Model of Stockton Station and Stamp Street

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Having only the pictures on the Picture Stockton site I scaled down to 00 scale as much of the main building I could fit into the model. Houses around the station (Stamp Street – to be improved accuracy) are not in the correct location but models placed to add to the feel of the area. Taken around 3 years spare time for the whole model. The area was where my mother’s family started in Frederick Street. Fond memories of train spotting in late 50s and was so disappointed in 1978/79 to see the roof of the station removed, as can be done on the model. Next job is to improve the accuracy of the station with additional photos. Living in Australia this model reminds me daily of our childhood days. More photos if anybody interested.

Photographs and details courtesy of Alan Davis.

54 thoughts on “Model of Stockton Station and Stamp Street”

    • Hi Steve I have sent couple more photos one of which is model station with canopy removed and a few of my bus collection from Teesside services including United and Stockton Corporation. Hope you like them more to follow if interested. Alan

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      • My Mum (born 34) grew up in Raglan Terrace, this changed to number Mill Street West (number 70). She said their house was on the edge of the steps that went over the railway close to Stamp Street. I’ve been recently looking for photos of the houses at the railway end before they were demolished.

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  2. You certainly set off a discussion Alan, People my age remember the Railways in their glory days as it was for us the only way to go long distance. No motor ways very little dual carriageways and country roads to everywhere. I mentioned my first trip to London in a cobbled together Train some parts corridor some no corridor and eleven hours bring your own food and drink then use the bottles for natures springs. Over the years I did that trip many times mainly with A3 Pacifics pulling the train, war worn dirty and all black until British Rail came about, we then got the Green Livery back for some of the engines.
    At one time I was doing the trip North and Back every two or three weeks, Stockton to Darlington then on to London stopping at York Lincoln and a couple of stops short of London Kings Cross. On to the Underground to Waterloo and the train to Bentley, it was Electric, off at Bentley onto the Bordon Bullet a Tank Engine pulling a few carriages full of troops on a single military line and into Barracks in Bordon worn out.
    Then in the early 1960’s we got the Deltic 55, it always seemed as big as the Pacific and just as noisy and smelly. The first one broke down north of London and we had to be towed in by a Steam train. We seemed to quite often end the journey by steam in those days and line repairs at weekends sent us off all round the country to get home for a few hours home cooking a trip to the Palais and a decent bed.
    My luck was I had travel warrants for most of the runs, the run to London speeded up and by the 1950’s we were under eight hours, the 60’s got us down to four hours and now my Daughter moans if it goes over two and a half hours. My late Wife and I found the Air trip Teesside to London only took 50 minutes ideal if we were flying on.
    I see the return of Rail travel for its ease and comfort driving is no fun these days and long distance driving a nightmare. I will not see it but my Grandchildren will.
    Frank.

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  3. That is amazing, thank you for sharing the photographs. I’m 74 and as a young boy I was a regular train spotter seeing Mallard and Sir Nigel Gresley and the flying Scotsman at Stockton Station.
    Very fond memories.

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  4. Great stuff. Brought up in Stanley Street, a lot of my childhood was spent hanging around the station and its environs

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    • Yes my memories drove me to build this and I get so much pleasure from people seeing it and jogging memories I can also remove the canopy for the next shots to show that the interior is under development!! Thanks for your kind comment Alan

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  5. Love the models, only one thing wrong the railway cottages didn’t have bay windows, I know this as my friend lived in the last one before the station…

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    • I agree they should have been flat terraced but time ran out for that part – eventually will convert to some I am currently on with and will show in the streets I am building opposite.

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    • I would love to send them in but was concerned people would not really be that interested – will send a few more and see how they go – I am also just starting a YouTube channel with videos and hopefully photos I have taken of the station being constructed – I can also remove the canopy but interior far from finished. What inspired me was the photos I had taken of the station in 1978 as it was just commencing the removal – a cold winters day on the way to Majorca and never forgot it even though I am in Australia now.

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  8. I would also like to see more photos; I was attempting Eaglescliffe station but age and poor health have forced me to reconsider my plans – it would be nice to see yours.

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  9. I don’t remember seeing A4s at Stockton. It was relatively unusual to see the green A3 type with blinkers, in fact. But there was a direct train to London in those days, even up to 1960.

    But can I suggest that this model be shown, at least for a time, at Preston Park Museum. A really great achievement!

