As a youngster I remember being taken to Billingham station to see a train crash, I remember looking down on it from a bridge. It would be around 1953 or so!
Chris Hall – The bus site was a nice find. It”s funny how Billingham Bank looks so small. Not at all how I remember it as a small child. Back then it seemed so steep and wide. That site also has an excellent picture of the interior of the Metrovick factory in Stockton. re the discussion at photo t9460v2
Mr Chris Hall: An account of the freight train collision at Billingham station on 2/12/53 can also be found ref:t5286 on this site. The WD was 90048 and the V2 60891.
If you go to a website named “Buses around the world” then look in the section “The way we were the 1950″s” you will find some pictures of a rather spectacular crash between a Gresley V2, and a War Department type at Billingham station, this excellent website has also got some pictures of Billingham Bank in 1953, and pictures of the Haverton Hill floods c1952/3.
The main purpose of the Up and Down “loops” or, as they were known “independent” lines, each of which could accommodate several trains, was to effectively park goods trains to allow more important and faster trains to pass on the main lines. As you correctly say the Up independent line was also used, sometimes several times a day, to allow coal trains to “runaround”.
The picture on the right is of great interest as it shows a very busy period at the shunting loops to the west of the Billingham bypass overbridge, at the foot of Norton bank. Loops were provided at this time to allow traffic between the coast and the Belasis/Port Clarence branch to reverse. The locomotive in the foreground is an ex North-Eastern railway Q6 and has almost certainly brought a train-load of coal destined for ICI Billingham down the coast. It has pulled the train into the loop and is now running round the train. It will back up and couple on to the train on the extreme left and take it down the Belasis/Port Clarence branch. The train behind is probably a train of limestone hoppers headed for Steetley Magnesite or British Steel at Hartlepool. It may well have come from Redmire, and is pulled by a Class K1 locomotive of LNER design. Locomotives of both these types are preserved on the North Yorkshire Moors railway. In the far distance appears to be another train of coal empties in the “down” loop awaiting the road for Hartlepool and the coast. Steam haulage in the area ceased in 1967, and given the amount of traffic and the fact that it is all steam hauled would suggest a date a year or so before this.
As a youngster I remember being taken to Billingham station to see a train crash, I remember looking down on it from a bridge. It would be around 1953 or so!
Chris Hall – The bus site was a nice find. It”s funny how Billingham Bank looks so small. Not at all how I remember it as a small child. Back then it seemed so steep and wide. That site also has an excellent picture of the interior of the Metrovick factory in Stockton. re the discussion at photo t9460v2
As the owner of 60891″s smokebox numberplate I was interested to learn of this collision.
Mr Chris Hall: An account of the freight train collision at Billingham station on 2/12/53 can also be found ref:t5286 on this site. The WD was 90048 and the V2 60891.
If you go to a website named “Buses around the world” then look in the section “The way we were the 1950″s” you will find some pictures of a rather spectacular crash between a Gresley V2, and a War Department type at Billingham station, this excellent website has also got some pictures of Billingham Bank in 1953, and pictures of the Haverton Hill floods c1952/3.
The main purpose of the Up and Down “loops” or, as they were known “independent” lines, each of which could accommodate several trains, was to effectively park goods trains to allow more important and faster trains to pass on the main lines. As you correctly say the Up independent line was also used, sometimes several times a day, to allow coal trains to “runaround”.
The picture on the right is of great interest as it shows a very busy period at the shunting loops to the west of the Billingham bypass overbridge, at the foot of Norton bank. Loops were provided at this time to allow traffic between the coast and the Belasis/Port Clarence branch to reverse. The locomotive in the foreground is an ex North-Eastern railway Q6 and has almost certainly brought a train-load of coal destined for ICI Billingham down the coast. It has pulled the train into the loop and is now running round the train. It will back up and couple on to the train on the extreme left and take it down the Belasis/Port Clarence branch. The train behind is probably a train of limestone hoppers headed for Steetley Magnesite or British Steel at Hartlepool. It may well have come from Redmire, and is pulled by a Class K1 locomotive of LNER design. Locomotives of both these types are preserved on the North Yorkshire Moors railway. In the far distance appears to be another train of coal empties in the “down” loop awaiting the road for Hartlepool and the coast. Steam haulage in the area ceased in 1967, and given the amount of traffic and the fact that it is all steam hauled would suggest a date a year or so before this.