These two photographs are of the Thornaby shed once known as 51L which is now long gone… It was said to be the very last shed built for steam in Britain at a huge cost, in 1958 terms of £1.25 million.
Photographs courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
It’s a Q6 class locomotive.
Strangely, although the sheds may have long gone, this particular Q6 locomotive – 63395 – is still steaming in the North East, on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. At present, it is having some work done on its firebox at Crewe, but is expected back on the NYMR by the end of May 2013 in time for the later stages of the Railway’s 40th Anniversary year. 120 locos in the Q6 class were built at Darlington Works in the period from 1913 to 1921, and 63395 is now the only survivor. Not bad for a grand old engine approaching its century in service!
I remember the sheds being built. My uncle was a Pass Fireman and I remember him with a huge plan of all the new track that he had to learn. I also used to go to the Stockton sheds with him, and when he was on station pilot duties at Stockton station I went on the Engine with him and “drove” the train.