2nd September 1956

Stephenson Locomotive Society / Manchester Locomotive Society
Tees-Tyne Rail Tour

Locos Used 61443 & 67284 (with 70033 'Charles Dickens' on the connecting service)
Stock Used W598: load 11 formed: BTO, 4x TO, BTO, Cafe Car, 3x TO, BTK
598: booked for load 6 formed: BTO, 4x TO, BTO

Route : Reporting Code 598 throughout

Loco(s) Route
67284 + 61443 Darlington Bank Top - Darlington North Road - Heighington - Shildon - Bishop Auckland (1)
61443 Bishop Auckland - Byers Green - Spennymoor - East Howle Jn - Coxhoe Jn - Ferryhill - Sedgefield - Stillington North Jn - Carlton East Jn - Norton West Jn - Norton East Jn - Greatham - West Hartlepool - Hartlepool
61443 (2) Hartlepool - Cemetery North Jn - Castle Eden - Wellfield
61443 (3) Wellfield - Wingate South Jn - Wynyard - Carlton North Jn - Carlton East Jn - Norton East Jn - Greatham - West Hartlepool - Cemetery North Jn - Castle Eden - (3) Wellfield - Haswell - Murton - Seaton - Ryhope - Sunderland - (via High Level Bridge) - Newcastle Central - (via King Edward Bridge) - Greensfield - Pelaw Jn - Washington - Penshaw Jn - Leamside - Sherburn Colliery - Shincliffe - Tursdale Jn - (via ECML) - Darlington Bank Top

Notes :
(1) It is reported that 67284 was on the train 'only to assist in the process of reversing the train on the triangle at Bishop Auckland'. Details of the reversing move(s) is required.
(2) Running tender-first.
(3) Original routing from Wellfield to Wellfield was clockwise, but this was changed shortly before the tour ran to be anti-clockwise.
(4) Peter Darke's photographic collection includes a photo he believes to be of 50647 at Wellfield on this tour, however SLS records make no mention of this loco in connection with this tour.
(5) The leg from/to Manchester hauled by 70033 'Charles Dickens', originally uploaded as a part of the tour itself, was in fact a connecting service. In relation to the photo of this service David Beilby adds: I particularly like the lovely matching rake of LMS excursion stock - the brake is a BTO to diagram D1916 or D1946 and the four coaches beyond that are TO coaches to diagram D1915. In those days they would all be third class rather than second, hence the T in the lettering. Relatively unusual coaches with 86 BTOs to that design and 376 of the TOs. The excursion coaches had seven and a half bays and the brakes six with a smaller guards compartment than stock for general traffic.

Connecting Service Route : Reporting Code W598 throughout

Loco Route
70033 Manchester Exchange - Manchester Victoria - Ashton Branch Sidings Jn - Philips Park No.1 Jn - Philips Park No.2 Jn - Midland Jn - Ashburys - Gorton & Openshaw - Guide Bridge - Stalybridge - Greenfield - Diggle Jn - Huddersfield - Spen Valley Jn - Farnley Jn - Leeds City - Church Fenton - York - (via ECML) - Darlington Bank Top
70033 Darlington Bank Top - (via ECML) - York - (reverse of outward route) (A) - Diggle Jn - (B) - Stalybridge - (reverse of outward route) - Manchester Exchange (C)

Notes :
(A) The train stalled on gradient between Farnley Jn & Spen Valley Jn.
(B) Booked via Micklehurst - confirmation is required if it took the booked route or went via Greenfield?
(C) The Webmaster has seen two different timing sheets with hand-written actual times; one showed 23.59 against Manchester Exchange whereas the other stated 'Stop Victoria 23.58'- does this imply the train did not run through to Exchange, or merely where that participant got off the train?

Sources : David Whittaker, Eric Oates, Peter Darke, John Debens & Ian Clark (SLS)

Photo Review


70033 passing Saddleworth in the mornign on the connecting service, W598
(photo: T.Martin courtesy of David Beilby)


67284 & 61443 departing Darlington (photo: The John Debens Collection)

 
From The John Debens Ticket Collection - three different designs for the same tour!


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from David Whittaker, John Debens & Peter Greenough courtesy of Ian Clark (SLS))

Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual
Manchester Exchange 09.30d 09.30   22.26a 23.59
Midland Jn ??.?? ~ 09.43 ??.?? ~ 09.40½   ??.?? ~ 22.21 23/45
Stalybridge ??.??a ~ 10.03d ??.?? ~ 10.04½   ??.??a ~ 21.56d 23.23 ~ 23.30
Diggle Jn 10/16 ?   21/41 23/16
Huddersfield 10.33a ~ 10.36d 10.41 ~ 10.44   21.18a ~ 21.20d 22.47½ ~ 22.53
Spen Valley Jn 10/41 10/50   21/13 22/40½
Farnley Jn 11/02 ?   20/50 21/28
Leeds City South 11.07a ~ 11.12d 11.17½ ~ 11.24   20.38a ~ 20.45d 21.16 ~ 21.23
York 11.45a ~ 11.49d 12.04 ~ 12.09   20.00a ~ 20.04d 20.40 ~ 20.43
Darlington 12.35a ~ 13.00d 13.03 ~ 13.14   19.02a ~ 19.16d 19.23 ~ 19.40

 

Location [original] final Booked Actual
Shildon 13/17 13/23
Bishop Auckland 13.23 ~ 13.35 13.41 ~ 14.02
Ferryhill 14/00 14/24
Sedgefield 14/10 14/28½
Norton East Jn 14/30 14/45
West Hartlepool 14/50 15/01
Hartlepool 14p56a ~ 15p10d 15.11 ~ 15.27
Castle Eden 15/28 15/49
Wellfield 15p32a ~ 15p40d 15.53 ~ 16.05

Circuit reversed prior to tour
final route shown below

Wynyard [16p28a ~ 16p43d]
15p53a ~ 16p06d
16.22 ~ 16.30
Norton East [16/15] 16/19 ?
West Hartlepool [16/00] 16/34 17.00 ~ 17.04
Castle Eden [15/44] 16/49 17/21
remainder was as originally scheduled
Wellfield 16/56 17/22
Murton 17/08 17/36
Ryhope ??.?? ~ 17.18 ??.?? ~ 17.43½
Sunderland 17w23 ~ 17w28 17.51 ~ 17.59
Pelaw 17/40 18/16
Gateshead East 17/45 18/21
Newcastle Central 17/48 18/24
King Edward Bridge 17/50 18/26
High Street 17/52 18/28
Pelaw 17/57 18/33
Usworth 18/02 18/38
Washington 18/06 18/41
Penshaw 18/09 18/44
Leamside 18/16 18/52
Sherburn Colliery 18p21a ~ 18p36d 18/56
Shincliffe 18/41 19/00
Ferryhill 18/47 19/07

Timings continue in first table.

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