Prototype and traffic

B&W pictures from the 1960s

In the following sequence, each chronological, oldest pictures first, additions will be inserted accordingly.

- Recent additons: (temporary)
- The oldest stuff
- 56C Copley Hill
- 55H Neville Hill
- Leeds City outskirts
- 55A Holbeck
- NER sheds, Darlington-Blyth
- ScR sheds, Glasgow-Edinburgh
- 55B Stourton
- 55C Farnley
- 56B Ardsley
- 5A, 5B and 84H Crewe
- London area: SR and WR
- 85B Gloucester
- 26A Newton Heath
- 2A Tyseley
- Leeds Hunslet
.... to be continued.

Technical details: First pictures taken with a secondhand bellows camera, then a Brownie 127, various borrowed roll-film cameras, and finally, a Zorki 6 35mm camera.

All images Copyright Steve Banks, no unauthorised use.

New additions placed here temporarily.

Nine Elms

Here are some of the pictures I took at Nine Elms before I wandered to the main line to Waterloo, and got sent packing. All these years I have avoided looking at them because it was a dismal grey day, and it was like a graveyard: resembling what we later came know as Barry. So, my apologies up front for the dire nature of these pictures, in the sequence that I took them. I promise not to include the worst horrors!

This was the first taken that day and shows Riddles 2-6-4T No 80143 serving as the shed pilot. In the distance, is that Battersea Power Station, belching out its own smoke? 19th October 1966. Photo: author.

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Looking the other way, 80143 is managing coal wagons at the coaling stage. Pilot lights being carried: one over each buffer at both ends . One of each pair was supposed to show a white light, the other, red.

Note how the front number plate has been stolen, and so has the shed plate. This is why BR removed all the nameplates and why Nine Elms, replete with ex-SR Pacifics - Merchant Navies, West Countries and Battle of Britains, air-smoothed and rebuilt - and all incredibly filthy was such a dismal and depressing place to visit. 19th October 1966. Photo: author.

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A Riddles 4MT 2-6-0 with bits missing, No 76066. You can't tell but this was actually an Eastleigh loco. The type was rare where I came from up North, BR's ER and NER regions.

An unusual feature is the large tender, better associated with 9Fs. The early ones had a BR2 or BR2A tender for 3,500 gallons of water and 6 tons of coal. However, a small batch of 17 was provided with the much larger BR1B tender (4,725 gallons and 7 tons) despite this 2-6-0 having a smaller tractive effort than an ex-LMS "Black Five". It turns out that when built in the early 1950s there were two batches for the SR:

76006-10/19-29

- which was sent en bloc to Eastleigh. It had the smaller tender. A second batch followed:

76053-69

- with the larger tender. The first 11 went to Redhill. I don't know what was special about this shed and its workings and why the much larger tender was required. This batch was concluded with another similarly equipped 6 but sent to Eastleigh. If anybody can explain all this I'd be pleased to hear. 19th October 1966. Photo: author.

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Nine Elms introduction

In autumn 1966, I had started at Manchester University (and not found its railway society) and on 29th October hitch-hiked to London to see friends there, and dropped in on Nine Elms shed where the shedmaster had previously refused us entry because the permit was for that day - but a few hours before the time stated.. It was the only example of an unhelpful jobsworth that I ever encountered on the railway in the steam era.

So when I tried again in 1966 I simply walked in, and got a shock. Every single loco was in foul condition, filthy and rusty, all the nameplates had been removed, and quite a few numberplates, too. To say that it was run down and a pride of nobody would be understating it. To cap it all, it was a dismally dull day. I took many pictures but have never printed any of them. Then I found myself at the shed entrance/, by the line to Waterloo with many trains passing and it is two of these that I offer now. Alas, I must have been reported by a signalman because a few minutes later the shedmaster accosted me with head-shaking disbelief. Was it the same shedmaster? I don't know; but I did manage to get two pictures.

Unfortunately, I was using a 35mm Zorki which is fine at f11, but poor when opened up in dismal weather, and the film was not processed very well either (at the time I was unable to do it myself) so the results are a bit primitive. But for me, they mark the end of that hobby. Steam lasted in the West Riding for another couple of years and I could have seen it during holidays but the Nine Elms encounter with filth and rust had finished it for me.

A Riddles 2-6-4T, No 80154 (70A), passes under the signal box with an Ordinary Passenger made up with gangwayed coaches, Bulleid and BR Mk.1. 29-10-66. Photo: Steve Banks.

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Passing in the opposite direction bound for Waterloo is Ivatt 2-6-2T, No 41298, which had only been allocated to Nine Elms a few weeks earlier. This, then, proved to be my very last picture. 19-10-66. Photo: Steve Banks.

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The main pictures, in batches and chronological order.

The first set are my oldest pictures, taken with a second-hand manky old bellows thing using 120 roll film, including Gratispool film which was not celluloid but paper! It was cheap, I was only 12-13 years old and on pretty meagre pocket money.

On a fine day a good result was possible, even with Gratispool film! This vertical format also conceals the shocking lack of sharpness towards the outer ends; the side edges were better.

Ex-LMS "Royal Scot" No 46133 The Green Howards stands in front of the running shed at Farnley, which was the principal ex-LNWR depot in Leeds, on a weekend in 1961. The "Scot" was off Newton Heath in Manchester, which was a former LYR shed, and my guess is that it may have worked a trans-Pennine express.

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One day my dad had to go to Liverpool and while he chased a passport, I chased steam at Edge Hill. This is the only decent picture I managed, "Jinty" No 47519. It was my first encounter with the class. 1961.

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The poor definition of the lens is evident in this 1961 view of the west end of Copley Hill shed, taken from the adjoining park. Posing in the middle is spanking clean, ex-works A3 No 60048 Doncaster. In the distance one of the J50 station pilots is approaching while to the right, lost in porridge, is one of the J6 0-6-0s, No 64203, 64226 or 64277. The class was withdrawn from Copley Hill within a year and was extinct by the summer of 1962.

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Not only did the camera have a fixed shutter speed, the aperture was also fixed. On a murky Sunday in 1961, A3 60075 St Frusquin of Gateshead was on shed - it had probably worked the southbound "Queen of Scots" - and I set the camera up on a nearby buffer stop and pressed the lever shutter release twice. In truth it probably needed to have been pressed four times, such was the gloom, and the pale Gratispool negative came out very grainy. It's a fond childhood memory, really. Quite a few of the A3s kept running without German smoke deflectors. :)

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Finally, another half-decent picture from 1961 or 1962 on a sunny day at Neville Hill. When built "Peak" D144 was allocated to Derby on 9th December 1961 but, a week later, transferred to Neville Hill, and can be seen carrying a 55H shed plate on the nose. It was used for crew training and in July 1962, re-allocated to Holbeck. Note the green livery, before the yellow panels were added, and the empty headcode indicator box.

The building in the background was a three-road maintenance shed used to house diesels. In 1962 a diesel shed was opened at Holbeck and "Peaks" which had been housed temporarily at Neville Hill were moved across.

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Now for the Brownie 127.....

A personal view at Doncaster taken in 1962 by my brother, Adam, with his Brownie 127 when he'd have been 12 and me 14, of A4 No 60021 Wild Swan arriving at the spotters' platform with the 3.26pm Leeds Central-King's Cross, "White Rose". Yours truly is wearing the gabardine coat and class-mate Robin, the bobble hat. By a quirk of fate we met up last week in Leeds at a school reunion. :) Photo: Adam Banks.

Jubilee 45608 Gibraltar awaits departure at Leeds City in 1963 with the inter-regional "Devonian" and WR chocolate & cream coaches.

The Brownie 127 with its fixed shutter speed of 1/40sec was not exactly suited to action shots, nor cloudy days, so my apologies for this picture taken when I was 14 years old and, er, trespassing by the side of Holbeck High Level station, half a mile out of Leeds Central. A4 No 60017 Silver Fox" is lifting the 3.26pm departure, the "White Rose", up the 1:100 out of the Aire Valley sometime in 1963.

