3. Trip to Darlington-31.10.80

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1980 > 18. October half term at Thornhill-25-31.10.80 > 3. Trip to Darlington-31.10.80

I took a return trip along the Esk Valley to Middlesborough and then pon to Darlington. Hoping for some Deltic action I was disappointed to only see one and that was out on test! However, I did see a Class 50 on a proving run from Doncaster works and got plenty of signal boxes, mainly taken through the droplights of the Class 101 DMU.

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Images 1-22 of 22 displayed.

Glaisdale signal box (NER, 1902)
Some of the North Eastern Railway's design of signal boxes was more restrained than those constructed by other railway companies. Glaisadle is a perfect example of the simple but robust design being built of rough brick with a simple slate pitched roof. A particularly attractive feature of this one, opened in 1902, is the brick arched windows to the locking room. Whilst the box has closed it is still standing but looking a little sorry for itself and begging out for future use, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/26273783004/glaisdale-signal-box
Keywords: Glaisdale Signal Box NER North Eastern Railway

Driver exchanging the token, from 10.13 Whitby-Middlesborough, Glaisdale station
Looking very smart in his traditionally ill-fitting BR uniform with highly polished shoes and a cigarette dangling from his mouth the driver of the 10.13 Whitby to Middlesborough crosses the track in order to pass the token to the signalman at Glaisdale on the Esk Valley line. The delightfully anachronistic activity is largely the preserve of the heritage line now with me struggling to think of anywhere on the network with single line working and semaphores where a tablet is exchanged?

There is an audio recording of this DMU leaving Glaisdale on my Youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/Z7aMJ1vsmmU
Keywords: exchanging the token 10.13 Whitby-Middlesborough Glaisdale station

Castleton Signal Box (NER, date not known)
The signalman walks back to Castleton signal box having taken possession of the token from the driver of the DMU on which I am travelling. Unlike the much simpler design of NER box at Glaisdale, this one has the unusual gable mounted ventilators mounted within the gablet (Dutch gable). Off course, the box has now closed and has been demolished and the goods siding in the background has been lifted.
Keywords: Castleton Signal Box NER North Eastern Railway

E50293 & E50265, 10.40 Middlesborough-Whitby, from E50248 & E50543, 10.13 Whitby-Midlesboorough, arriving at Battersby
A coming together of Class 101 DMUs at Battersby sees the 10.40 Middlesborough to Whitby approaching from the right whilst the 10.13 from Whitby, on which I am travelling heads straight into the station seen in the distance. When two trains arrived on-time at Battersby it gave rise to the rather disconcerting event of them running in parallel to each other for a short distance made even stranger as both had been running on single track for the bulk of their journeys. Notice both home signals pulled off on the twin dolls on the approach to the station. Battersby then and now is a remote station somewhat isolated from the community it professes to serve. The line used to continue on the relatively short distance skirting the northern flank of the North Yorkshire Moors to join the Northallerton to Middlesborough line at Picton.
Keywords: E50293 E50265 10.40 Middlesborough-Whitby E50248 E50543 10.13 Whitby-Midlesboorough Battersby Class 101 DMU

Battersby signal box (NER, 1901)
Another lovely North Eastern signal box is seen from the 10.13 Whitby to Middlesborough DMU as we enter the station. It must be a particularly cold location as the box has two chimney stacks indication a pair of coal-burning fires or stoves inside to keep the staff warm in the winter. Notice that in common with a number of NER boxes that it has a gablet or Dutch gable with ventilators that were unique to these boxes. The signal box was closed in 1989 when the line was transferred to No Signalman Token Remote (NSTR) signalling with it being demolished 1991.
Keywords: Battersby signal box NER North eastern Railway

E50293 & E50265, 10.40 Middlesborough-Whitby & E50248 & E50543 10.13 Whitby-Midlesboorough, Battersby station
A busy scene at Battersby station as the up and down mid-morning services pass each other. The two-car Class 101 DMU to the left working the 10.40 Middlesborough to Whitby will leave second to the one to the right forming the 10.13 Whitby to Middlesborough. Once the two trains have departed and the signalman returns the arms to danger peace will then prevail for the next couple of hours or so in what is a pretty remote part of the North Yorkshire countryside. Today the signal box and semaphores are no more with No Signalman Token Remote (NSTR) in operation controlled by the drivers. I took an image of this in operation during my last visit with the driver standing at a point probably directly in front of me in this particular image, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/26273785604/exchanging-token-142071-11-58-whitby
Keywords: E50293 E50265, 10.40 Middlesborough-Whitby E50248 E50543 10.13 Whitby-Midlesboorough, Battersby station Class 101 DMU first generation DMU

