Thornaby Railway Station with the ‘torch’ coking plant in the distance c1989.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Thornaby Railway Station with the ‘torch’ coking plant in the distance c1989.
The overhead footbridge that crossed the two sets of railway lines leading into Thornaby Railway station, is currently being demolished. This press report refers: ‘Work has now begun on dismantling the old, decaying pedestrian railway bridge which linked Railway Terrace (Thornaby Town Hall side street) and Station Road (the top of Trafalgar Street) is being demolished. . The bridge has not only become an eyesore, but had become dangerous. Plans for the new replacement bridge to be disability compliant were scrapped by Network Rail and a like for like construction is to be put in place. What a lifetime of memories this old bridge holds for us, a storehouse of memories of the times we met someone arriving back in Thornaby from London, from abroad, and from two World Wars.
The engine in the photograph 37070 was a very familiar sight on Teesside, and went on to be used as an engine test bed at Toton Depot, before succumbing to the cutters torch
Different locos, different fortunes! The one before it, 37069 formerly D6769, as well as a career with BR has had a spell working in France or Spain and then became part of the Direct Rail Services (DRS) fleet. It is still with them and has been chosen as a possible recipient of new ‘Caterpillar’ engines, so could be running for a long time yet. These locos are now as much a part of the North East railway heritage as many of the steam engines before them.