Scenes at Doncaster in 1963

Another A4 captured in 1963, 60025 Falcon running light engine between Doncaster station and the engine shed.

60025 Falcon passes by at the same location. A panned shot with the Brownie 127's shutter speed of 1/40sec showing plenty of motion blur in the foreground.

Taken in 1963 during my last steam-era visit to Doncaster using my brother's Brownie 127 camera, at St. James bridge. Brush Type 2 No D5685 was busy in the carriage sidings. Possibly 31257 later. I presume that the code "O" was used to designate a station pilot. Old hands may remember that ex-GNR J52 saddle tanks had performed these duties into the 1950s.

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Another view of D5685 as it backed onto carriages, with the main running lines to the south in the background. Fortunately, A4 600025 Falcon also came by, light engine. Those two pictures are filed lower down and shall be united in due course.

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Around Copley Hill engine shed

A Copley Hill shed plate, which I bought from the stores in mint condition when the shed was being run down, for the price of 10/-, ten shillings in old money, nowadays 50p. As it's worth a hundred times more today (less inflation over the years), I wish I'd had a little entrepreneurial spirit and bought out the entire stock, funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad, of course!

J50 68988 stands in front of the offices at Copley Hill (56C) in April/May 1963. Four were allocated for use as pilots at Leeds Central and the carriage sidings.

Riddles Class 2 2-6-2T 82026 propels stock in Copley Hill carriage sidings in April/May 1963. The loco was one of four used at Scarborough and Malton being dispersed on closure of those depots to steam and briefly tried here. All four ended up at Woking.

Peppercorn A1 60120 Kittiwake backs out of its home shed, Copley Hill, for the run down to Leeds Central station where it will take the 12.55pm express to King's Cross. April/May 1963.

It's a windy day as Doncaster A1, No 60125 Scottish Union breasts the summit of the climb past Copley Hill shed and begins the descent towards Leeds Central station. At this high point the loco was beginning to coast and a westerly wind was blowing its exhaust across the front of the loco. April-May 1963.

I was 15 years old and this was my first experience with a 35mm camera, kindly loaned me by one of my dad's workmates. He even developed and printed the film. Then it was back to a cr*ppy old bellows camera!

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One of Copley Hill's Peppercorn A1s, No 60120 Kittiwake storms the summit of the climb out of Leeds Central on the final gradient of 1:50 with the 12.55pm to King's Cross.

The exhaust is rising high and the wind is blowing it across, but a leaking cylinder gland is creating a screen that is obstructing the driver's view. He's leaning out more than normal to spot the next signals which are just around the corner. The cold weather is not helping and I wonder if the loco completed the journey or the stand-by loco at Doncaster (usually another A1) was taken?

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Peppercorm A1 No 60117 Bois Roussel sits in the shed at Copley Hill. This was my favourite, along with Madge Wildfire. These locos photographed superbly from this angle, with a slightly softened aspect and plenty of power - so much charisma. OK, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder; and I was smitten. Small wonder that Tornado wows the crowds today! June 1964

And finally, I had my own 35mm camera, a Zorki, which was an East German knock-off of the Leica, and really, not too bad, and for a 16-year old, heaven. It was a present from my parents of course, and alas too late for me to catch the A4s for King's Cross had closed to steam the very same month. And my pocket money didn't allow me to go mad with film anyway; we did our own printing, which was great fun anyway. Now I'm scanning the negs.

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Another blustery day but a year later, in June 1964 sees another Doncaster A1, No 60114 W.P.Allen as it lifts the 4.45pm to Doncaster out of Leeds Central. The gradient steepens here to 1:50 and despite blowing off at the safety valves, you can see the fireman throwing coal on the fire as a plume of unburned coal blasts out of the chimney. The picture was taken standing on the embankment underneath Copley Hill's coaling stage.

The flattened exhaust over the train suggests a high speed but that's the wind's doing. As school kids I would come here often with my brother, stand the other side of the tracks, and watch as a vertical plume of steam heralded a departure from Leeds Central. A few minutes later the train would crash by... Peppercorn A1s, Britannias from Immingham returning the Grimsby train, and A4s on the "White Rose", long before either of us had a camera. If ever a time machine gets invented, this is where I'd like to return....

This general view was taken in Aug/Sep 1964 with the shed being run down and almost empty. It closed in September. Years later I learned that Copley Hill was a fearsomely difficult shed to get round because the main entrance took you past the Foreman's office. All I can say is "Stupid boy!" for if you look along the railings on the right, there's a gap... We used used have free run of the place. :-)

Neville Hill engine shed

Neville Hill was 50B (under York's 50A) until January 1959 when it became part of the district under Holbeck (55A) and the code changed to 55H. I acquired this shedplate at a recent auction, no other details known about its provenance. It sits nicely next to my 56C.:)

The shed used to be two and half miles from where I lived and as a teenager, used to visit on my push bike, despite two quite steep hills - traffic was still quite light in those days! The first sequence of four pictures was taken with a Brownie 127 when I was 15 years old. Neville Hill used to have quite a few Gresley J39's that were used for freight and excursion traffic and in 1962, seven were still on its books. However, BR withdrew the remaining 110 or so en bloc in 1962 and this view, from winter 1962/63 shows No 64933 alongside a stable mate in the yard, probably awaiting removal. The concrete coaling tower is in the background.

As far as I know, V2s were never allocated to Neville Hill (ex-NER B16 and Thomposn B1 4-6-0s were used instead) but York had many and they often worked through to Leeds, such as 60967 which is standing by the water tower. Fully coalled, it awaits its return working. The clock is showing just before 1pm, which suggests a weekend visit. The A3 in the background would have been 60074 Harvester or 60084 Gainsborough, one of the shed's trio at the time, these two never having gained trough smoke deflectors. By 1961 Neville Hill had a pair of Ivatt 2-6-0s, Nos 43051/54 and the latter is seen either running into or out of the shed. Not until relatively recently did I learn that the Brownie 127 had a pedestrian shutter speed of 1/60 sec, which explains why in this panned shot, the houses in the distance are so blurred! Brand new Brish Type 4s (later Class 47) started arriving around this time and an evening would be a good time to see one, offically allocated to 34G Finsbury Park, being serviced. D1515 was built on 29th March 1963 and could hardly have been more than a few days old. It's standing outside the old repair shop which became a nominal diesel shed. Under TOPS, the loco became 47416 and was withdrawn from Gateshead in March 1986 after an astonishingly short life of only of only 23 years. The next batch of pictures was taken by me and my brother, mostly using my Zorki 35mm camera. The first ones date from Tuesday, 30th March 1964, beginning with a general view which shows how, in BR days, date unknown, the four-roundhous shed was reduced by half, producing this open space and visible remains of the roads that once radiated out from the turntables. To the right is the three-road repair shop, and beyond, the recently built DMU shed and fuel stores. Sulzer Type 2 (later Class 24) D5100 is standing in front, more of it in a moment.

A view from the old brick & timber manual coaling plant that remained in place despite construction of a new "standard" concrete tower. On a dank and windy day, down below is 77010 on the ash pits with its tender water filler cap open. The NER-built swan-neck water column is nearby.

Ten of this Riddles class of 2-6-0s were allocated to the NE Region, some in the Newcastle area but mostly around Scarborough and Hull. Arrival of the DMU displaced them and all ten (77000-4/10-14) were sent to Leeds sheds: Stourton and Farnley.

A closer view of D5100 in ridiculously dirty condition, with an even muckier ex-LMS Black 5 beyond it, believed to be 45063.

77010 finally moves towards the running shed to be stabled. Behind it can be seen a remnant of what used to be the outer wall of the shed when it had four roundhouses.

Four new additions - On Saturday 18th September 1965, an Aberdeen A4, No 60004 William Whitelaw was sent to Neville Hill to work an RCTS special the following day, "The Blyth-Tyne express".