Battersby signal box (NER, 1901) & NER water column
Leaving Battersby station aboard the 10.14 Whitby to Middlesborough service being worked by Class 101 DMU formed by E50248 and E50543 we pass a scene that is a delight to the railway modeller! The former NER water column dating from 1907 still stands today, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/26273784404/water-column-battersby-station but everything else seen here has been wiped away in the name of progress. Notice the driver leaning out of his cab ready to accept the token from the signalman giving him the authority to progress to Nunthorpe
Keywords: Battersby signal box NER water column North Eastern Railway

Nunthorpe signal box (NE, 1903)
The token is passed from the 10.13 Whitby to Middlesborough DMU to the signalwoman at Nunthorpe. She is standing on a specially constructed platform to enable this to take place at the base of the 1903 North Eastern Railway box. At the time of writing (2020), the box is still in use and controlling the only semaphores in use on the Esk Valley route. Andy and I visited in 2019 and I took a photograph from the level crossing that is seen in the background, see...... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/26273786804/nunthorpe-signal-box I would have been standing about where the 'R' (1976/77) registered Auston Maxi 1750 is standing.
Keywords: Nunthorpe signal box NE North Eastern Railway

North Ormesby Signal Box (NER, date not known)
North Ormesby signal box had an unusual design that is partially visible in this photograph taken from a passing Class 101 DMU. It was located where North Ormesby Road crossed the railway at a level crossing in Middlesborough. When the A172 and A66 relief roads were constructed in the late 1980s the whole scene here was changed and the level crossing abandoned. On removal of the footbridge the odd roof shape to accommodate it was revealed. The signal box was in use until late 1990 when the new roads were opened. It is not visible here but this level crossing had a set of the electrical wheel boom level crossing gates that were unique to the north and northeast. Studying Google Earth, the remnants of the level crossing and bridge that crossed the small stream running behind the box can be clearly seen.
Keywords: North Ormesby Signal Box North Eastern Railway NER

Cargo Fleet Road signal box (NER, 1884)
There is no doubting where this photograph is taken! With the Middlesborough transporter bridge dominating the background, Cargo Fleet Road signal box is seen at the level crossing with the road of the same name passing from left to right. The box is an earlier NER example with some more ornate features particularly noticeable is the rather elegant timber work on the gable end. Whilst the box was demolished in 1990 there is still a level crossing at this location but it is for pedestrians and cyclists permitting access to Middlesborough town centre. The view of the transporter bridge is now blocked from this angle by a large building occupied by a building company.
Keywords: Cargo Fleet Road signal box North Eastern Railway NER

Middlesbrough signal box (NER, 1877)
Taken from a departing train that I was travelling on to Darlington Middlesbrough signal box is seen despite the plain white name board! The box is a simpler version of the NER's earlier design dating from 1872. The box is still in use today (at the time of writing in 2020) operating an IFS panel that was installed in 1978. I am not at all sure what the signalling infrastructure is in the foreground with its large counterweights, can anybody advise? I took a photograph of this box during my most recent visit in 2019, the building to the left that I believe to be a garage with its large concrete lintel is still exactly the same, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/26273794604/middlesbrough-signal-box
Keywords: Middlesbrough Signal Box

Bowesfield signal box (NER, 1905)
A rather rushed photograph taken from the passing DMU at some speed sees the large Bowsfiled signal box. This was, and still is for that matter, at the far eastern end of the triangle of tracks where the Middlesbrough line meets the Durham coast route just south of Stockton-on-Tees. This NER box dating from 1905 was photographed during my last visit to the area in 2014 taken from a better angle than seen here, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30018035730/x34-bowesfield-signal-box
Keywords: Bowesfield signal box North Eastern Railway NER

Urlay Nook signal box (NER, E.1896)
Unfortunately, the delightfully named Urlay Nook signal box has only recently (as of 2020) been decommissioned and the box promptly demolished. I really hope that we do not rue the day that these old and historically interesting structures are simply disposed of after completing over a hundred years of service to our public transport network. This box was located on the line to Darlington just west of Eaglescliffe. Until its closure, the box operated one of the very last examples of the very odd electrical wheel boom level crossing gates as seen at Cutsyke back in 2018, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/23791611404/cutsyke-signal-box Notice the arced marks on the road surface of the crossing that are made by the directly powered wheels that carried the gates. These delightfully anachronistic pieces of infrastructure were replaced by rather dull lifting barriers when the box was closed in 2019. Luckily, Andy and I managed a visit to the box prior to its closure in 2014, see.... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30018035737/x38-urlay-nook-signal-box-ne-1896
Keywords: Urlay Nook Signal Box Urlay Nook signal box

S1414, M31131 & S1311, Darlington station
Whilst the LMS van is not far from home the two Southern vans attached at either end of it are! Even in 1980, there were many vans still in use for the conveyance of parcel traffic that was very much in decline by this time. This NFV former LMS designed vans were once extremely numerous but many were being scrapped by the early 1980s. M31131 was Derby built and dated from 1940 but I do not have the lot number but from the number, I know that it was a series three version of the design. Notice that in common with most of these vans by this time, the end connecting doors had been plated over. The two former Southern vans pre-date the LMS variant being built at Ashford in 1939. S1414 and S1311 were two of a batch of one hundred and forty-eight vehicles designated by the Southern as 1303s. These three vans were part of parcels consist that was obviously loaded given the white labels under the spring clips on the sides.
Keywords: S1414 M31131 S1311 Darlington station

