Bullion Train

[tomdhall]

From my office adjacent to Gateshead East & West stations you could see the bullion trains heading east to Follingsby Freightliner terminal. Half an hour, or so, later you heard the sirens and a convoy of artics separated by police cars headed north over the Tyne Bridge. Apparently the containers were carrying old bank notes for destruction at the Newcastle branch of the Bank of England.

[sandwhich]

Come to think of it, I do remember a bullion van being attached or detached to a passenger train at Kings Cross during the 1960s, it was shunted to and from the milk dock by the shunt pilot. The pilot was not coupled onto it until loading was complete and when the van was placed into the milk dock it was very quickly uncoupled and the engine moved away. Needless to say that security was tight.