The A4 was serviced in the usual way, and placed inside the shed, but many people turned up to see it and the foreman agreed to have the loco moved outside again so that it could be photographed. A man with a heart of gold! The sun was getting low and while I took the usual front 3/4 snaps, here are the more interesting views!

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The beautiful lines of the A4 catch the sun.

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And finally, the front end with a Peppercorn A1 behind it, possibly 60118 Archibald Sturrock, one of the batch transferred from Copley Hill after that shed closed the previous year.

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The following day, alas, dawned miserably (it was much better further north) and the station was crowded like I have never seen before. People, me included, men, women and children rambled all over the tracks taking pictures, up to several hundred yards out for the departure, and strange as it may seem in these modern times, officialdom turned a blind eye and nobody got run over. I'll spare you my results, though, except for this one.

This was, by the way, the outermost platform in what had originally been added to Leeds Wellington St. by the LNWR and NER and called "Leeds New" - it eventually all became Leeds City - and the train took the Leeds Northern line.

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On the outskirts of Leeds City and Holbeck

Ex-LMS 2-6-4T No 42409 carrying Station Pilot lights, shunts vans at Leeds City Wellington St parcels depot in April/May1963. The load appears to consist entirely of BR-built vehicles: BG, vanfit, vanfit, CCT.

4F 44584 approaches Leeds City from the Derby/Holbeck direction on the south chord of the Whitehall triangle with a local, pick-up goods. The leading mineral wagons, steel and wooden, were carrying scrap metal. The loco was allocated to Stourton where the working may have originated. Curving away to the right are the lines to Bradford, Carlisle, and Harrogate via the Leeds Northern line. April/May 1963.

Holbeck was coded 55A form LMS days.

The first four pictures were taken in June 1964 when steam still dominated but my eye was caught by the new arrivals....

The first picture in the sequence from June shows a green liveried Sulzer Type 2 with the small middle window in the cab, D5227 (later Class 25/1 25077). It was from Cricklewood West. Next to it was D7578 (later Class 25/3 25228), allocated to York.

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Close by in the sidings outside the double roundhouse was ex-LMS 45568 Western Australia. Holbeck's "Jubilees" were beginning to be withdrawn and this rather sad-looking example I later learned had been withdrawn two months earlier and was awaiting its fate. At the time it wasn't the done thing to defrock the locos by removing the nameplates.

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With Holbeck's coaling stage towering over it, Sulzer Type 4, soon all of them to be called "Peaks", D.43 awaits its next duty.

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I must have taken this picture on my way home for here, at Leeds City Junction, is D43 again, with a passenger train at the head of which is a BR 4w CCT. The headcode looks like "V47" - see note below.

The train appears to be taking the line towards Derby and the relevant arm in the splitting signal over the loco was the distant, which is "on" - the home arm above it would have been "off" but is out of shot. The next signal box, Holbeck's Engine Shed Junction was just round the corner. The separate home arm was for the north, to Bradford and Carlisle. It looks like the old signal (of Midland Railway origin?) has been given some extra support.

Keith Long, former signalman in Leeds, has come forward to say that the headcode was actually 1V47 which was the Sundays only 4.31pm from Bradford Forster Square, Leeds City 4.54-5.02pm to Bristol Temple Meads. He's just added that the "1" was probably not being shown because of roller-blind failure, a common occurrence at the time. Also, that it was specified "4-wheel vehicles with a wheelbase of less than 15 ft must not be conveyed by this train.

This raises several points because the Leeds-Bristol axis was a heavy carrier of parcels traffic and it would have been tempting to add vans of any kind. The BR CCT, however, had a generous wheelbase of 23'6" (the dimensions were similar to the LNER/BR CCT) because the value of an extended length and WB was being recognised. Indeed, the prototype of the BR CCT was significantly smaller, almost the same size as the BR horsebox; redesigning it had been a smart move.

Secondly, the 15ft WB limit was quite generous. It included relatively modern horse boxes and vanfits such as the insulated fish van. What it really excluded was common-or-garden vanfits which were being used in parcels trains but excluded from an express like this.

Finally (yes, there's lots more but this is not the place for all of it!), the roster for the train in the nearest issue that I have (for winter 1957) quoted a BGBS at the head, that is, a gangwayed bogie van with British Standard gangways, typically an ex-LMS 50' vehicle. The whole train may have still been made up with ex-LMS carriages but by 1964 had been modernised with BR Mk.1 stock and it seems that a van was still being rostered at the head. The leading passenger carriage in the picture is a BCK. It was, incidentally a seat reservation train: as always, trains taking people home after a weekend away could be heavily loaded.

A final point to note is that the loco is carrying a steam-era shed plate on its nose in steam era fashion, 16C, for Derby.

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The new ushers out the old as Doncaster's Peppercorn A1 60114 W.P. Allen is serviced at Holbeck, Copley Hill having already closed. October 1964.

A batch of pictures taken in September 1965, beginning with 4F No 44570 which is just north of Holbeck on the west chord of the Whitehall triangle where there used to be a goods yard. This loco was allocated to 55B Stourton and was on local pick-up goods duty. When finished It would run round its train and return tender first. 4.9.65.

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Peppercorn A1 No 60145 Saint Mungo, alas minus its nameplates is running into the shed yard past the coaling tower after working a special from Birmingham. We had been advised, or so said the rumour, that an A4 had been rostered so it was disappointing to see an old friend turn up in this condition. Until recently Saint Mungo had been based at Copley Hill but with its closure, the stud of Peppercorns was dispersed, losing the nameplates in the process. It was sad but at least an effort had been made to give the loco a clean. Saturday 4th September 1965.

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I always thought that the A1s looked good from this angle, really powerful, and the missing nameplates weren't too obvious - almost like the as-built condition before they were fitted.

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Some of Holbeck's "Jubilees" were still at work but they too were losing their nameplates, and beginning to get dirty. I can't say that I enjoy pictures of run-down locos but 45626 Seychelles was another old friend and there's no disguising Stanier's elegant lines. 4.9.65.

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Stourton's 4F No 44570 is seen passing the shed on the main line between Leeds City and St.Pancras on its way back to base. It would have shunted the sidings at Hunslet on the way. Although resident at Stourton for some time and unlikely to get anywhere near the electrifed lines, it had nonetheless been given the diagonal yellow stripe on the cabside. 4.9.65.

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Looking quite tidy in the yard is a Holbeck "Black Five", No 44853, surrounded by other members of the class. Visible in the background between the locos is the Leeds City-Derby line while the viaduct just visible on the left carried the line to Manchester and Liverpool, eventually closed to traffic.

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The shadows lengthen as B1 No 61394 awaits its return working, parked by the depot's breakdown crane. No shed plate was being carried but I believe that this used to be a 41D Canklow loco; its B1s often worked parcels trains to and from Leeds City.

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Crewe sheds and works - New Year's Day 1963

This sequence of pictures was taken when I was 15 yrs old with a camera borrowed from a school friend. Alas, although it took 120 roll film the lens was quite ordinary - and the day was murky: this was the middle of the long winter of 1963 and snow was to lie around for quite a while yet. It was a school trip and we visited:

Gresty Lane
Crewe South
Crewe North
Loco works
Station

Here's the first batch, all steam:

Ex-GWR No 6831 Bearley Grange, a visitor from Oxley, stands outside the ex-GWR three road shed at Gresty Lane. It was a subshed of 84H Wellington and I believe that a Pannier tank was normally based there but the place was pretty empty when we visited.

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No pictures at Crewe South which was logjammed with unphotographable locos, better at Crewe North although I could only take a rear-facing view of No 46228 Duchess of Rutland. Five were still allocated there.

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The front end of No 46228 Duchess of Rutland.

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One of my local sheds, Holbeck, used to have three "Britannias" (70044/53/54) until August 1962 when, unknown to me at the time, they were reallocated to Crewe North so it was a surprise to see them there. Here, however, is No 70054 Dornoch Firth parked in the overcast grunge of the day at Crewe South. Plenty of snow still lay on the ground, despite the presence of so many heat-generating locos. Note the ex-LNWR G2 0-8-0 in the background.