40085 & 55021, Gateshead-York LE (0L01), Darlington station
This was my only sighting of a Deltic on my relatively short visit to Darlington. All other workings observed had gone over to HSTs by this stage with Deltics largely confined south of York during daylight hours. Evidently, 55021 'Argyll & Sutherland Highlander' had worked north on the early hours but had been declared a failure at Newcastle with traction motor issues. It is being towed south (but strangely under power) to York as 0L01 with 40085 and is seen pulling away after being held at a red signal.

There is an audio recording of this event on my Youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/vRuHnSEGYrM
Keywords: 40085 55021 Gateshead-York LE 0L01 Darlington station

55 021 & 40085, Gateshead-York LE (0L01), Darlington station
The ignominy of it! A failed 55021 'Argyll & Sutherland Highlander' is dragged by 40085 from Newcastle to York for traction motor repairs after being failed earlier in the day working the 00.02 King's Cross to Newcastle, however, interestingly, the Deltic was under power along with the Class 40. The Deltic spent the next two weeks at York TMD being released back into traffic on 14.11.80. I am not sure that the famous Richardson thermometer was reading accurately? It says forty degrees Fahrenheit that would be just over four degrees celsius, I do not recall it being that chilly on this, the last day of October. Perhaps its inaccuracy was down to the fact that the well-known company and local employer had just gone into receivership and was never to open again after being trading for well over a century. The site was cleared in 1984 and is now home to the Neasham Road Retail Park.

There is an audio recording of this event on my Youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/vRuHnSEGYrM
Keywords: 55 021 40085 Gateshead-York LE 0L01 Darlington station Argyll & Sutherland Highlander

BR (NE) enamel, Thornaby station
I had spotted this British Railways (NE) tangerine enamel at Thornaby station on the journey out earlier in the day, there were also others around the station but I did not have time to alight from the Class 101 DMU that I was travelling on to capture them. As can be seen, the glazed roof of the fine station building, sitting on an island platform was not in the best of condition. The station was demolished just over a year after I took this photograph in an act described as 'institutionalised vandalism' by the Middlesbrough Gazette in an article titled 'The jewel on the line' * Certainly, today's station is a particularly poor example of one of BRs minimalist designs creating a windswept and unwelcoming travelling environment.

* https://archive.vn/20130420220606/http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2009/06/the-jewel-on-the-line.html
Keywords: BR NE enamel Thornaby station

Albert Bridge, Middlesbrough
The fine and ornate cast-iron bridge that carries the railway and the station over Middlesbrough's Exchange Place was designed by the North Eastern Railway's chief architect William Peachey and was constructed in 1877. It is a target for regular bridge strikes given its 13' 6" limited clearance, indeed, putting the name into a search engine reveals many examples of busses and lorries hitting the structure over the years.
Keywords: Albert Bridge, Middlesbrough

Ex NER wooden upper quadrant signal, Commondale
I noticed this strange and abandoned signal on the way out in the morning and vowed to get a photograph of it on my return. Taken from a Class 101 DMU as we leave the tiny halt at Commondale is this tall timber former NER distant signal complete with a wooden arm. I suspect that it was in connection with the short spur that headed north from the station to the Cleveland Fire Brick & Pottery Company that operated from 1860 until closure in 1947. Local advice would be appreciated on the history of this signal, please!
Keywords: NER wooden upper quadrant signal Commondale North Eastern Railway

Glaisdale station
On leaving Glaisdale station I directed my camera back towards the rather attractive NER station building. Then and now the building is a private residence. I have in my contemporary notes that there was a pile of building materials on the platform, out of view in this shot, appearing to indicate that the dreaded BR bus shelter was about to be constructed. Indeed, in the image of the station from a very similar angle as this on on the Wikipedia page, it is in full view, see.... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaisdale_railway_station#/media/File:Glaisdale_station_geograph-3561181-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
Keywords: Glaisdale station

Tickets, Whitby-Darlington-Whitby
A scan from my notebook shows the four tickets that I purchased from the guard on the pay trains (remember those?) that I took from Whitby to Darlington and back. By modern-day standards, a total of £4.34 seems pretty good value but inflation and forty years have taken their toll and that equivalent cost today would be £22.18. Just for interest sake, I have had a look to see how much this journey would be today. Using similar train times and walk-on fares (as my journey in 1980 was) and remarkably, it is almost half the price at £12.50 return, travelling as an off-peak day return. So that seems to have put paid to those who hark on about how expensive rail travel has got today!
Keywords: Tickets Whitby-Darlington-Whitby

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