North Eastern snowplough allocations

[Bryan]

I have been going through what records I can find about allocation details for the NER Snowploughs putting these together with K Hooles details and photos or sightings I think I have an idea of individual allocation details, could somebody check through and see if my suppositions are possible.
Thanks

Note 12 new steel bodied ploughs introduced 1957 / 58 built at Gorton on tender frames from J11 engines these replaced 10 of the 13 remaining timber ploughs with the exception of ploughs 17, 18 and 20. Number 17 was eventually withdrawn in 1962.
The remaining ploughs 18, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 remained in service until at least March 1973 in the case of the Timber ploughs 18 + 20
The precise withdrawal date of 20 - 24 has not been found yet.


NORTH EASTERN SNOWPLOUGH INDIVIDUAL ALLOCATION DETAIL.

1895
Alnmouth 9
Alston 4
Darlington 2 6
Gateshead 1 3
Percy Main 11 12
Rosedale 7 8
Tweedmouth 10
Waskerley 5

1901 - 2
Alnmouth 9 13 (1902)
Alston 4
Darlington 2 6 15 16
Gateshead 1 3
Heaton 13 (1901)
Percy Main 11 12
Rosedale 7 8
Tweedmouth 10
Waskerley 5 14


1935
Alnmouth 9 13
Alston 4
Annfield Plain 1 3
Blyth 11 12
Darlington 2 6 15 16
Gateshead 21 22
Kirby Stephen 23 24
Shildon 18 20
Sth Gosforth 17
Tweedmouth 10 19
Waskerley 5 14


1967 Darlington 900572 (18) 900574 (20)
Holbeck 900575 (21) 900576 (22)
Mirfield /H Mills 900577 (23) 900578 (24)
Tyne yard 981 982 983 984
Gateshead 985 986 987 988
Thornaby 989 990
York 991 992

I am still working on 1940s onwards.

[twa_dogs]

Bryan, any further news on the allocations? I'm looking for what was on Darlington's books for approximately 1950-1962 and subsequently any drawings that might come to light with a p4 model in mind. Two std 2s or two j21s and a pair of ploughs anyone?

[1H was 2E]

Can't help except to point you in the right direction; in BR days, the appropriate Sectional Appendix listed snow plough allocation by running number. These were updated by the issue of appendices. Sadly, don't have any NE ones. They are often to be found in steam railway secondhand bookshops, along with WTTs - often not sought after and in a dusty corner.

[ArthurK]

Ken Hoole wrote a booklet listing the NER/LNER ploughs. There was a drawing of all the variants. I have a copy somewhere but my filing system is chaotic. I will attempt to find it.

ArthurK

[Bryan]

Most of the info I have listed has come from Ken Hoole's book on the NER Ploughs plus a few other sources.
Nothing new has come to light yet.

[Dixie]

I have a copy of the Hoole/Mallon snowplough book and can confirm the 1935 and 1967 allocations. The bookley does give a schedule of allocations by quantity(but not number) for1912/31/2/5/36-9, 1947/54/60and 1967.

My copy of the booklet had been annoted by me at some time to sat:

-Nos 9 and 13 to Tweedmouth 12.1.48
-No 9 to Simonside for scrapping Aug 1957
-No 13 to Alston 29.10.52
-Nos 982/3 to Tweedmouth(new) July 1957 and to Low Fell July 1966 when the shed closed

This indicates a gap when Tweedmouth would appear to have had only one plough - this would be unlikely but I cannot find a replacement vehicle.

The booklet also contains allocations for 1912/31/32/35/36-9/47/54/60/67. Unfortunately it merely gives quantities and not numbers.

I hope this helps.

Dixie

[twa_dogs]

Ta all for having a look. I've possibly a sectional appendix tucked away, so will see if there's a reference in that.