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A closer view of another one, No 70044 Earl Haig.

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From Darlington to Blyth

On a cold Sunday early in January 1964, my school train spotting society in Leeds organised a minibus trip around a cluster of freight sheds in the North East. I think it was the school master's idea to go somewhere unusual, and he wasn't kidding for the first stop was the scrap line at Darlington Works, then:

West Hartlepool
Sunderland
Tyne Dock
Percy Main
South Blyth
North Blyth

I borrowed a camera for the day that took 120 roll film, so the negatives are large. A pity that the lens was pretty average, but then, we were only 16 years old at the time. And only ten shots were possible, quite unlike a 35mm camera, let alone the digital cameras of today.

Darlington North Road Works scrap line

My notes show that 36 locos were seen, in varying conditions, among them these rarities which had been withdrawn long ago:

68149	Y1 Sentinel	Withdrawn from West Auckland in 1958
68180	Y3 Sentinel	Withdrawn from Selby in 1956
69921	T1 4-8-0T	Withdrawn from Tyne Dock in 1959

To be honest and trying to think back, I wonder if we actually saw that trio complete or perhaps parts of them for some reason laid aside?

Especially sad to see were 0-6-0 tanks such as the J72 and J94 made obsolete by the diesel shunter, and the cab and bunker of former Copley Hill and Leeds Central station pilot, J50 68988. It looked as if somebody had bought it, but I have never heard any more.

A general view shows J94 68008 and J72 69006. Both had ended their days at Darlington in 1963 and '62, respectively. Many J94s had operated in the North East and nine of them were standing in the lines. 5th January 1964.

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A dappled sun falls on J72 69024 and two workmen, presumably getting ready to administer the last rites... The loco had been part of the final batch built in April 1951 and was barely a dozen years old when withdrawn in 1963. 5th January 1964.

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Please forgive me for such a melancholy picture but Riddles "Clan" Pacifics were unknown to us Yorkshiremen and two were lying waste here, 72001 Clan Cameron and 72002 Clan Campbell. 5th January 1964.

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A bonus arrived when a J94, No 68034, came by on the main running line hauling a pick-up or transfer goods. 5th January 1964. This loco carried on working until May 1965.

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West Hartlepool

Our first running shed of the day was at West Hartlepool and though quite modest, the variety was unlike any other shed visited that day with ex-NER, ex-LMS and WD 2-8-0s:

43100, 43123 (LMS 2-6-0)
61220 (B1)
63341, 63403, 63414, 63440, 63451, 63479 (Q6)
68036, 68061 (Hunslet J94)
69003, 69011, 69019 (J72)
90061, 90082, 90217, 90344, 90479 (WD 2-8-0)

But no pictures. With only ten on the roll and the more interesting types frustratingly inside the shed, I was nursing the film for better things later in the day.

Sunderland

Sunderland, once a large roundhouse shed, had the most meagre allocation to see that day, albeit purely ex-NER 0-8-0s and 0-6-0s:

63388, 63406, 63441, 63444, 63456, 63458 (Q6)
65788, 65823, 65835, 65846 (J27)

J27 No 65835 stands in the wintry sun outside what used to be the roundhouse shed, but was in the early stages of demolition. I believe that in its last years, this loco was allocated to South Blyth and Sunderland.

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Tyne Dock

When we got to Tyne Dock shed, 26 locos were to be seen, dominated by ex-NER freight types, J27 0-6-0 and Q6 0-8-0. Looking quite forlorn inside the roundhouse was a pair of J72s whose duties had been taken over by an 04 and two 08s. The stars were the Riddles 9Fs, of course, and most of the batch allocated there to work the Tyne Dock-Consett iron ore trains and fitted with air pumps were seen that day. The complete list was:

63358, 63363, 63366, 63371, 63393, 63399, 63409, 63411 (Q6)
65791, 65817, 65833, 65854, 65864, 65892 (J27)
68704, 69025 (J72)
90434 (WD)
92060, 92061, 92062, 92063, 92064, 92066 (9F)
D2311 (04)
D3242, D3243 (08)

92060 stands in the shed yard, partly lit by a low sun. The air pumps were on the other side. I wonder if this loco was a stand-by for the iron ore traffic? 5th January 1964.

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Fellow member of the batch, No 92062 is prepared for duty. These iron ore trains ran seven days a week. 5th January 1964.

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Out of curiosity, I wandered out along the shed yard towards many signals and the running lines and was rewarded when 92061 came storming up the gradient with a loaded train. Years later I discovered that the (excellent) Transacord EP on these workings had on its cover, the very same loco at the same place and so similar that it's hard to tell the two pictures apart! :) 5th January 1964.

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Percy Main

After Tyne Dock, next stop was Percy Main (52E) which had had a diesel depot added near the steam shed. For most of its life, Percy Main's staple allocation was the J27 0-6-0 plus, I believe, J72 tank engines which had been replaced by a variety of 0-6-0 diesel shunters. Seen that day were:

65790, 65796, 65805, 65821, 65831, 65842, 65869 (J27)

D2044, D2050, D2055, D2092 (03)
D2234 (04 Drewry)
D3244 (08)

One of Percy Main's J27s No 65842 is polluting the the atmosphere in fine style. The shed was still standing although the roof had been removed.

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South Blyth

Finally, we visited the two sheds at Blyth: South Blyth and North Blyth. The allocation was shared under a code of 52F. South Blyth was mainly J27s plus the odd 2-6-0 and on shed that day were:

65810, 65819, 65852, 65855, 65862, 65870, 65876, 65891 (J27)
62002 (K1)
D2163 (03)

By mid-aftrenoon the light was beginning to fade and this was my last picture of the day, of J27 No 65855 having its fire cleaned out - you can see a shovel's worth being chucked out of the cab.

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North Blyth

No pictures, alas, but the allocation was larger, albeit with only two types, ex-NER 0-8-0s and 0-6-0s:

63362, 63386, 63413, 63429, 63459 (Q6)
65789, 65792, 65794, 65801, 65804, 65828, 65845, 65880, 65886, 65889 (J27)

The day ended at dusk with a visit to the coal staithes at Blyth, colossal wooden lattice structures that towered high in the sky against the setting sun, with steam and smoke drifting across the sky from chimneys all around. We were are the water's edge from which the scale was quite incredible. I was only sixteen but some things you remember for the rest of your life. Quite a canny teacher that was, who organised the trip.

Scottish trip

In April 1964, the train spotting societies in two secondary schools in Leeds combined for a tour of Glasgow and Edinburgh. We travelled by coach overnight in both directions, and during the day, visited almost a dozen sheds in and between the twp cities. This was the itinerary

65C Parkhead
65B St. Rollox
65A Eastfield
65D Dawsholm
67A Corkerhill
66A Polmadie
66B Motherwell
66E Carstairs
64F Bathgate
65K Polmont
65F Grangemouth
64C Dalry Road
64B Haymarket
64A St. Margarets

65C Parkhead

First shed of the day, quite small, on a bitterly cold and blustery morning and too miserable for any photographs. Several locos had been dumped there: three "Royal Scots" ex-66A Polmadie and Papyrus, a former star at Haymarket. All four were cut up soon after.

64563, 64580, 64622	J37
D3211-12, D3277, D3894	0-6-0 diesel shunter (later Class 08)
Withdrawn from 66A Polmadie and 64B Haymarket:
46105 Cameron Highlander	"Royal Scot"
46105 Argyll and Sutherland Highlander	"Royal Scot"
46105 Highland Light Infantry, City of Glasgow Regiment	"Royal Scot"
60096 Papyrus	A3

65B St.Rollox

At the former Caledonian Railway shed, the sun greeted us, along with our first ex-LNER "Pacifics" in steam. Inside the 12-road shed was A4 No 60027 Merlin (allocated to St. Rollox at the time) and in steam, but we couldn't persuade anybody to move her out for a photograph.... On shed were:

44922, 44978, 45020, 45115, 45489, 45499	"Black 5"
60027 Merlin	A4
60535 Hornets Beauty	A2
61402	B1
73007, 73076, 73079, 73122, 73145, 73147-8, 73151-3	Riddles 5MT
D118	"Peak"
D5357	Birmingham RC&WC Type 2 (later Class 26)
D6115	North British Type 2 (later Class 24, and re-engined Class 29)
D8084, D8108, D8115	English Electric Type 1 (later Class 20)
D27735-7, D3003/9, D3414	0-4-0 & 0-6-0 diesel shunters (later classes 06 & 08)

Riddles 5MT No 73122, a 67A Corkerhill loco, stands in front of the 10-road shed. We were to see a lot of BR "Standards" during the day. One reason for the picture was to record the dark shape behind the tender, inside the shed. A sharp eye can just about make out the outline of an A4, Merlin, no less. 3rd April 1964.

