Stanier 2-6-0 No.42961 from Crewe South Shed brings a Darwen-Sunderland football special through Billingham.
Photograph and details courtesy of Ivan Harrington.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Stanier 2-6-0 No.42961 from Crewe South Shed brings a Darwen-Sunderland football special through Billingham.
Photograph and details courtesy of Ivan Harrington.
This train carried the supporters of Blackburn Rovers, who were playing at Sunderland. The match ended 1-1, and had to be replayed later in the week at Blackburn.
Remember the day well. Another special, also to Sunderland for the F.A Cup 3rd Round tie, ran on the same day hauled by Jubilee locomotive 45580 ‘Burma’. Both locos, 42961 and 45580 relative strangers in this area. In those days many football specials ran every weekend of the season for matches all over the country, with fares for the trips often being excellent value for money. On February 29th 1964 ten football special trains ran from Sunderland to Manchester for an F.A. Cup tie between Manchester United and Sunderland.