Newcastle Area Steam Cranes

[PinzaC55]

I have a very vague memory (vague for the year that is) of seeing a steam rail crane in action inside Newcastle station - it was an incredible sight. But I was wondering how long did the last steam cranes survive? The first time I visited the station was 1975 so it couldn't have been any earlier than that.

[redtoon1892]

I last took a video of one at work in Greenesfield when they were lifting two of the original four tracks that pass the running sheds, that must have been about 1984.

There was a company, Armstrong Addison located on the riverside at Sunderland near the old lifeboat station, it was a supplier of safety fencing (crash barriers), they had an ancient vertical boiler railway steam crane which was still working in the 80s, I used to deal with this company and often visited the stockyard, the office was pure Edwardian, high wooden desks, pot bellied stove, sepia photos etc. When I heard they were relocating/ closing I went down to enquire about the crane and its fate with the intention of buying it should it be going for scrap, alas when I eventually got there the yard was no more, I did hear it had gone to the Tanfield railway, can anyone confirm this ?.

[PinzaC55]

Thanks for that. I kinda wondered whether my memory was playing tricks on me because when you think of it they'd have to have coal and water supplies plus guys passed to fire and maintain the cranes - it seems hard to understand why they didn't phase them out at the same time as steam locomotives. I don't know why I didn't take a photo of it , probably didn't have my camera and of course no mobile phones then!
There's a picture of Armstrong Addison's yard showing the crane on page 107 of Ian S. Carr's book "Railscenes Around Sunderland".

[52D]

Redtoon you and i must have seen the steam crane at about the same time in Central. I too was amazed at one still working years after steam had gone from the mainline.
Did they have one man operation or was a driver and fireman used.

[hq1hitchin]

Redtoon you and i must have seen the steam crane at about the same time in Central. I too was amazed at one still working years after steam had gone from the mainline.
Did they have one man operation or was a driver and fireman used.

I never worked north of P'boro in those days, I'm afraid, but we had a steam crane at Hitchin Stockyard (of blessed memory - a housing estate now) until at least 1975 to my knowledge. It often ventured out onto the main line in engineers trains and I worked with it for a week or two when P'boro was being re-modelled c 1973. One driver and no fireman as such, but Pipey had other p.way staff nearby who could help if needed. Don't think he often called for help though. Taylor Hubbard 1942, ring any bells?

[Bryan]

You might find some info here on the Brakedown crane site
http://bdca.org.uk/index.html

[Andy W]

Steam cranes seem to have faded away in the early to mid 1980's. They usually had one operator, who acted as both Driver and Fireman.

Breakdown cranes were manned by M&EE staff and it was classed as a Cat 3 (semi skilled job) and the civils used there own staff on their small cranes, usually a regular man.

The last DCE Steam Crane at Hitchin was 325, which went north in about 1982 with it's diesel companions 401 and 402, when the Plasser GP cranes arrived. I forget their CEPS numbers but 81140/1 rings bells for the diesels. 325 was renumbered 801XX. We had Plassers 81506 and 81528 for years at Hitchin, all maintained in the former loco shed (the modern two road one).

Finsbury Park latterly had a 45 ton steamer which went north before the depot shut in 1983. It is now on the GCR at Ruddington. I think is it's number was 95222.

[Andy W]

Just to complete my memories, I found my old notebook and 325 was indeed a Grafton (SRG 80118 in CEPS) and the last two older diesels were Smiths - 401/2 (DRS 81140/1). 403, which went before them and 478/9 which went after the electrification finished were Taylor Hubbards (DRT 81142-4 respectively) and had shorter jibs than the Smiths.

Steam cranes for both M&EE and DCE use seemed to have finished by the end of 1986, as far as I can make out from my notes. Strange to think the Plassers are now getting snapped up by private railways. A good piece of kit provided you don't use them as drag lines, pull long loaded ballast trains with them or, if they don't start on a cold day, trying to set fire to the air filters. Yes, I've seen what happens if you do!!