The Triangle at Norton-on Tees

[Darwin4975]

Norton East Signal box remained as built from 1870 until 1959. The first picture shows it as it was in May 1959 with the frame mechanism at the front, adjacent to the down main line. The stove was at the back as can be seen from the position of the brick chimney. The second picture shows the lever frame in its original position. The left bell connected with Norton Station, the right one with Norton South and a third bell (extreme right and out of view) connected with Norton West. All three bells made quite different sounds as may be expected. The lever identities were given on brass plates which were kept highly polished. Points levers were painted black and signal levers were red (home & starter) or yellow (distants).

In the autumn of 1959 a radical internal reorganisation resulted in the frame being moved to the back of the box. (The stove had to be repositioned for this to be possible and a new chimney fitted.) The view of Q6 No 63398 was taken in June 1960 when the changes were still quite new.

The conditions in Norton East even after the reorganisation remained primitive, with lighting by oil lamps, heat from a coal fired stove and water from a churn delivered regularly from Norton Station half a mile away. Coal was offloaded from locomotives, despatched when needed. The last picture shows the signalman receiving a churn of drinking water which has been brought by a Q6 heading engine & van for West Aukland and entering the northern limb of the Norton triangle.

Norton East became an unmanned box when the northern limb of the triangle was taken out of regular use sometime in the 1980s. If anyone has any further information on this, please add a comment.

[Darwin4975]

0-6-0s and 0-8-0s were the staple freight locomotives around these parts.
No 63343 brings another load of coal from the west Durham pits off 'the branch' at Norton East in April 1961. It is leaving the West - East section, the northern limb of the triangle. Meanwhile, a few weeks later, West Aukland J39 No 64848 enters the same section with coal empties. The signal to the right of the smokebox is Norton East's starter signal on the main line.

[thesignalman]

Yes much appreciate the photos Darwin.

Also interesting that the structure of East box (and North I think) was orientated with its roof ridge at right-angles to the track instead of parallel with it : Reminiscent of the boxes at Newark Crossing and of (half of) Holloway North Up

The unusual design is probably because the two at Norton are very early structures and are possibly the two oldest boxes surviving on Network Rail. I expect the original West box was the same.

John

[Darwin4975]

That's an interesting point -there will likely have been a signal box at Norton West like those at East and South, with the roof ridge at right angles to the track though I have never seen any photograph to confirm this suggestion. Exactly when/why the present (replacement?) box was built I do not know but it was certainly well established there in the 1950s.

The west and eastern limbs of the triangle passed under a main road (Junction Road) which ran parallel to the northern limb (shown in the last two pictures).

Here are two scenes taken from the road bridges. The A1 (60127) is heading a diverted ECML Sunday working towards Norton West and onwards to Ferryhill via Sedgefield in 1955. The whitewashed cottage on the right was once the booking office for the original Norton Station and the building behind the parked coaches was the station master's house -long since private residences.

The B1 (61062) is bringing freight from Tees Yard along the main line between Norton South (visible in the distance) and Norton East, in August 1960. The Norton South down starter signal visible in the foreground was almost new at this time having replaced the original NER lower quadrant twin arm signal a few months earlier. The old NER signal can be seen in the picture of 61458, on the other side of the distant stone road bridge.

[Fantasma]

One of the Britain from Above images features a 1949 aerial view of this area and includes the lines onto Billingham. Access using the link http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/imag ... ent-659407. You will need to register (free) to activate full functionality which will allow you to zoom in and read or submit comments. Enjoy!

[Darwin4975]

Here are some more scenes from the triangle.

63416 is bringing coal off the northern limb at Norton East.

61423 is passing Norton South signal box with the braked drikold train featured earlier.

63474 (recently ex-works) heads for Tyneside past Norton West with freight from Tees Yard.

60115 is on a Royal Train working between Norton South and Norton East.

[twa_dogs]

out of interest.... what was the date of that royal train and any further details of the itinerary?

[Darwin4975]

The date was 27th May 1960. I think the occasion was the launching of a ship possibly on the Wear but I have no idea who the royal passenger(s) may have been. After the Royal train had passed, A4 60032 followed it light engine tender first in equally immaculate condition. The royal working seems not to have been a 'there and back' as No 60032, carrying normal passenger lamps (devoid of Royal personage?) brought the coaches back a couple of hours later. Perhaps the royal party returned south via the ECML.
I had been tipped off about these special trains by one of my signalman friends, Les Jeffrey who worked Norton South box and skipped school that morning to record the event.)

[Darwin4975]

The northern limb of the triangle (of which I had a great view from my bedroom window as a teenager) was of special interest as it formed part of the original Clarence Railway of 1833 -a really historic stretch of line.

In post war days a magnesite train carried processed limestone from the quarries at Thrislington and Coxhoe to the Steetley magnesite works on the coast at Hartlepool. There were one or two such trains every day including Sundays, and all Bank Holidays except Xmas Day (plus the return empties workings).

In the 1950s the magnesite was carried in three-ton capacity containers shackled to to Conflats, as seen immediately behind the Q6 in this picture. The containers were filled and emptied by gravity unlike the more modern covered hopper wagons in the remainder of the train which used an efficient forced air discharge and carried an impressive 23 ton payload. During the 60s the use of containers was discontinued and the trains were made up entirely of Covhop vehicles.

Up to the early 1960s the motive power was invariably a West Hartlepool Q6 but by the mid 60s WDs and K1s were increasingly seen on these trains (also from 51C).

[Sedgefield]

Fantastic photos Darwin.

Living in Sedgefield and my father co-owning "Scurrs of Stillington" my earliest railway memories in 1960 when I became an enthusiast at 8, were of sitting watching trains pass through Stillington from his office wall on the four track section between Redmarshall and Stillington North. Your photos are bringing back memories of engines that used to pass that way.
Here are two box brownie shots me and my mate took of that same Steetley train at Ferryhill yard in 1967 this time behind a K1 and at Sedgefield in November 1966. You wouldn't believe now that there were loops at Sedgefield.

Fantastic photos Darwin.

[Darwin4975]

A few more final scenes from the triangle.

60018 brings a diverted southbound ECML train towards Norton South on a very wet, cold February Sunday in 1960.

62001 is in charge of an engineers' train on the West - East section in 1958 (the 'backline' as it was known locally). 'X' marks the house I lived in from 1957-63 with my bedroom providing a panoramic view.

63426 brings freight to Tees Yard beneath the road bridge between Norton East and Norton South in 1962.
(A corresponding bridge took the same road over the South - West section, from which the picture of 60127 was taken).

64821 reaches the top of the long straight of Stockton bank on the approach to Norton South with a short train of tank wagons in August 1960. It is about to meet the southern tip of the triangle and has the road set for the main line towards Norton East.

[seacoaler]

Great photos , keep them coming Hope they keep the Triangle as a lot of steam specials turn there.

[Darwin4975]

I won't be adding anything more to this thread as I have no more information to give. Photos yes, but they are largely similar to those already seen. I intend posting a new thread which shows my photos of ex-LNER locos during BR days (in all areas). This would include more triangle pictures mixed in with others.

[Sedgefield]

Steam back at Norton South. 61994 and 62005 on the "Wensleydale and Durham Coast".