A view of Stockton Station seen from the back of Stamp Street.
Image and details courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A view of Stockton Station seen from the back of Stamp Street.
Image and details courtesy of Gordon Armes.
Picture Stockton Archive 
The Stockton to Whitby via Picton line closed on 12th June 1954, and the decision to close was taken so late in the day that even the staff were unaware of it happening until a few days before and there was certainly no ceremony on the last day, as would happen now. My memory of Stockton station was of being on the summer Saturday Saltburn to Kings Cross through train which backed on to the South Shields to KX train at Stockton. My Stockton based grandpa Jones always joined the train for a few minutes as it manoeuvred into position before heading south. In 1962, the combined train was headed by the famous A3 Pacific, 60103, Flying Scotsman, and as a young rail buff, I was in seventh heaven!
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The line actually closed in stages,Martin,although limited to goods from 1954. The last section,from Battersby Junction to Stokesley, remained open for years after the rest of the line had closed,not closing until 1965. Presumably agricultural business,and coal would have kept the goods yard viable.
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As an after thought, Gordon, the amount traffic that passed through Stockton and it’s yards has all vanished, I have just wrote an an article, from an early Timetable, (the date has slipped my mind), but one could get at train from Stockton Station, to Whitby, running via Eaglescliffe, Picton, Stokesley, and then onto Battersby, and Whitby (no going via Middlesbrough), also passenger trains to Ferryhill, Crook and the pit towns.
Gordon were as it all gone.
Again Bill
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Hi Gordon, another great shot from your past, remember, Bishopton Lane signal box, and the amount of traffic that it dealt with over any 24 hour period, with the Up & Down main lines, then the goods lines, plus independence line, I remember some old and departed ex- Stockton Driver’s relating to me that when Stockton Yard, (North Stockton) was starting to overflow with traffic, that they had to draw prepared loads (trains) out into the Phoenix Sidings to make room in North Stockton for more traffic to enter. Happy days Gordon,
Norman Hugil has been talking to me lately on about old days.
Bill
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Good to hear from you Bill I have a couple of photos of the branch line from Picton to Battersby think it was known as the Trenholme bar branch will have to post them give my best to Norman remind him I taught him the job when he was at Haverton Station I believe he started as book lad at Darlington south he is a really nice lad hope you are well I remember when North Stockton was full South Stockton pilot would haul trains out and Bishopton Lane would close the back road which came out at Stockton bank and use that for storage any coaching stock for excursions etc, was stored on the line between Norton west and Norton east keep well Bill
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Gordon passed your message on, to Norman, but looking at the old timetable that I have got one could catch a train, direct from Stockton to Scarborough, running via Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk, to Philmoor, coming of the E.C.M.L there to run to Coxwald and Helsmley to go forward to Scarborough, (must apologise for the spelling), I have got some photo’s of the Picton, branch (I think it was the last service train) but would like to see yours, keep the old style railway in our going.
Bill
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Looks very much like a WD loco, but unusually quite clean, with a rake of coal wagons. There was a regular working in the early afternoon which went to York and was often hauled by a WD. Excellent shot Gordon.
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The locomotive appears very clean, which is unusual for a WD Austerity. An unrelated blog on another site, also shows a well cleaned WD, on a “special” heading towards Stockton on the Billingham Beck branch, near ICI East gate. This was hauling a number of coaches, carrying passengers, possibly charterd by the Stevenson locomotive Society (SLS). It is possible, that this photograph was taken some days later, when the Loco was still clean, and on normal service, probably the 1960’s. Niether photograph gave a clear view of the loco’s number. It could of course be just ex works, after a major service.
