A view of Stillington North Junction and signal box, including a goods train being hauled by steam locomotive, WD 2-8-0, No. 90445. c 1960Tracks included in a view of a steam hauled goods train at Stillington North Junction. c 1960 A 20 mph speed restriction indicator, included in a view of a steam hauled goods train at Stillington North Junction. c 1960A view of Stillington North Junction and signal box, including a goods train being hauled by steam locomotive, WD 2-8-0, No. 90445. c 1960 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
Regarding the John Boyes collection. This is now in the care of the JW Armstrong Trust with the images kept at the Darlington North Road Museum.
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Ken Duckers was the model maker for Furness Shipyard. I have been to his house and have seen the models he has built. The main one being the ‘Ark Royal’ in which his brother in law, who is my cousin, (Lol Irwin, now deceased) served on. He still does restoration work which includes work for museums. He was also a keen cyclist and a member of the Stockton Wheelers.
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I too remember meeting John Boyes as a sometime visitor to the model club which once existed at the Kiora Hall Community centre at Roseworth. He was, as I remember it, a close friend of the man who ran the club Ken Duckers. He was as passionate about hand building model locomotives as Ken was about hand building model ships. It may have been John who arranged the club’s visit to the Thornaby marshalling facility where marvelled at our first sight of ‘computer’ control, all based on mechanical relay switches!
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I remember John Boyes as an avid railway modeller and photographer in the early sixties. I remember he could make a lecture on the marshalling yards at Thornaby, a thrilling experience. There must be an amazing archive of his work somewhere, I hope it’s not lost to us!
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Judi Atkinson: Have you tried the National Railway Museum,York. They have a section dealing with queries such as yours, by telephone or e mail and may be able to help. Also Mr. P. Atkins, the former librarian at the NRM has done a lot of work on the subject in which you are interested, locos built in Britain and employed overseas.
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Does anyone out there know anything about Austerity standard gauge Steam Locos that went to Tunisia in 1945/46!!!! I would like to hear from anyone who has genuine information about these loco”s – numbers, their present wherebouts – pics etc -I understand that 4 went out there ? Any information of genuine content will be much appreciated -Thankyou
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….Do you remember B1 61275 on the evening fish train south? The “Breakie” – out of “C” Yard 16:30 hrs – Driver George Edward Clarke “natching-up” – she slowed a little climbing Picton Bank but on the flat from Northallerton she almost took-off. Dringhouses Yard and home for 20:30 hrs.
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Alex Craig: Great post, very interesting from someone who obviously experienced it from the sharp end. Hope you might share further experiences of what life was like in steam days, as that is what the site is really all about. I still remember passing “Aussies” on the slow lines on the Northallerton – York stretch, barrelling along at 20-30 m.p.h and looking very uncomfortable for the crew. Do you remember B1 61275 on the evening fish train south?
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I fired these monsters working from Hartlepool Motive Power Dept and running to York- Dringhouses/Skelton and Wensley/Layburn and Thrislington. Now of course retired but I perhaps would have liked to try again reaching the front of the long fire-box/tubesheet (but please – not No.90092 – she was a really bad steamer that-un)!
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To see a WD (Austerity)locomotive clean like this was a rare occurrence indeed and probably due only to its appearance on this special working. Usually they were in an appallingly filthy state, one consequence of the difficulties the railways had in recruiting labour post-war. Built cheaply and quickly as wartime stop-gap locomotives by the Ministry of Supply to meet a need for a heavy freight engine both here and overseas, more than 700 were taken post- war into railway stock. They were a very common sight around Teesside on coal, mineral and steel trains and even when not seen could often be identified by the sonorous clanking of their motion as they coasted down Stockton bank. Despite their originally projected short lives some survived to the end of steam in this area (9/67). They were strong and reliable, requiring only basic maintenance and it showed! A friend”s father often drove “Aussies” and complained that their rough riding antics were to blame for his frequent stomach upsets!
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The engine is a WD 2-8-0 No.90445 specially cleaned up for operating the train. This was organised by the Teesside branch of the Stephenson Locomotive Society by Peter Semmens and John Malcolm Boyes. (Sadly John pssed away in December 2006).The date being 15/5/1965. The train is made up of six goods brake vans and started at West Hartlepool and toured the lines along the east coast as far as Sunderland and Tyne Dock. Then it travelled inland back to West Hartlepool via Washington, Ferryhill, Stillington, Billingham and the Seaton Snook branch. What a tour! Wonderful day out and not a hint of the Health and Safety police who would veto such a venture today. Stillington North Box controlled the junction to Shildon , the course of the 1833 Clarence Railway,and the lines from Ferryhill and from Redmarshall. It had glazing all round as well as two lever frames. Whem I visited there in 1963 the signalman talked to me about Oak Apples oddly.
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