[Bryan]

-Nos 982/3 to Tweedmouth(new) July 1957 and to Low Fell July 1966 when the shed closed

This indicates a gap when Tweedmouth would appear to have had only one plough - this would be unlikely but I cannot find a replacement vehicle.

Not too unlikely as Alston only ever had a single plough allocated.
However it was the norm for 2 ploughs to be allocated especially at main sheds.

[StevieG]

Can't add any personal knowledge on this topic, but have dug out the 1960 Appendices to see what's in 'em :

On the "Independent Ploughs", they state the following :

Northern Section (p.221)

"SNOW CLEARANCE ARRANGEMENTS

Referring to page 111 of the General Appendix, the following is a list of the equipment available in the North Eastern Region.

(a) Allocation

No. of ploughs ....... Located at

2 ........................ Blackhill
2 ........................ Darlington
4 ........................ Gateshead (Greensfield)
1 ........................ Percy Main
2 ........................ Tweedmouth
2 ........................ West Auckland "



Southern Section (p.243) [I also have the No.1 Supplement dated 7th April 1962, but it contains no changes to the following details.]

"SNOW CLEARANCE ARRANGEMENTS

Referring to page 111 of the General Appendix, the following is a list of the equipment available in the North Eastern Region.

(a) Allocation

No. of ploughs ....... Located at

2 ........................ York
2 ........................ Leeds (Holbeck) "


Both books hold some further snow equipment details and instructions, including other ploughs and their locations : e.g. Of "Locomotive Ploughs" (in Southern Section book only: Apparently when fitted in place, locos "cannot not be used for ordinary traffic working and will be held at the Motive Power Depot, immediately available for snow ploughing duties as required."),
and of "Buffer Beam Ploughs" (both books: Ploughs "When fitted, do not interfere with the normal working of locomotives. .... ")

[Bryan]

I have not found any mention of actual allocations in the SA's post 1930s.
However I did see one mention in an SA of, I think, 1933 or 35 that stated "For Allocation detail See Sectional Portions"

I have never seen this phrase used anywhere else.
Has anybody else seen these Sectional Portions and even better has anyone actually got a copy?

[52D]

I query the transfer of ploughs to Low Fell after Tweedmouth closed. I can definitely remember them post 1966 parked in the yard.
The allocation of two ploughs to Tweedmouth was possibly to cover the Berwickshire Railway and Kelso St Boswells as well as the main line. I expect Alnmouths two would cover the Amble branch and Alnwick Cornhill as well as the main line.

[52H]

Hi all
When I worked at Stella Gill in the 50s ,I remember snow ploughs in the sidings at South Pelaw to cover the Consett branch.
52H

[Bryan]

Don't forget that Ken Hoole's booklet and my studies were on the Ex NER Snowploughs.
I have extended mine slightly to include some of the first BR build of 12 in about 1957.
But I and Ken have not included anything on what became the BR Standard Snowplough.
These would have been allocated around to the same or new locations as withdrawals of the older ploughs progressed.

[StevieG]

Am I right in my impression, from some sort of reading or film a long time ago, that,that if two ploughs were available, they were sometimes worked 'fore and aft' of the same loco(/s) when particularly deep or difficult drifts were to be tackled, presumably to do a better job by ploughing back the other way if a lot of snow fell back behind the outward run? : And/or if it was so bad that the outward run got stuck, to increase the chances of the ploughing train being able to extricate itself back the other way without needing to be dug out? - Or am I completely barking up the wrong tree with this?

[Bryan]

No Quite correct.
However it was common practice to use 2 locos both coupled Tender - Tender.
This did not get rid of the risk of the Plough train getting stuck it just made it easier to get itself out.
The problem was that when the ploughs went through the snow was forced up and out. However once the plough had passed the snow settled back down to the cleared width and also intruded into the cleared width.
This was remedied to some extent in the BR builds of snowploughs by adding fold out wings on to the plough slopes increasing the cleared width. These are only of the order of about 9 inch per side but it eased the situation.