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Peppercorn A2 60535 Hornets Beauty stands partly inside the running shed being prepared for a day's work. This loco seemed to follow us around and we saw it several more times during the day. 3rd April 1964.

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The elegant front end and nameplate of A2 60535 Hornets Beauty, with a single chimney and smaller driving wheels, arguably slightly prettier than Peppercorn's A1. 3rd April 1964.

65A Eastfield

This was the North British Railway's largest shed and its allocation when we visited was still substantial with 67 locos to be seen, now a mixture of ex-LNER, ex-LMS and BR types, and as many diesels:

42170, 42194, 42269, 42477, 42690	ex-LMS 2-6-4 tanks
44799, 44930, 44970, 45018, 45058, 45195, 45236, 45286, 4530, 45359	ex-LMS "Black 5"
60031 Golden Plover	A4
60512 Steady Aim	A2
61140, 61401	B1
61397	K3
64623, 64633, 64636	J36
65911	J38
73078, 73105, 73108	Riddles 5MT
80027, 80056-7	Riddles 2-6-4T
90515	WD 2-8-0
D2738/57/8/67	0-4-0 diesel shunter (later Class 06)
D3207, D3392-3, D3530/62/3	0-6-0 diesel shunter (later Class 08)
D5313, D5351-3, D5358, D5363-4, D5368-9	(later Class 26)
D6105, D6111, D6115, D6119-20	(later Class 21,29)
D8071, D8074, D8093, D8096, D8098, D8102-3, D8110, D8112, D8115	(later Class 20)

The approach to this shed was by the main line into Glasgow Queen St. (High Level) and D5313, a Birmingham RC&WC Type 2 (later Class 26) came bowling along with a medium length train, so my apologies for the snatch shot. I wasn't much in the habit of photographic diesel-hauled trains at the time. Looking at it now I see that the formation of the 6-coach train was two-thirds BR Mk.1 and one-third Gresleys on the later, steel-angle underframe:

BSK, SO, SO*, CK, SO, BCK*    (* Gresley)

Gresley stock continued to serve until 1969(?) when BR withdrew all wooden-bodied coaches. 3rd April 1964.

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Former NBR Reid large-boilered goods 0-6-0, LNER J37, No 64623 rests outside the running shed. You can just see the power classification, 5F, above the number. Introduced in 1914, they had been designed for goods and mineral traffic and many were still in service. 3rd April 1964.

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80057, one of the Riddles 2-6-4 tanks which had displaced the former NBR passenger tanks on the secondary and suburban services. 3rd April 1964.

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And finally from Eastfield one of the thirty-odd diesels on shed that day, English Electric Type 2 D8098. At the time I hadn't seen any of these and it's unfortunate that apart from the Claytons, none of the other Scottish types presented themselves in a photogenic way. Only D5313 as it came by on a train! 3rd April 1964.

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And finally, sensing that luck was against me in catching a Scottish A4 outdoors, I grabbed a cab side view of 60031 Golden Plover deep in the gloom. It was still a St.Rollox engine but for some reason was parked deep inside Eastfield's running shed. We were to see five more A4s under cover, the ones sent north from King's Cross. 3rd April 1964.

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65D Dawsholm

Another former Caledonian Railway shed, this was quite a small affair for goods traffic with only a handful of locos, but also the entire stud of preserved Scottish engines, among which was one that was not to be saved:

42169	Ex-LMS 2-6-4T
44718, 44812	Ex-LMS "Black 5"
76074, 76103	Riddles 4MT
78051	Riddles 2MT
D3279	0-6-0 diesel shunter (later Class 08)
D8078	English Electric Type 1 (later class 20)
Preserved/for preservation
49 Gordon Highlander	GNSR 4-4-0
103	HR Jones Goods 4-6-0
123	Caledonian Single
256 Glen Douglas	NBR 4-4-0
62712 Morayshire	LNER D49 4-4-0
54398 Ben Alder	HR 4-4-0

Sadly, the Small Ben was never restored and was cut up in 1966.

The ex-NBR Holmes 2F was being withdrawn and the two here had their chimneys covered over in case of a reprieve: there were only eleven left. As can be seen, the ground for this side of the shed had to excavated and was quite gloomy. 3rd April 1964.

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67A Corkerhill

The Glasgow & South Western Railway built this depot, subsequently part of the LMS, to house suburban passenger tanks and goods locos. On shed was a remarkably modern stud of locomotives, the majority designed by Riddles and thus only a few years old:

44801, 44993, 45124	Ex-LMS "Black 5"
73077, 73103, 73120	Riddles 5MT
76091-3, 76099, 76108, 76114	Riddles 4MT
80001, 80005, 80030, 80046. 80050, 80127-8	Riddles 2-6-4T
Withdrawn from 66A Polmadie:
46102 Black Watch	Stanier "Royal Scot"
46104 Scottish Borderer	Stanier "Royal Scot"

A sight rarely seen south of the border as a Black five fitted with a tablet catcher, No 45124 from Hurlford (67B), comes on shed.

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66B Motherwell

A2 60535 Hornets Beauty seen later in the day at Motherwell, moving off the coaling stage. These single chimney Pacifics were now being used on miscellaneous duties including freight workings. 3-4-64.

66A Polmadie

Once Glasgow's premier shed for the West Coast Main Line with an allocation of Princesses and Duchesses, by early 1964 all the ex-LMS express types had just been swept away. Class 40s were taking over their turns (6 were on shed) and the only Pacific power to be seen was a quartet of re-allocated ex-LNER A2s. As at Corkerhill, a lot of BR Riddles designs were also here, plus fifteen of the new-fangled (and short-lived) D8500 Claytons.

A general view of the shed. Note how the diesels were parked by the offices and the smoky steam locos further away! 3rd April 1964.

A Clayton, D8512, comes onto its home shed from the running lines alongside. In the background is one of the A2s that had been re-allocated, and a cluster of lads with notebooks in hand passing by. 3rd April 1964.

D8551 parked under the clock by the offices at Polmadie. A modern, almost spaceship-like profile but, alas, all were withdrawn within a dozen years and more Class 20s built in their place. 3.4.64.

65E Kipps

Ex-Caledonian Railway Drummond "pug" No 56029 at Kipps (65E), abandoned in a siding near the loco depot but never saved for preservation. 3-4-64.

Hunslet and Stourton

The next series of pictures was taken in Leeds near Hunslet and Stourton, a few miles south of Leeds City station on the Midland line to Derby and St.Pancras. The area had goods and marshalling yards, and was served by a freight depot, 55B Stourton.

In June 1964 several Riddles 77xxx were transferred to Leeds, this one, No 77000, to Stourton and is seen passing in its direction, southwards through Hunslet. The damaged coaches in the foreground were the result of an accident on 27 September 1964 to the 21.20 from St.Pancras-Edinburgh which comprised three empty milk tanks (behind the loco, a Class 45) and eight carriages which included two sleeping cars. Near Stourton one of the milk tanks derailed, but stayed in the formation for some distance, before causing more of the train to derail. Fortunately, the most serious injury was a broken finger.

The report can be found at www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=1084. I have a faint memory of the Leeds United manager, Don Revie, being on the train on his way back from Cardiff.

