdays, the journey taking 45 minutes. Forty years later, under BR, the service was virtually the same!
Historically, as the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway pushed through the West Coast Main Line north, pressure was mounting to link east and west railways. This line began life as the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway, an offshoot of the Stockton & Darlington, overcoming resistance from successive Dukes of Cleveland until 1854 who did not want a railway over their land. The result being a tortuous line between Barnard Castle and Tebay in 1861. It was taken over by the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1863 and later the same year was absorbed by the North Eastern Railway. In the process it eventually linked Darlington and Bishop Auckland with Tebay and Penrith, but featured gradients
The ‘Stainmore Route’ was also utilised for seasonal and excursion through trains between the north east and the Lancashire resorts of Blackpool and Morecambe. An unusual service which lasted until the line’s closure was an unpublicised passenger schedule, once every two weeks, normally on a Friday. This was The National Union of Mineworkers’ train from Durham to Ulverston in the Lake District carrying injured and sick miners to their convalescent home at Conishead Priory.
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EASTERN TIMES • ISSUE 3
A heavy passenger train, hauled by BR Standard Class 3MT 2-6-0 No. 77011 and banked at the rear, crosses Belah viaduct. Photo: Neville Stead Collection (NS205078) © Transport Treasury
Because of weight restrictions, particularly over the Belah Viaduct, small locomotives were needed on this route, to which the LNER Class J21s and J25s 0-6-0s did sterling work. British Railways Standards and Ivatt ‘moguls’ eventually ousted the J21s, the last one running on the line on 7th May 1960. This remote and wild railway environment closed as a through route on 20th January 1962. British Railways very quickly lifted the track, demolished Belah
Viaduct and other structures, leaving only the section from Hartley Quarry at Merrygill to Appleby open to carry goods traffic until October 1974. This included a section of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway near Kirkby Stephen. Sadly, the former railway has long gone, but I want to imagine that I had a footplate pass for a train heading over the line, and to do this I’ve selected a collection of pictures taken when the railway was in
NEW BIGGIN
durham COCKFIELD
MIDDLETON-IN-TEESDALE
LONG MARTON
MICKLETON KIRKBY THORE
yorkshire
APPLEBY
ROMALDKIRK COTHERSTONE
westmorland
LARTINGTON
ORMSIDE WARCOP Helm Tunnel Stainmore Summit
MUSGRAVE BARRAS
CROSBY GARRETT Loco Shed
SMARDALE
BOWES
Belah Viaduct
KIRKBY STEPHEN GAISGILL
RAVENSTONEDALE
KIRKBY STEPHEN & RAVENSTONEDALE NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY MIDLAND RAILWAY
Birkett Tunnel Wild Boar Fell
High Seat
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BROOMIELAW BARNARD CASTLE
WINSTON
EASTERN TIMES • ISSUE 3
Above: Class J15 0-6-0 No. 65462 at Ponders End A truly evocative image of Stratford allocated J15 0-6-0 No. 65462 at Ponders End on the Lea Valley line in 1960. A quartet of varied brake vans are about to be shunted into Ponders End Gas Works. The station building dated back to the opening of the line by the Northern & Eastern Railway in 1840. It was demolished in the late 1960s when the line was electrified. The gas works opened in 1859 and supplied gas for the local community for over 100 years, finally being severed from the main line in 1971. Photo: Gordon Wells/Andy Grimmett Collection Right: The same engine is seen in close up shunting a single tar wagon for the gas works. The industrial backdrop and ancient station building are more visible in this delightful view. This locomotive survived the rapid onslaught of scrapping steam and is now the only surviving member of the class, being resident at the North Norfolk Railway, where it has been beautifully restored in GER Royal Blue livery at the time of writing. Photo: Gordon Wells/ Andy Grimmett Collection
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Above: 60027 sparkling at Haymarket Shed, Edinburgh, in 1958. Photo: © Rail-Online
Right: 60027 at Grantshouse 20th June 1953. Photo: © Transport Treasury
As described by Norman McKillop in his book Enginemen Elite, Haymarket’s senior footplate links were given their ‘own’ locomotives as an attempt to improve maintenance and performance after the war. For several years Merlin was the mount of Driver Bill Stevenson, and both turned in some impressive and consistent performances at the head of The Elizabethan (better known to railwaymen simply as The Non-Stop).
