The LNER Encyclopedia

I was browsing railway photo sites this afternoon, and came across these two photos taken at Helpston (between Peterborough and Essendine), when the MR route from Stamford runs parallel to the ECML.

http://www.dflitcroft.co.uk/The%20Railw ... large.html

http://www.dflitcroft.co.uk/The%20Railw ... large.html

These are interesting because they dont seem to have a definitive headcode, except 8E, and are loaded trains heading towards Peterborough from the Stamford direction.

I wonder where the destination was? The only suggestion that I can make is Corby, but those trains would normally go via the Midland route via Manton Junc., and I am not sure it would be accessible from Peterborough.

I know this is almost O/T for the group, but does anyone know of a destination for iron ore to the south of Peterborough that I cannot think of?

Diversion maybe?

Was there any steel production around the Thames estuary / Medway / Sheppey area?

Is it definative that the load is Iron Ore and not waste material from the Ore workings?

Well you might be right, but it certainly looks like iron ore to me. Especially in the second photo; it is orange/brown and is piled high in the wagons, just as the Frodingham bound ore was when it passed our house in the 1960s.

The other interesting thing is the locos are ER ones, not Sulzer Type 2s or Peaks which one might expect if they were just diverted LMR Corby services.

I wonder if there may have been some form of industrial dispute, and the ore was taking a roundabout route in order to avoid picketing? But that is just a wild guess. When I have time, I might browse through 1965 magazines and see if I can discover any clues.

There were iron ore branches off the Midland in the Melton Mowbray area. Not sure if they were opertional in the early 60s. But could be from there. Peterborough and run round for the trip to Frodingham. Although I would have expected two brake vans.

But good photos and worth showing

Iron ore from the Midland would have been worked via Nottingham, Newark and Lincoln. There seems to be no obvious reason to send it via Peterborough.

Although if the train was taking that route, it would have no need to reverse at Peterborough as it could have gone via East station, March, Spalding and Boston.

My next wild theory is that it might be for a short term export contract, although I dont know if somewhere such as Felixstowe was able to handle bulk minerals, or that UK iron ore was used on the continent, even temporarily.

Pilton - Whitemoor trips with ore for Frodingham

Thanks Andy.

Were they a regular working in those years?

It seems a very strange route to take, as I am sure the Peterborough - Market Harborough line was still open for goods traffic in those days, and would be a much more direct route to March.

Or are we witnessing the reality of BR diverting traffic away from lines they wished to close at the earliest opportunity?

strang steel wrote:Thanks Andy.

Were they a regular working in those years?

It seems a very strange route to take, as I am sure the Peterborough - Market Harborough line was still open for goods traffic in those days, and would be a much more direct route to March.

Or are we witnessing the reality of BR diverting traffic away from lines they wished to close at the earliest opportunity?

No conspiracy theory here! Pilton was on the ex MR line between Manton Junction and Luffenham and March men worked the trips until the quarry closed in 1969. Sometimes, as on the day of the photographs, two trips were run with all the empties going in on the first trip and an engine and brake going at the speed of light to bring the second load out. It was much more comfortable to ride on the engine rather than the brake....

The last trips from Whitemoor over the ex LNW line to Naylor Benzon at Kingscliffe ceased in January 1971, also with the closure of the quarry. The reduction in the iron ore traffic to Frodingham via Whitemoor was one of the contributory factors to the closure of the East Lincs line in October 1970

Aha!

Sorry, my mistake. I was thinking of a different Pilton (in Northants).

An 'excellent' photographic collection indeed thats when railway were still RAILWAYS!.

I like the pictures of the Brush type 2 (class 31) and the Birmingham Sulzer (class 25) with the grey ballast brake van behind the loco.

Maxey crossing?. I have a vague memory of being a passenger on a up express and being stopped at this crossing back in the early 1970s which i think was pretty unusual?.