The line on the bridge was a goods line that came off the GNR/LNER line at Beeston Junction and ran into the industrial area south-east of Leeds City with a yard alongside the Aire & Calder Navigation. All gone without trace.

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On Saturday 3rd October 1964, I went down to Stourton on my push bike to see Flying Scotsman on a special, and was surprised to see a clean Britannia arrive light engine, No 70021 Morning Star. It was one of Cardiff Canton's that went to Willesden and, for a while, they worked an overnight/early morning fitted freight to Leeds.

Discussion has suggested that the loco was too large for the turntable at Stourton so was first sent to Holbeck for servicing. Turning could have been via the roundhouse, or by using the Whitehall triangle, which according to Keith Long who was a signalman at Engine Shed Junction Signal Box (Holbeck), was used for Gresley Pacifics. The turntables at Holbeck could certainly take a Britannia for I used to see them in the roundhouse and I would lean towards that option on grounds of convenience. When ready the loco was run down to Stourton and parked in the open yard in front of the shed for easy attachment to the return working from Hunslet.

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Here's the loco crossing the running lines towards the engine shed. In the down lay-bye, a WD 2-8-0 is waiting with coal empties. The old wooden signal gantry was a hallmark of this location - it was ex-Midland Railway, modernised with upper quadrants. In fact all the signals seen here are ex-MR and in the distance, two are still carrying lower-quadrant arms.

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The WD "Austerity", No 90030 (York) and its coal empties finally gets away.

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Alan Pegler's Flying Scotsman passes with an Ian Allan special - "The Darlington Marquess Railtour". The main part consisted of 8 carriages from King's Cross behind the Pacific, and a smaller portion from Leeds, behind 3442 The Great Marquess. They were joined at Harrogate for the final leg to Darlington. Coming back, division was at York.

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Flying Scotsman sweeps past. Ah, pure beauty... :)

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Once the special had passed, the sun came out and it was a pleasure to gaze upon a Riddles "Britannia" in pretty much the original condition with proper handrails on the smoke deflectors.

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A final view of No 70021 Morning Star. I saw a few more at Stourton around this time but it was a relatively short-lived phase.

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Farnley

A batch of pictures taken at ex-LYR shed Farnley in Leeds in October 1965. It was quite an exposed location and most of my visits coincided with poor weather, on this occasion, cloudy and misty. The inside of the running shed always felt dank anyway; it was not my favourite shed!

A general view in front of the running shed when it was stilll quite busy, showing an 8F, possibly Farnley's No 48080; "Jubilee" No 45562 Alberta; and 9F 92046. Photo: Steve Banks

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Almost a reverse view of the previous picture with 9F No 92046. It was an 8H Birkenhead loco at the time. Photo: Steve Banks

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9F No 92046 seen again with its BR1C 4,725 gallon tender. Photo: Steve Banks

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In BR days Farnley had a long-standing "Jubilee" in No 45581 "Bihar and Orissa" which seemed to be little used and was joined in March 1964 by No 45562 Alberta for nearly three years. It then went back to Holbeck and lasted until November 1967. After attempts to preserve it did not succeed, many parts were used in the restoration of 45699 Galatea. Photo: Steve Banks

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Another view of No 45562 Alberta with one of the shed staff clearing out one of the inspection pits. Photo: Steve Banks

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Ardsley

Midway between Leeds Central and Wakefield on the GNML, Ardsley lay on the Yorkshire coalfield, between several junctions in the West Riding, and was chosen for the principal marshaling yards served by a sizeable engine shed.

D9009 Alycidon approaches Ardsley in September 1964 with the King's Cross-West Riding "White Rose" for Leeds Central. The Bradford portion has been detached at Wakefield and will follow in a few minutes. The formation is all BR Mk.1 except for the strengthener behind the tender - typically an older type - which is a Gresley CK on steel angle trussing.

The Bradford portion of the "White Rose" follows behind B1 61189 Sir William Gray, alas minus nameplates. The formation is:

  CK   1st/2nd
BSO   2nd open brake

with the brake-ended coach inside out. September 1964.

One of Wakefield's Austerities, 90429, leaves the yards at Ardsley in September 1964 and passes through the station with a southbound train of Yorkshire coal in steel mineral wagons. Ardsley signal box can be seen behind the overbridge and, to the left, the junction for the direct line from Wakefield to Bradford exchange used for the King's Cross portions attached/detached at Wakefield until BR closed the line. Ardsley station close two months later.

Recently shopped Thompson B1 61030 Nyala stands outside Ardsley shed on a fine autumnal day in September 1964. The loco came to the West Riding from Darlington in the early '60s and spent several years at Ardsley.

Another view of 61030 Nyala at Ardsley in September 1964. Part of the coaling stage can be seen in the background.

London area (SR/LMR) and the Thames Valley (WR)

This was another school trip from Leeds on 31st October 1964 which embraced the following locations:

Victoria station
70A Nine Elms
75B Redhill
70C Guildford
Brookwood station
81D Reading
81E Didcot
81F Oxford
70B Feltham
Paddington station
81A Old Oak Common
1A Willesden

The day started badly because the Shed Foreman at Nine Elms refused to admit us on the grounds that the permit was for noon and there we were at 8am - the rotter! On top of that it was a murky day (the Scots have a good word for it - "dreich") and the sun didn't shine until mid-afternoon. We ended up doing Feltham in the dark... and Old Oak Common and Willesden, though you have to bear in mind that in late October/early November it's dark around 5pm and we still had places to visit!

The first pictures are from Redhill and Guildford.

70B Redhill

The first running shed we were allowed to enter, and several of the classes were quite new to our eyes:

30531, 30543	0-6-0	SR Q class
31405, 31408, 31862, 31866, 31873	2-6-0	SR N
33027	0-6-0	SR Q1
73050, 73113 Lyonnesse	4-6-0	Riddles 5MT
80031, 80033, 80034, 80068	2-6-2T	Riddles 4P/4F*
82028**	2-6-2T	Riddles 3MT
D6590	Crompton Type 3	Later class 33
D6910	Eng.Electric Type 3	Later class 37

*	4MT on all other regions.
**	Previously on the Malton-Pickering-Scarborough line.

Here's some of our coach-load passing our first sighting of a SR loco, a Bulleid Q1 0-6-0, so chunky that it can be mistaken for a larger loco. With a classification of 5F, it was actually by some margin the most powerful 0-6-0 built in the UK.

33027 (70B) was one of only around ten survivors at the time, divided between this shed and Guildford. Note the woeful light and and mist, and my apologies for the iffy quality... grr!

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A general view of Redhill from a nearby embankment shows two Riddles "standard" designs, 80031 and 73113 Lyonnesse. Only the Southern Region named some of its 5MTs, re-using names from withdrawn "King Arthur" class 4-6-0s. A nice touch, I always thought. Looks like a fitter is inspecting one of the cylinders. Doing a job like this outdoors today is hard to image; in those days men were men and...

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Portrait of a Maunsell 2-6-0 Class N, No 31406, a design introduced in 1917 by the SECR. By this time pre-Grouping designs were getting rare and this was the only photograph I managed to take.

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70C Guildford

30064	0-6-0T	SR USA class
30541, 30542	0-6-0	SR Q class
31620, 31639, 31791, 31799, 31803	2-6-0	SR U
31410, 31811, 31858, 31873	2-6-0	SR N
33004, 33012, 33015, 33018	0-6-0	SR Q1
41287	2-6-2T	LMS Ivatt 2MT
76031, 76053, 76058	2-6-0	Riddles 4MT
D2085, D3048	0-6-0	Diesel shunters

While debussing in Guildford we passed the station and caught a glimpse of 34099 Lynmouth, an air-smoothed "West Country" Class 4-6-2. It's a horribly murky picture and it's hard to tell what the loco was doing with goods wagons ahead of it.

Note the cattle pens on this side of the station, once a common sight everywhere. BR was to continue carrying livestock for a few more years.