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    • I would love to display it but I am based in Australia – it has taken four years now and seen many modifications. Just for you I will send a picture of a blinkered loco next time as I also remember them well on the midnight train to Kings Cross.

      Regarding the A4s they did appear all over the Eastern region and on this site there is a picture of one approaching Stockton from Eaglescliffe in 50/60s. The imagination can run riot in model railways and I have been involved since I was four years old with my first Rovex/Triang Princess Elizabeth up to now at 71 years young. The station model was from two photographs only and needed scaling and building over many months – loved it. Thank you very much for your comment. Alan

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    • I moved to Sydenham Road and used to watch the trains going under Spring Street bridge. There were definitely A4s, A3s, A2s, A1s as well as the many freight steam locos. I also remember the introduction of diesel locos and multiple units. Occasionally, there’d be a test train of a pair of new locos such as the class 37s with the interconnecting gangway in place.

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      • All the engines mentioned usually came from Gateshead shed they were filthy Sir Murrough Wilson Sir Stanley Mathews Bittern these three A4s were regular through Billingham 1950s A3s from Neville hill shed were quite common The Palethorpes which came through saturday mornings A2s were used on such a long train I recall Sun Chariot one day my spotting days were from 1948 to 58 ended up at 51L Enjoyed every minute of it

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          • Sorry David getting on a bit i recall engines coming through early morning at Billingham just out of Darlington works Newcastle workings rare engines it was great to see them after seeing that filthy Gateshead lot

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            • Peter, I did my Stockton trainspotting for several weeks each summer when I stayed with my grandparents in Railway Street, from 1947 when family moved from Thornaby to Warrington, to 1958 when I left school. Railway St. was busy with the North Shore branch, Hills factory, Clarence coal Depot and Stockton Shed all contributing to the fun. A lot of time spent on the footbridge north of Stockton station and sometimes at Thornaby station, all very busy places at that time. Although it is 73 years since I left Teesside as a five-year-old, I still have a strong affinity to the area, and a handful of relatives including the great source of knowledge Frank Mee who is a regular on this site.
              The ‘0’ gauge model locos I have built were all Stockton-based, Y3, J71, G5, J39, K1 and A3 ‘Galopin’, the latter was not a Stockton engine but often worked through there, being allocated to Gateshead, Heaton or Darlington throughout its life. I also have a class 37 diesel D6769 which was a resident at Thornaby for thirty years from new (and for many years named ‘Thornaby TMD’), now it resides just a few miles away from me in Carlisle as part of the DRS fleet. Happy times which have all been brought back to life by Alan’s wonderful model of Stockton Station in its glory days.

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              • David do you recall the D20s the sound of the westinghouse pump never forgot that yes the model does fetch memorys back i feel quite lucky last to be called up sent to Kenya many runs on the Lunatic line to Mombasa Beyer Peacock Garret on the front I worked on the east grid in the ici for BR 1955 oilng the wagons the traffic out of there was tremendous travelling is an addiction love it Carlisle the buffet in the centre hope it never changes Frank Mee i beleave i answed some questions about working on a steam navvy at Blacket Brick works Portrack one incident i recall sunday excursion to Leeds V2 on the front i opened the window got drowned picking up water left the lid open fantastic

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    • I remember a regular A4 working on a Sunday evening through Stockton which I believe was a Kings X-Newcastle working. I managed a photo of it in 1963.From what I remember it was quite late through Stockton about 8.00pm so you could only photograph it for a few weeks in the summer. From what I recall the working finished when the timetable changed in May or June that year.

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  10. My cousin married Ken Duckers. He was a model maker at Furness Shipyard, when they closed he became the model maker at SBC. I wonder if he was the maker of this model?

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    • Hi Robert, the model was built in Australia over the last four years by myself and courtesy of the Covid-19 I spent 12 weeks in isolation and extended the model – now the interior to detail. Thanks for your comment Alan.

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  11. Congratulations on producing one of the best railway models I have ever seen. It reminded me of the years my father commuted daily from Seaton Carew to his work at Stockton corporation Gas works. I too used the station during my first year of attendance (1941) at Stockton Grammar School before we moved to Stockton. I remember the streets around the station commemorating the Crimean War, Balaclava Street, Inkerman Street, and Alma Street. I also remember leaving Stockton Station with a one way ticket to Exeter to commence my National Service. Please show more photographs. The memories that Stations bring up, for some reason I was reminded of Crowes Bus destined for Osmotherley parked and waiting in a street off Bishopton Lane. Many thanks Alan.

