GWR locos in the North East

[52A]

GWR railcars 6 and 19 were loaned to the LNER in 1944 and were used in the Newcastle area. There is a photo of No 19 at Blackhill in Greeny 10A.

[kudu]

Hi Kudu,
Info I have on the Loco at Springhead is as follows, Unfortunatly the memory played tricks it is actually an 0.6.0 :
"a picture exists that was taken during WW2 at Springhead coaling stage that show a GWR engine in steam at the coaling stage. The engine is numbered as WD199. Little is known about this but the Railway Observer for February 1943 reports that on 8th January 1943 the engine passed southbound through Welwyn Garden City. [It was Dean Goods 0-6-0 2517, sold to the WD in 1940 (with 107 others), given pannier tanks (only 10 locos got them) and it is fitted with condensing apparatus. It was reported in Lincolnshire in 1940 hauling a rail mounted gun. By the end of 1943 it was at Canterbury West doing the same thing. After repair at Longmoor in mid-1944, it disappeared until seen at Cairnryan (in Scotland), derelict, in April 1947. It had gone by August 1947, presumed scrapped.]"

regards

Thanks, YNMR. A Dean Goods saddle tank! If it was April 1 I would have had my doubts.

Kudu

[timlewis]

and we have several pics of City of Truro in and around the Berwick area.

When? Working steam specials or light engine (or being hauled)? Just wondering, as I know it was stored in the disused engine shed at Sprouston on the Tweed Valley line during the war. I don't know the exact dates, or how it got there, but it would be interesting to find out.

[52D]

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1 ... 1279016234
Have a look at this pic and look at some of the others you will find the answers to your questions.

[Bill Bedford]

"...Nottingham Victoria was the farthest north that Great Western locomotives ventured down the Great Central, except on rare occasions.

There was a Castle that was sent to Grantham for turning on the triangle after working a a special to Nottingham. Date would be 1935/6. Any information on that incident would be appreciated.

[Mickey]

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[2512silverfox]

In 1967 I remember seeing a Castle - I think Clun Castle - light loco in the Newcastle area. I asked staff what it was doing and was told that it was undertaking clearance tests prior to working a number of enthusiasts specials.

Someone may remember exactly where and when but I do remember being told that it had fouled several platform edges.

[strang steel]

I always thought that G.W.R. locomotives i.e. Stars, Saints, Castles, kings etc etc were built to a slightly wider width then locomotives built by other railway companies in Britan so if that was the case how come G.W.R. locomotives appeared on the L.N.E.R. which they did at various times most notably during the 1925 locomotive exchanges?.

I have only just come across this thread, so please forgive the delayed reply.

For the 1925 loco exchange only Pendennis Castle came to the LNER, and then it only worked the 1010 Kings Cross to Grantham and 1507 return or the 1330 Kings Cross to Doncaster and 1821 return, so did not stray into NE territory proper.

The GN main line was built to a slightly more generous loading gauge than the NER, which is why later batches of Gresleys A1 pacifics had their cabs, chimneys and other boiler-top fittings reduced in height after the grouping.

Another fascinating snippet that I discovered whilst reading about the exchanges, was that the pacific used on the GWR (4474) and Pendennis Castle both coming to/from the LNER travelled via Grantham, Nottingham, Woodford and Banbury. I just assumed they would have gone via the North London line and the spur down to Acton.

Was there a axle weight limit, or some other restriction that precluded their movement on this route and meant they had to take such a circuitous journey?

[Mickey]

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[strang steel]

Yes I know, Micky, but I do eventually get there.

I feel like a WD on an unfitted coal train being put into every loop along the line in order for the racers to pass.

[Solario]

Another fascinating snippet that I discovered whilst reading about the exchanges, was that the pacific used on the GWR (4474) and Pendennis Castle both coming to/from the LNER travelled via Grantham, Nottingham, Woodford and Banbury. I just assumed they would have gone via the North London line and the spur down to Acton.

Was there a axle weight limit, or some other restriction that precluded their movement on this route and meant they had to take such a circuitous journey?

The North London line would have meant traveling on LMS metals, the Nottingham -Banbury route would have been a direct interchange.

[Mickey]

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[StevieG]

When i was working Camden Road s/box one Saturday afternoon about 10 years ago that ex-GWR Hall (i think it is?) the one painted all over 'brick red' that features in the Harry Potter films came up the Kings Cross incline and onto the NLL to reverse at Camden Road, it stopped just beyond the ground signal on the viaduct going around to Kentish Town West and i crossed it over an sent it back down the no.1 lines to Dalston i think it eventually ended up back at Kings Cross?.

We're off-topic here, but briefly, was it running tender-first when it left you, Micky?
If yes, that might have indicated it had come off an Up working into KX; then if run to Dalston, and back to KX via Canonbury and Harringay, it would have ended up 'turned' for a return Down working.

[Blink Bonny]

Goodwood? Grange (which should have been changed at Leicester or Nottingham!), amazingly worked through to South Yorkshire, on a scheduled service, and sustained cylinder damage in a platform edge collision at Penistone!
Cheers
Robt P.

The story I've heard that 6858 "Woolston Grange" should have been removed at Nottingham but no suitable engine was available. It was sent forward on the understanding that it would NOT work further than Sheffield Victoria. However, no suitable engine was available there either so a loco inspector persuaded the crew to work the engine. It promptly removed the platform edging slabs at Penistone, loosening the nearside cylinder in the process. The is allegedly a scrape along the wall in Thurgoland Tunnel that says "Woolston Grange woz ere!" but I personally could not find it. When the engine arrived in Huddersfield, there were ructions! Control would NOT let the engine go forward because of a real chance of it becoming physically stuck in Morley Tunnel so a Black 5 was hastily summoned from Hillhouse. The Grange's crew were by now convinced that they had a real first class engine so they refused to co-operate. When the Black 5 sat next to the Grange, her crew decided their shift was over so the station staff had to uncouple it. The engine was swiftly put on shed. However, the problems weren't over. The GWR engine had been creating 25ins of vacuum so the shunter had to "pull the strings" and the Black 5 create the vacuum from first principles. The train was over an hour late when it left Huddersfield.

The problems weren't over. It had to go home via Stalybridge and Crewe with more speed restrictions than you can shake a forest of sticks at!

For more details, and some pictures, see "Railway Memories Vol 13 Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Batley" by Robert Anderson published by Bellcode Books.

[Mickey]

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