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As we entered Guildford shed, USA tank No 30064 was shunting wagons, in a marvellously resurrected Malachite Green livery. On the ER only the odd example of 0-6-0 and 0-6-2 station pilots received liveries from previous eras, on the SR I believe that quite a few of this class received this Bulleid livery. For us lads from the North, it added to the magic of the far-distant SR.

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Q1 No 33012 on the turntable. In the background is the relatively unusual semi-circular shed, and the surrounding high ground.

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After Guildford we headed for Reading (81D), by way of the station at Brookwood. There used to be a large cemetery here, served by the railway (long since lifted) which brought the deceased from London, for example, some twenty miles away. For railway fans, however, the beauty of this location was the former LSWR four-track main line between Waterloo and Exeter and ten miles of rising gradient which steepened gradually, 1:314 through the station, peaking nor far beyond at 1:298. In other words, a great place to watch trains fly by and a bonus after missing out on Nine Elms.

The light was little better but we had time to see five loco-hauled trains, the first shooting by as we arrived. First captured on film, then, was a rebuilt "West Country" Pacific, No 34022, Exmoor with a secondary Up train of five carriages, made up rather well with gangwayed Bulleid stock. It coasted in down the gradient on the slow line and pulled up to collect passengers.

Note the signal box on the platform ahead of the loco and the old lower quadrant signals on the gantry, half lost in the mist despite being starters at the end of the platform.

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When the train moved off, the condition of the loco revealed itself, with masses pf steam leaking from the cylinders. Not a pretty sight in anybody's language.

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Departure, aided by the falling gradient, was shrouded by steam. So sad to see a loco in such poor condition. At least the fireman had little to do on this stretch!

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After the SR sheds we went up the Thames Valley visiting three WR sheds.

81D Reading

Reading was a boundary location on the Western Region which saw main line expresses and London Outer Suburban traffic from Paddington, as well as inter-regional trains from the Southern Region and the north (via Banbury) and freight trains from all directions. Unfortunately, by 1964 the WR was beginning to lose its steam and the lustre of old was on the wane. 20 locos were on shed, and one diesel:

4919 Donington Hall
5936 Oakley Hall
6913 Levens Hall
6953 Leighton Hall
6963 Throwley Hall
6966 Witchingham Hall
6974 Bryngwyn Hall
7923 Speke Hall
6131, 6134, 6135, 6161	2-6-2T	GWR 61xx class
6367	2-6-0	GWR 43xx
3818	2-8-0	GWR 28xx
92000, 92001	2-10-0	BR 9F
D7048	B-B	Type 3 Hymek
-----------------------------------
31619, 31627	2-6-0	SR U Class
34036 Westward Ho	4-6-2	SR WC
45006	4-6-0	LMS 5MT (2E Saltley)

A visitor from Oxford, "modified Hall" No 6974 Bryngwyn Hall, stands in front of the running shed. It's fairly mucky but still has its cast number and name plates. Behind can be seen a SR tender from a "U" class 2-6-0 and, beyond it, the repair shop. 31.10.64.

Having been brought up among powerful and rugged 2-6-4 tanks in the north of England, the Churchward and Collett 2-6-2Ts looked quite dainty. Sadly the first one we came across, No 6131, one of six still allocated to Reading, had already had its number plates and shed plate removed. The embellishment of a copper-capped chimney still lent an air of elegance but the crudely painted number, on the bunker was dismal. 31.10.64.

An ex-SR "West Country" class Pacific graces the yard, No 34037 West Ward Ho, a visitor from Salisbury. Carrying a layer of dust and grime but the clean lines do show well. 31.10.64.

One of the later "Halls" with a smooth-sided tender allocated to Reading, No 6953 Leighton Hall, coasts by. 31.10.64.

81E Didcot

Next along the line out of Paddington was Didcot with 24 locos on shed, again nearly all steam and a similar variety, plus some of the smaller ex-GWR 4-6-0s. And after a whole day of mist, the sun came out!

4959Purley Hall
4962Ragley Hall
5988North Aston Hall
6921Borwick Hall
6969Wraysbury Hall
6976Graithwaite Hall
6983Otterington Hall
6996Blackwell Hall
7917North Aston Hall
6864Dymock Grange
7816Filsham Manor
6112, 6136, 6159	2-6-2T	GWR 61xx class
7327	2-6-0	GWR 43xx
2898,3851	2-8-0	GWR 28xx
3751, 8720, 9726	0-6-0	GWR 57xx
73024	4-6-0	Riddles 5MT (82F Bath Green Park)
D7061, D7081	B-B	Type 3 Hymek
D3972	0-6-0	BR Shunter

At last, a fairly clean ex-GWR "Prairie" tank, No 6112, one of Didcot's own. The main line from Oxford is passing by, a familiar scene today. 31.10.64.

With the sun dodging in and out, just beyond were some lines of assorted locos in steam, including another one of Didcot's allocation, "Modified Hall", No 6969 Wraysbury Hall. 31.10.64.

Seen at 81E Didcot under leaden skies is No 7816 Frilsham Manor parked between Riddles 5MT 4-6-0 No 73024 from Bath and Ddcot's 2-8-0 No 3851.

Barely visible on the tender are the letters "GWR" which had come to light as the overlying coats of paint perished. It wasn't the only example I saw in those last years of neglect. Photo: Steve Banks.

Gloucester

Gloucester, coded 85B, included sub-sheds at Brimscombe, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Lydney and Tetbury.

7029 Clun Castle being turned after returning from its early morning working to Cardiff. 7th August 1965.

Simmering in front of the shed at Gloucester, alas minus its nameplates, is 6815 Frilford Grange from Aberbeeg (86F). Behind it is 7925 Westol Hall from Cardiff (88A). 7th August 1965.

Clun Castle and crew, preparing to set back into the shed at Gloucester. 7th August 1965.

7029 Clun Castle berthed at Gloucester shed alongside brush Type 4 D1721. 7th August 1965.

At Gloucester (85B)on 7th August 1965, Riddles Class 2 2-6-2T 82040 is standing in the yard outside the running shed in what appears to be unlined green livery. Three were on shed that day: 82039,40,42.

Newton Heath

Newton Heath (Manchester) used to be "Top Shed" on the LYR and was coded 26A until 1963 when it was downgraded to 9D.

On a weekday in 1966 the end of steam was still a couple of years away and the place was busy with 59 locos on shed and ex-LMS Jinties still in business, but the muck around the place was depressing. On the right stands Britannia 70017 Arrow and to the left, an ex-LMS diesel shunter of 1939 with cardan shaft drive (no.12021 or 12022). These were among the last pictures I took for university, wine, women and song beckoned. 16th February 1966.

The west end at Newton Heath had the coaling tower, ash plant and turntable, which 48070 is passing. In the foreground, West Riding stalwart B1 61017 Bushbuck, alas minus its nameplates, moves off towards the shed to be stabled. 16.2.66.

Ex-LMS "Jinty" 47631 stands under the ash plant at Newton Heath beside one of the narrow gauge disposal wagons. It had just come off its roster, taken over by 47383. The coaling stage looms high in the background. 16.2.66

8F 48321 stands beneath Newton Heath's massive twin-chute coaling stage. This was a Carlisle Kingmoor (12A) loco. 16th February 1966.

70019 Lightning, formerly of Cardiff Canton, now at Carlisle Upperby, stands outside Newton Heath's running shed. No plate could be found so "12B" was painted on the smokebox door. 16.2.66.

Another "Britannia" at Newton Heath from Carlisle by the turntable, 70039 Sir Christopher Wren was initially allocated to Norwich in East Anglia but was now at Kingmoor. Lack of nameplates doesn't disguise the class's elegant lines. 16th February 1966.