Merlin was a Scottish based A4 for her entire 28 years of service. Here she sweeps through the gentle reverse curves at Grantshouse between Edinburgh and Berwick-on-Tweed. Note the immaculate condition of the permanent way and lineside. Those with eagle eyes may notice a dark shadow on top of the boiler casing. It would appear that the circular cover allowing access to the steam dome on the boiler has not been refitted by the shed staff for some reason.
The locomotives turned out for this duty – both from Kings Cross Top Shed and Edinburgh Haymarket – were immaculate. This is reflected by 60027’s appearance here, seen after fitting of the Kylchap double chimney in 1958. With coal in the tender topped up as high as the loading gauge permits, it appears that 60027 is gently setting back towards the water column to ensure the tank is also topped up before leaving the shed.
Merlin was allocated to Haymarket from 1937 to 1962. After a brief two year spell at St. Rollox she returned to Edinburgh in 1964, based at St. Margarets until withdrawal in 1965. During her time in service she ran for 1,556,803 miles.
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MY TRAINSPOTTING ODYSSEY BY GEOFF COURTNEY I started trainspotting in the spring of 1957 at the age of 13, initially at my home station of Ilford, on the former GER main line out of Liverpool Street between Stratford and Romford, and subsequently pursued the hobby up and down the country, including Scotland and Wales, for four years until, in the summer of 1961, a career in journalism beckoned me away to new pastures. Now semi-retired, but still a journalist, I have returned to my love of steam railways, and in this issue of Eastern Times launch a short series of articles based on the logs kept of trains passing through Ilford from April 1957 until August 1961, a period of transition that started with all steam operations and ended virtually all diesel. We start with my observations of 1957.
Class J20 No. 64680 heads a freight train at Romford on 4th April 1953. The 0-6-0 was the first ever entry by Geoff Courtney in his logs of trains passing through his home station of Ilford, and was doubtless the first ever locomotive he ‘copped’ at the start of his trainspotting days in April 1957. Photo: © The Transport Treasury
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21st May 1955 One-off No. 61863 heads a Down freight train through Stratford. The 2-6-0, a regular sight for Stratford and Ilford trainspotters, was the only member of the K5 class, a development of Gresley’s K3 locomotives. Photo: A. Lathey © The Transport Treasury
April 1953 Standard Pacific No. 70035 Rudyard Kipling, a regular recorded by Geoff on The Broadsman express, passes B1 No. 61334 on departure from Liverpool Street. Photo: Roy Edgar Vincent (REV97A-6-3) © The Transport Treasury
Class B17 4-6-0 pioneer No. 61600 Sandringham, which was logged at Ilford on 24th July 1957, departs from Liverpool Street with a Down train. Photo: Dr. Ian C. Allen (ICA E2600) © The Transport Treasury
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16th February 1957 • B12 No. 61564 is in fine fettle as it rests at Liverpool Street. The 4-6-0 was logged at Ilford on a Down Ipswich express on 22nd July 1957, more than 37 years after having been outshopped by Stratford Works. Photo: Dick Riley (RCR8089) © The Transport Treasury
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EASTERN TIMES • ISSUE 3
Gresley Class A3 Pacific No. 2746 Fairway entering Peterborough station on an unrecorded date. Note the leading vehicle is an NER dynamometer car. Named after the winner of the 1928 St. Ledger, the locomotive entered service on 26th October 1928, being allocated to Kings Cross and gave almost 36 years’ service before withdrawal from Gateshead (52A) on 12th October 1964. Photo: A. W. V. Mace © Transport Treasury.
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