Empty coal train hauled by a WD loco climbing Stockton Bank between Fuswick Bridge & Norton Junction (Harpers Garden Centre) – photo taken in 1965, one of the disused farm access bridges underneath the railway can just be seen below the lighter coloured trucks in the middle of the train. Photograph and information courtesy of Dave Summerfield 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The steel bridge was installed either May or June 1965 when the trains where diverted via Haverton Hill and the Billingham Beck Branch, on various Sundays during these two months.
Does anyone know when the steel bridge was layed at Fuswick bridge? thanks
Alan B – the weekend you mention was probably when the Darlington power box & resignalling of Darlington Station took place.The new signalling panel was accomodated in the existing box at the south end of Darlington Station. The diversions lasted for most of the weekend. I saw most of the activity from Hartburn signal box.
I recorded the sunday 24 hour east coast main-line diversion from the above position at Norton on 11/6/1972. The diversion was always notified in the local newspaper a week before. The diversion started late saturday night, but little was noted on the sunday morning, traffic always built up around dinnertime. Between 1226-2242 hours there were 19 diverted expresses north excluding one diverted parcels, and 16 diverted expresses south (missed a few after 2145 hrs), excluding 3 regular sundays only expresses south via coast, a total of 39. The busiest period was between 1820-1830 hrs with 3 Deltics, 1 Peak and 1 local DMU. The busiest hour was 1947-2032 hrs with 7 diverted expresses, excluding 1 regular via coast. The locos types divided that day into 10 Deltics (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17); 11 Brush Type 4; 10 Peak/2 named (53, 99); 8 EE Type 4 including one twice; 1 EE Type 3,light engine. Some typical timings were, Report code/Depart time-service/Loco number/Time at Norton hrs. 1S17/1000 KX-Edin/9006/1420; 1S29/1145 KX-Edin/264/1604; 1S35/1400 KX-Edin/9007/1935; 1S42/1600 KX-Edin/9015/2015; 1EO5/1000 Edin-KX/1500/1330; 1E09/1100 Edin-KX/9004/1435; 1E13/ 1200 Edin-KX/9001/1535; 1E25/1600 Edin-KX/1542/1950 hours. Edin=Edinburgh, KX= Kings X, 1S17 and 1EO5 are the Flying Scotsman services. All kids football stopped as soon as the signals went up. All diverted expresses took the Ferryhill route.