The LNER Encyclopedia

A colleague brought this photo into work the other day, thinking that I might be able to add to the information she already has. It came from the home of a late relative who had been a travelling ticket inspector, based on Tyneside, and this photo was in quite a prominent place in the home. There is the following information on a typed piece of paper on the back of the frame (I've adjusted a couple of minor typo mistakes):

From William Smailes Engine Driver
This was the last trip I made on this st[r]eamliner
Sir Ronald Mat[t]hews 60001 from Newcastle to
Edinburgh then Retired in 1966.

Now 60001 was withdrawn in October 1964 I believe, so I think we have to accept that there is a problem with the date here - but, although the print is none too sharp, I think the loco is 60001 which was based at Gateshead.

We'd be very interested if anyone could say where the photograph was taken (i.e. is it somewhere between Newcastle and Edinburgh?) and even, if possible, when.

In terms of the location, I'm hoping that the colour light signals may be sufficiently distinctive to provide a clue to someone who is/was familiar with the station; also the lineside area visible beyond the front of the locomotive appears to be quite rural.

The locomotive is also extremely well cleaned, and perhaps it may either not be long out of works or have been recently used on (or kept as a reserve for) a special working. From a previous thread I'm aware that 60001 was released to traffic on 5th October 1961 following a general repair and, no doubt, a repaint. Was it repainted again before withdrawal three years later?

We don't know whether the man in the picture is William Smailes himself - apparently he was not a relative.

All advice will be very gratefully received.

It is a strange location. The loco also seems to be facing the down direction on the up side it looks like Alnmouth but with the loco facing north on the southbound line theres not much to go on so i will leave the real detective work to 52A whose route knowledge should id it.

William Smailes was indeed a Gateshead Driver. There is a possibility that he ended his days on other than main line work so the dates could add up. The only stations with platforms on that side are Berwick and Dunbar. Look at the shadow on the platform, the loco if at Berwick is facing NNE, if at Dunbar WNW. I would go for Berwick, the signals also match the pattern at Berwick.

I had considered Berwick and Dunbar myself with the Island layout but came back to Alnmouth because of the signal position. Its a pity there isnt more scenery to confirm the location or a signal number in view.

In the up direction at Dunbar and Berwick there would be buildings in the background and the direction of the sun would be a little strange. if it was Alnmouth platform and the train was going single line for some reason there wouldn't be any signals, not facing in that direction anyway! I think I will go for an early summer morning at Berwick. The colour light signalling was introduced in December 1961.

If shes at Berwick she must have coaled over the bridge because her tender is pretty full.What made me think Alnmouth was the first signal behind the loco would be the down starter with route indicator for the Alnwick branch and the other would be the branch starter on the other side of platform 2 also with a route indicator. Memory plays funny tricks ive just ckecked the position of the two signals and the mainline down starter was a lot further forward from the branch starter

I'm almost certain it isn't Berwick - the route indicator on top of the signal isn't right (although there was a left pointing feather for a crossover giving access to the down goods loop from the down platform line) and there was no signal to the left on the down goods loop. From memory any intermediate signalling on the down loop(s) was by means of ground signals. Also the amount of vegetation in the distance doesn't seem right for that era (although things are probably different now!) and I think there should be more sidings in the background. As regards Dunbar, while that is certainly only a single platform now, does that not just date from resignalling/electrification?

Bill

And of course Dunbar was still semaphore signalled in the 1960s, so that rules it out anyway.

Bill

60001 has obviously had some attention from the cleaning gang. She was specially bulled up by the Gateshead cleaners in the early months of 1963 as I had a photo of her in the shed yard at 52A. She was also given special attention to work a special 1F50 to Edinburgh for a rugby international match at Murrayfield on 21/3/64. By this time Gateshead only had two A4s and she appeared on this train and its return working as the result of a special request by Newcastle enthusiasts. The location is a bit of a mystery. At first I would have plumped for Berwick, but there are one or two things in the photograph that perhaps don't quite add up.

Stembok where did the Rugby special terminate. Was there a local station to Murrayfield or did it terminate at Waverley.
Another thought i had was Manors or Heaton but both are in fairly urban areas.
Bearing in mind a full tender would be the start of a journey if stembok has the loco bulled up for a special it has to be in the Newcastle or Edinburgh areas. Could it be on a station on the Edinburgh Sub?

52D: I suppose that's always assuming that the photograph was indeed taken at the time we are referring to. As far as I know the Rugby special on 21/3/64 went to Waverley. It was also, if memory serves me right, worked by a Scottish crew ( St. Margarets) on the return trip. The scene in the photo would not, I think, match with Haymarket, or indeed Heaton, with the station there in a brick lined cutting. As for other alternatives, Ferryhill briefly cossed my mind ,but would still have been semaphore signalled at that time, as indeed would many other locations.

Many thanks everyone for your help so far with this. My colleague is herself a railwayman's daughter - her father worked with the man to whom the photograph belonged. We looked through the responses this morning; she's most impressed, and pleased to read that 52A has heard of, or maybe even knew, William Smailes.

I am absolutely sure that this is not Berwick. At the time this photo was taken the terrace of railway houses was still standing north west of the station, and the north yard sidings were still used, so there would not have been the foliage visible in the picture. Like 52D, I considered Alnmouth but even there the foliage could be wrong as it is where the Alnwick line would have been, although there is a line visible which could be the branch. If it is Alnmouth, there is still the mystery of why it is facing north on the up line.

61070, sorry I can't help with the location - long, long way from my old neck o' the woods, but in the original post re-reading the quote from the back of the photo . . .

"From William Smailes Engine Driver
This was the last trip I made on this st[r]eamliner
Sir Ronald Mat[t]hews 60001 from Newcastle to
Edinburgh then Retired in 1966."

. . . it could well be that the "Retired in 1966" applies to the recipient of the photograph (the first line says FROM William Smailes Engine Driver), and not 60001. Whether this helps in any way, I don't know. But I hope it might.

Regarding the position of the shadow on the platform, it's at quite a low angle which might indicate a morning train in mid-March (if it was indeed the suggested northbound rugby special on the morning of the game.) But then, wouldn't the sun be rising more from a SE or ESE direction at that time of year? If the line is actually in a north/south orientation at that location, the shadow in the photo would seem to indicate the sun rising from a NE or ENE position, unlikely I'd think.

Where's Patrick Moore when you need him.

I think its time to call in Tommy Knox and try to work round his records to see exactly where we are.