I wonder how many copies of the Stockton Darlington: one hundred and fifty years of British Railways book are still around, which was published in 1975 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway? Only recently did I realise that it was written by Peter Semmens, who worked at ICI Billingham. He joined ICI in the early 1950s after doing chemistry at Oxford University. He left Billingham in the 1970s for a senior position at the newly formed National Rail Museum at York. But while on Teesside he set up the local branch of the “British Association for Young Scientists”. Some people must remember him. He must have been quite a dynamic personality.
Peter was an avid enthusiast for the railways, and was one of the four people behind the formation of the National Rail Museum. As such he was more than a train spotter. He contributed many articles to Railway Magazine on the timings of express trains on the East Coast line and was an adviser on the Channel Tunnel. His book on the Stockton and Darlington is more technical than it looks. More important is “How Steam Locomotives Really Work” which Peter wrote in conjunction with Alan Goldfinch, who had been Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer in the Eastern Region of British Railways.
Photograph and details courtesy of Fred Starr.
When still at secondary school in Stockton, I had to meet Mr. Semmens at his house in late 1961 somewhere in Middlesbrough. This was likely for a ticket to travel on “The Stainmore Limited” special train – the last eastbound departure from Kirkby Stephen (East) back to Darlington “over the top” behind Standard classes Nos. 77003 and 76049 in thick snow on 20/01/1962. A band on the station played “Auld Lang Syne”. My “half” ticket (long lost in an untidy collection…) cost 10s 6d I recall.
I have this book. I bought it, and two LNER Albums vol. 1 & 2. They were from either The Epping/Ongar Railway or the Swanage Railway, Corfe Castle Station about three years ago. Andrew Henderson.
I have a Rail 150 Exhibition Steam Cavalcade book published 1975. My uncle purchased it as he had worked for British Rail for a number of years – latterly at Moat Street, Stockton. There are a few pages written by P.E.B. Semmens in it. The cavalcade of engines went from Shildon to Heighington ( about 3 miles) and it cost £3 to sit in the grandstands!
Did he have relations in Eastern Australia?