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David this locomotive was 90434 and was taken on the 07/12/1965 apologies for the poor quality of the photo but cameras then weren’t what they are today I have asked Laura if she might put some more photos of Stamp Street that might help Alan with his model
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Thanks Gordon all photos appreciated plus any details on the ‘workings’ Of the station as I am now sucked in to trying to get workings of the station as close as possible. I have sent a few more pictures in with locos in various platforms but as such just for posing the locos rather than correct location – I think my first three videos on YouTube are a bit more accurate for down and up lines. Only difficulty on the model is space to really expand the area. Alan
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Alan if I put to the back of my mind this is a model layout with some poetic license I suppose a couple of things are wrong but as regards the southbound departure this used to happen on occasions when primrose hill sb was open especially at Christmas time when parcels traffic was heavy and the parcels bay was full they would offload in the up platform and traffic would be put through the down platform by primrose hill then turned back onto the up main through the crossover at Bishopton Lane this meant that work could continue offloading this work was done in those days by casual labour mostly students which signal box on the model is it supposed to represent Bishy Lane or Primrose Hill? Good luck with your model
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Bishopton Lane is represented on the layout but I am now going to scratch-build based on your photos plus just starting on the houses at back of Stamp Street which will replace the bay windowed version on the model. As I said thanks for photos and comments from everyone it seems to have stirred a few memories at least. My original intention was to model a representation of the area to get a feel for the North-East and North Yorkshire but slowly getting into modelling discreet buildings. Again limitations of space mean compromises all over the model. I need a bigger house! Thanks again Alan
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Great to see an ex-works condition “WD” slogging past the back of the station. In the 1950s, I went to Stockton with my dad on Saturdays/in school holidays – he was ‘on relief’ as clerk/stationmaster/yard-master there and elsewhere. To pass the time, I walked around the old platforms dozens of times although did not then have a camera. Local passenger trains were hauled by A5, A8, L1 and V1/V3 tank locomotive classes. One VERY early memory is of a run from Yarm to Stockton – behind a G5 0-4-4. Dare I suggest that this little loco still sported LNER green in 1952??? The Stockton model depicted elsewhere might perhaps benefit from a “tweak” or two based on the photograph here, instance a freight within a bay platform, plus I certainly never ever saw a southbound departure from the northbound (Down) platform – although such might happen with emergency working – and of course A4s most certainly DID pass through Stockton during the frequent track renewals on the East Coast Main Line. (Such a “Sunday Diversion” of course meant expresses storming below our house in the cut very near Yarm Tunnel picking up speed to the viaduct.) Most Pacifics were kept unbelievably clean & polished in those days and the “chime” whistles of an A4 fair curdled the blood… (Thank Heavens for preservation and heritage lines!) In the early 1970s, I took some ‘Super’ 8 cine of the old S&DR coach being craned from its plinth and onto a rail wagon under the station roof (and no sign whatever of Stockton’s Mayor who’d boldly declared in print “over my dead body!”). Finally I could have cried when I saw the station a couple of years ago. That’s progress, but how utterly lifeless…
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Thanks Chris on the train direction – of course it was an emergency working (that’s now my excuse now you suggested it). As stated in other posts I really appreciate any details on ‘workings’ of the station in the old days. I always said I would never get into the accuracy of the station but slowly but surely I am especially after all the great comments. The station is now becoming a joint effort with all the support from people on this site – maybe time to get into a railway modelling publication if they are interested. Thanks again Alan
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I lived in Newtown when I was a kid, loved going over the bridge when a train was coming.
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Well the residents of Stamp Street certainly got a front row seat to the railway, practically running past their back doors!
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Great photo of ‘back Stamp St’, Stockton. My gt grandparents lived there in about 1890 after moving from Brompton, nr Northallerton. It was originally called ‘Railways Cottages. My gt granddad Wm Myers Robinson and his family moved to find work on the Railways. I’ve never seen a coloured photo of it before, it looks recent – what year was it taken? Sadly he was killed in 1902 while doing maintenance work – at Stockton on the railways! I found his obit in the Gazette but hadn’t expected to find gory details from the inquest on the same page – it was horrific! No one else was involved.
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Excellent picture and one of the few I often refer to when modelling. Thanks for posting this one.
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More to come Alan
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What a tragedy it was pulled down.
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Yes a tragedy, I saw the roof being removed and was able to get a photo or two added to this site – I was shocked to see how it was stripped bare.
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