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    • Thank you so much for your kind words. I will send more photos and hope they will publish. The station was really where I did most of my train spotting as a youngster and was the inspiration when I witnessed it being dismantled – my retirement and my late father’s push made me convinced to do something people may get some pleasure out of seeing. Alan

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  13. There you go Alan, all your hard work is now being appreciated by contributors of the Picture Stockton website. I am very pleased to have all the photos you sent me as you made progress in this project. All the best..

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    • Thanks John appreciate all the comments I have received and will reply to them all. My YouTube channel is next project to show it to Stocktonians.

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    • Hi Frank do you mean the locomotive? Some shots are for effect rather than accuracy and also some parts being worked on at the moment. Plus living in Australia I rely on memory a bit too much sometimes as Dad is no longer alive to keep me ‘on track’. Alan

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  18. Wow!! What a super model of Stockton Station as was. Yes, I would love to see more of it, please. How about some more info such as track, rolling stock, buildings, etc. I have an “N” gauge layout in my loft.

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    • Hi Ian
      I have been requested to start a YouTube channel for my Stockton Station model and with Picture Stockton permission I will add it to a mail to them for inclusion. The only reason I did not send more was in case people thought it was not of interest to a wider audience. Thank you for your comment appreciated. Alan

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  19. This is beautiful. My husband worked in the shed and went out as a stoker. He was born in Stockton-on-Tees, and a very proud man who loved his town.
    I don’t know what year but he told us they had a gang.
    I can remember a Tommy, who was mad of Dog racing and they all went.
    Geoffrey was always in record shops as I know as he was always in music.
    His name was Geoffrey Ayre. His ancestors all lived on Smith Street making candles and the family was saddles, making rope for ships.
    I married Geoffrey in NZ as I’m from there.
    But in 1975 we came back to England with our family, settled in Newark, Notts.
    But always up there in Stockton. I would love to buy some photos of the shed station For keepsake for my Grandchildren.
    Yours Mrs Jeanette Ayre

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    • If you give your details to the Picture Stockton site I will send you some photos by email – free of charge. Plus details of my YouTube channel I am just launching. Regards Alan

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    • Hi Dave, yes my own layout as I am not a member of any society. As stated above the only reason I sent limited photos was due to being concerned people may not be particularly interested. YouTube channel seems to be the main request I am receiving from a number of websites that have seen the model. Thanks to Picture Stockton for publishing my efforts. Regards Alan

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  22. You certainly had me going Alan, I used that station and the area for donkeys years and it is very realistic it took me a while before I read it was a model.
    We used trains as our main transport back then before we all had cars or long distance buses and I left from there to all parts of the UK and one memorable trip from Stockton to Otley then Liverpool and on board the Empress of Scotland to the Middle East, that trip then went by rail from Port Said to Suez.
    Rail was our lifeline and you could say my time line as my late wife and I travelled from Stockton to various European Countries by rail and sleeper that was definitely the way to travel..
    The first trip to London took eleven hours, no corridor so a large Lowcocks lemonade bottle came in handy. Then over the years came down to eight six and then three hours now I believe on a good day it is two and a half hours.
    I watch my Great Grandsons playing with their model trains thinking I was pulled by most of the named engines and thought nothing of it, I was never a number cruncher sitting on platforms filling books, a train was a means to an end they got you to new places to explore. As roads get to be giant car parks the trains will return as long distance travel once again, at my age I know everything comes round again.
    Frank.

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    • I will certainly try and recreate the effect of the late night train to King Cross on my YouTube channel I have just started. Great memories can come back so easily. Alan

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    • Thanks Mal appreciate your comment and will ask the site to maybe publish more – that may mean a request from subscribers to the Picture Stockton site.

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  25. Those photos are fantastic. You have made a excellent job of your model railway…

    I personally would love to see more photos of it.

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    • Ask Picture Stockton to forward your email address for more photos happy to share. Also modelled part of Richmond Station North Yorkshire. I too remember Stockton Station in the 50/60s With fond memories train spotting and also watching the late night express steam trains then Deltics just before midnight. The sounds are still in my ears.

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