The LNER Encyclopedia

Have a look at this film. Can any body identify the locations? The foundry could be Gateshead works but what about the casting of concrete sleapers? This can't be Low Fell engineers yard can it?
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=38512

Using wartime licence the film narrator may have used Tyneside as a general description for Northumberland to confuse the enemy.
I thought it might be two different locations with the concrete being produced at Littlehoughton by Trollope and Colls. The name Mrs Dawson fits in as people in the nearby village of Craster are either Dawsons or Robsons. There are a lot of Dawsons in North Northumberland. Another point the steam crane in the first shot looks like one used by Trollop and Colls.
Littlehoughton or the pipeworks as its known locally is situated on the ECML between Alnmouth & Littlemill served by a ground frame to unlock the loading bay.

The concrete works could be at the former shed Borough Gardens, the last frame of the film looks like Clarke Chapmans works in the background, Clarkies was behind the sheds.

Didnt the LNER have a central concrete works at Melton Constable on the M&GNJR. I can also remember seeing single rail concrete sleepers on the fuel sidings before Alnwick East cabin these ISTR were stamped NER i wonder if they were produced at same location as per the film.

How many concrete works were there on the LNER and if anyone knows how about nationally?

I can add York for LNER / BR and Exmouth Jcn for Southern

To add to the mix, here is an image from my collection showing women making concrete sleepers at Lowestoft (?) in 1942.

Malcolm

Does the PO Wagon (Malcolms pic above)have Ansley Hall on its side? If so can any one enlighten me further about the owner (Colliery?).

52D - Ansley Hall was near Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Needless to say they don't mine coal there anymore.

Try:

http://www.webspinners.org.uk/weddingto ... age_39.htm
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... mpid=42644
http://www.search.windowsonwarwickshire ... ?theme=623

Bryan wrote:How many concrete works were there on the LNER and if anyone knows how about nationally?

I can add York for LNER / BR and Exmouth Jcn for Southern

Most of the lineside fencing in my area including my some of my garden fence is made with concrete posts marked "Ebor Concrete Works" this presumably being in or near York. If the LNER had a concrete plant on Tyneside as the film suggests, why bring posts 100+ miles when Newcastle is only 30 miles down the line?

As far as I know York works produced smaller items in concrete.
Drainage catch pit sections possibly being the largest item.
If you look at the York site everything was set up for barrowing straight into a wagon off the dock walls, not really suitable for crane work unless a road crane was in use.
From the film sleepers were in production at Newcastle these will require different handling techniques probably craneage as evident by the crane in the background.

I have, lurking in my collection somewhere, an LNER concrete articles catalogue. There are drawings for just about anything concrete including one very similar to the sleeper blocks in the movie..

Drawing SC19, block, engine pit, for L1 chair, for use in London area only, cost 2/6 in January 1947.

R. pike wrote:I have, lurking in my collection somewhere, an LNER concrete articles catalogue. There are drawings for just about anything concrete including one very similar to the sleeper blocks in the movie..

In the Scottish Record Office there is a Southern Railway Concrete article catalogue that was obviously owned and used by someone in the LNER Engineers department.

It is a fantastic document with rather splendid drawings for pway huts, fence posts, gate posts, bicycle stands and even a concrete colour light signal. There are no concrete semaphores in there though which a shame. There is one concrete item that features in both the LNER 1947 catalogue and the current unipart rail catalogue. Any guesses what it is?

I have a booklet from "Wild Swan" called Southern Nouveau ( An essay in Concrete) detailing all sorts of bits of concrete fixtures from cable markers to footbridge sections and platform components even an air raid shelter, all produced at Exmouth.
I would imagine that many items would be nearly identical to those produced by other railways.
Lots of on site and installation photos and drawings, a very interesting read if you like that sort of thing. You may have guessed were I stand on that comment.