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2A Tyseley

When BR was formed, Tyseley was given a Western Region shed code of 84E, until transfer in 1963 to the LMR when it became 2A. My visit was on a murky day in March 1966 when there was still plenty of steam, but also locos awaiting disposal. ironically all Riddles "standards". The bag that day was:

7029 Clun Castle	4-6-0	GWR Castle
4176	2-6-2T	GWR 61xx class
3625, 8767, 9774	0-6-0T	GWR Pannier tank
44777, 44944, 45349	4-6-0	LMS Black Five
48035, 48061, 48458	4-6-0	LMS 8F
46522	2-6-0	LMS Ivatt Mogul
70047	4-6-2	BR Riddles Britannia
73004, 73137, 73139	4-6-0	BR Riddles 5MT
75004	4-6-0	BR Riddles 4MT
92004, 92139, 92212	2-10-0	BR Riddles 9F
12066	0-6-0	LMS/BR diesel shunter
D3984	0-6-0	Diesel shunter
D1690, D1805, D1815, D1856	Co-Co	Brush Type 4
D5021, D5202, D7582, D7520	Bo-Bo	Type 2

Looking out from in front of the shed buildings across the yard various locos from the list above can be seen, but especially ex-GWR Pannier tanks that were still being used - the shed had only received two diesel shunters, an ex-LMS one (there used to be a pair) and a soon-to-be Class 08. Nearest is 3625 with a snow plough and 9774 on the tail end of which a lamp is being hung. 16-3-66. Photo: Author.

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Ex-GWR "Pannier" tank No 9774 bereft of number plates and as mucky as all the other locos on shed that day. 16-3-66. Photo: Author.

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The same loco seen in profile, surrounded by rubbish and no sign of the crew. 16-3-66. Photo: Author.

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Not a happy sight of three Riddles 5MTs but interesting for the leading two, 73137 and 73139, both ex-Derby, had been built with Caprotti valve gear. 73004 stands at the far end. Facilities at this shed had been upgraded, to do wheel turning, for example, and this trio had probably been sent for that with the motion removed in advance to simplify the procedure. 16-3-66. Photo: Author.

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The Riddles "Britannia" with no name, No 70047, was one you always hoped to chance across eventually and it was disappointing and ironic to find it in this condition and after most of the class with names had already had them removed. I don't recall ever feeling such regret. Steam was ending but we were young and couldn't really see it; train-spotting was carrying on despite the increasingly sad sights.

Quite recently I have learned, as in the caption above, that Tyseley had been equipped to do wheel turning and the rear wheels on 70047 have clearly been treated and the loco is waiting for a lift back to its home shed. Had I known at the time, I would have been quite a bit happier! The loco went on to serve for another 16 months. 16-3-66. Photo: Author.

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I had to close with a picture of a working loco and it's a portrait of ex-GWR "Pannier" tank No 3625, also minus its number plates but carrying a snow plough. That's another thing we tend to forget, that before global warming winters used to be colder and snow more frequent and heavier. 16-3-66. Photo: Author.

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Hunslet

This sequence of pictures was taken in September 1966 on my last outing with a camera (except for a foul day a month later at Nine Elms when the weather was awful and the locos obscenely filthy). This, by contrast, was a fine autumnal day at a place I had never visited before - the ex-Midland Railway/LMS yards at Hunslet, located between Holbeck and Stourton. Within days I was off to uni where I discovered wine, women and song, but not a railway society (there must surely have been one)? Here's a map showing the location:

An extract from the 1966 1" map of south Leeds with Holbeck shed 55A in the top LH corner and Stourton 55B in the lower RH corner. The two stations, Leeds City and Leeds Central, were just above the top left corner. The yards at Hunslet can be seen just right of centre. Source: Ordnance Survey.

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If you're hungry for a more detailed view, go to:

- Useful Links
- Others

and you'll find the 25" map for Hunslet in colossal detail. :)

Black 5 No 45080, allocated to Farnley on the west side of Leeds, is arriving in the Down yard with a short Class 9 "Pick up" goods. Behind the tender, with three more further back, is a container on its flat wagon, precursor of today's giant-sized containers. In between is a bogie bolster wagon with a load of steel. Only one open wagon can be seen and it's a steel bodied one. Photo: Author.

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The Black 5 runs on n a northerly direction. In the distance is a glimpse of the large yards that used to lie here, with many open wagons that were gradually disappearing from the scene. Photo: Author.

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Next to arrive was 8F No 48276, one of 56D Mirfield's allocation, with a Class 8 train, a code normally applied to an express freight with minimal brake force, in this case what appears to be a breakdown train. Behind the tender is the support coach, an ex-LMS Period I type.The train may have worked out with the loco at the head and run round for the return. A shunter is walking up, pole in hand, to uncouple the loco and release it. Photo: Author.

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A classic sight from the '60s as 55B Stourton diesel shunter (later Class 08) No D3454 tows wagon along the Up loop. Leading is a BR Standard goods brake van (Dia.1/506 with roller bearings), No.B953645. Next is a "Presflo" bulk cement wagon labelled "The Rugby Portland Cement Co. Ltd". I suspect that I may have been standing on the Down main line to take this picture. Photo: Author.

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A wider view from under the Balm Road skew bridge of 48276 and the Down yard. One of the lamps on the 8F has been removed to signify a light engine when it gets uncoupled. meanwhile it's time for a chat....

The complex was built by the Midland Railway and was quite large with yards on both sides of the running lines between Leeds City-St. Pancras. Most of the Down yard remains today, called, (I believe) Hunslet Down Goods or Balm Road Sidings. Most of the Up yard was removed and, eventually, a modern traction depot was placed there (in the misty part of this picture).

In the far distance on the right, a large works was owned by Clayton & Sons who assembled pipes and boilers and that still stands today. In other words, much of this scene is like it used to be, but with modern rolling stock. Photo: Author.

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Another "Black Five", No 45219 of 55D Royston, is seen running tender first on the Up loop with a Class 8 express freight with minimal braking, covered vans at the head. This was a relatively old part of Leeds that was to be redeveloped considerably and, in the background, demolition was already taking place. Photo: Author.

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Black 5 No 45219 pulls away under the skew bridge with more of the yards visible on the Up side. Photo: Author.

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8F No 48276 is released from what appears to have been a breakdown crane train and backs away on the Down loop. There's no shed plate but 56D has been painted on for Mirfield, where it had been for some years. An example, methinks, of theft by spotters from locos still in service (I came across one of this ilk recently who thought that his actions somehow deserved praise).

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The 8F has been turned onto the Up main line (between Leeds City-Derby-St.Pancras) and is passing under the Balm Road bridge towards Stourton. After working a non-timetabled train it may have been returning Light Engine to its home shed of Mirfield on the far side of Wakefield.

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A short while later, Back 5 No 45219 was released from the train it had delivered and was sent out on the Down main line. It had been allocated to Royston (55D) but the shed plate is unclear and a letter "A" has been painted below as if to signify re-allocation to Holbeck (55A), where it is heading, about half a mile away. Note how the safety valves are blowing off and while the engine is quite mucky, there is no leaking steam; it looks to be in good condition. The fire is clean too. The final years of steam in Yorkshire didn't reach the depths that was later to be seen in Lancashire.

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A BR Type 2 No D5253 (later Class 25) passes on the Up goods loop with a short goods train of a dozen wagons. The front doors had already been removed and the middle cab window enlarged. In plain green livery, I believe that it was a Nottingham loco at the time. The code being shown ".P39" is unknown to me, although I suspect a short-distance trip working. Two of the mineral wagons are carrying steel scrap.

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My final shot of the day was of a Down parcels train, with apologies for the motion blur on the loco, another Type 2, No D7575 which had been allocated to 14B (Cricklewood West). This one has the front doors still in place and a small middle cab window. Green livery includes a low white line (or was it pale green?).

The headcode "3N12" was for a Midland working which I can identify partly as 3=parcels and N=destination the North Eastern Region.

What can be seen of the formation is typical of parcels practice at the time with pre-Nationalisation stock still in service interspersed with vanfits:

BG	BR Mk.1
PMV	Ex-SR or BR(SR)
B	Ex-LMS	Stove R
Vanfit
... remainder unclear...

The fifth vehicle could be an ex-WR long-wheelbase Fruit D, many of which were transferred to parcels traffic but there's not a lot to go on!

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To be continued...

The colour pictures are here.