NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 92
Rail 200-More About the North East of England
Michael L. Roach
In this Part I am going to look in more depth at the North East of England as a destination for a railway or a non-railway holiday i.e. the territory served by the North Eastern Railway up until 1922 and not the narrower definition of just Northumberland, Co. Durham, Tyne and Wear and The Tees Valley. The NER served a substantial area 160 miles north to south and 40 – 45 miles inland from the coast. The latest version of the North East Rail Rover comes even further south to Cleethorpes, Gainsborough, Retford, Sheffield and Huddersfield.
I read recently one enthusiast's comments that pre-1922 the Great Western Railway had the thickest passenger timetable – but which railway had the second thickest? Possibly the LNWR or The Midland. No, it turned out to be the North Eastern Railway with its really dense network of passenger lines. Many of those branch and secondary routes are now closed but there are still some very interesting lines, such as Newcastle to Carlisle; York to Scarborough; Scarborough to Hull to name but a few. There are also many interesting stations from the large like Newcastle, York and Hull through to many small and medium stations like Beverley, Durham, Filey, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Malton, Wetheral and many more. Many of these and other stations are enhanced by the NER cast-iron footbridges from one platform to the other, and the NER tile maps. The footbridges are all original of course and now more than 100 years old but some of the tile maps are reproductions, but very faithfully done. There are numerous railway landmarks to be seen in such a large area – particularly bridges and viaducts, some dating back to 1825. I cannot recommend the North East too highly. There is history and heritage in abundance, plus wonderful landscapes, stately homes/castles/gardens/harbours/beaches; museums; nature watching; outdoor sports and a lot of industrial archaeology. Some of the Counties and larger towns still produce a printed holiday brochure.
The next paragraph fits in with this instalment's North Eastern theme and is included because I found it so surprising and fascinating when I first came across it. I must have read the words “Neville Hill” hundreds, if not thousands, of times in many decades as a railway enthusiast, because it was one of the steam sheds and later diesel depots serving the City of Leeds. It was situated in the suburb of Osmondthorpe about two miles east of Leeds City Station. It was a large shed built by the North Eastern Railway in 1899 and extended in 1905. Now there were a great many round houses on many different railways in Britain. A round house is in fact square with around two dozen lines radiating from a central turntable. After servicing engines would go onto the turntable and be turned to face an empty line. The longer lines into the corners could accommodate two tank engines. Most engine sheds with roundhouses had one or two, but some very large sheds had four roundhouses, and the one that immediately comes to mind is Old Oak Common which served the Great Western's London terminus at Paddington. OOC's four roundhouses were arranged in a square; and so we come back to Neville Hill. I came across a plan of Neville Hill Shed in a North Eastern Railway Magazine from 1912 which showed the four roundhouses in one long line, which was most unusual. There was only one track in to the first of the roundhouses and two out from the first and second roundhouses coming out of a side wall. If an engine was derailed in the short distance from the coal stage to the first shed it would have caused extreme difficulties until the engine was re-railed with engines having to enter and leave through the side walls of the first and second roundhouses. Does anyone know if there were any steam sheds with three roundhouses?
Before finalising this instalment, I came across an interesting fact about the current Neville Hill Depot. It is the very last rail depot in the country to receive its fuel for the diesel-powered trains by rail; just two tank wagons a week from Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire on the Humber Estuary on a Wednesday. However, having been loss making for several years the owning company filed for bankruptcy on 29 June 2025. The Government stepped in to keep the refinery in operation until a buyer could be found. I am not sure of the final outcome but believe that Neville Hill continues to receive oil by rail from a different refinery on the Humber Estuary.
PS This article was mostly written in December 2024 and has waited a long time to see the light of day.
PPS On 6 February 2026 when this article was basically finished a magazine style book (ISBN: 1-871608-79-1) arrived through the post after purchase on Ebay. It was bought for a 20-page article on the engine sheds at Laira, Plymouth both steam and diesel. When the single roundhouse was being considered by Churchward for the then new site at Laira he actually wanted to build a much larger super-shed of three or four roundhouses. A couple of sites were considered: - 1. A string of four roundhouses in a line just to the east of Tavistock Junction at Marsh Mills on the north side of the main line, later the site of Tavistock Junction up sidings. 2. A square of four roundhouses directly opposite on the other side of the main line, later the site of Tavistock Junction down sidings. 3. A string of four roundhouses in a line just to the west of Lipson Junction on the south side of the main line. None of these proposals were ever built but it was fascinating to read something that I could not remember reading before.
I read recently one enthusiast's comments that pre-1922 the Great Western Railway had the thickest passenger timetable – but which railway had the second thickest? Possibly the LNWR or The Midland. No, it turned out to be the North Eastern Railway with its really dense network of passenger lines. Many of those branch and secondary routes are now closed but there are still some very interesting lines, such as Newcastle to Carlisle; York to Scarborough; Scarborough to Hull to name but a few. There are also many interesting stations from the large like Newcastle, York and Hull through to many small and medium stations like Beverley, Durham, Filey, Haltwhistle, Hexham, Malton, Wetheral and many more. Many of these and other stations are enhanced by the NER cast-iron footbridges from one platform to the other, and the NER tile maps. The footbridges are all original of course and now more than 100 years old but some of the tile maps are reproductions, but very faithfully done. There are numerous railway landmarks to be seen in such a large area – particularly bridges and viaducts, some dating back to 1825. I cannot recommend the North East too highly. There is history and heritage in abundance, plus wonderful landscapes, stately homes/castles/gardens/harbours/beaches; museums; nature watching; outdoor sports and a lot of industrial archaeology. Some of the Counties and larger towns still produce a printed holiday brochure.
The next paragraph fits in with this instalment's North Eastern theme and is included because I found it so surprising and fascinating when I first came across it. I must have read the words “Neville Hill” hundreds, if not thousands, of times in many decades as a railway enthusiast, because it was one of the steam sheds and later diesel depots serving the City of Leeds. It was situated in the suburb of Osmondthorpe about two miles east of Leeds City Station. It was a large shed built by the North Eastern Railway in 1899 and extended in 1905. Now there were a great many round houses on many different railways in Britain. A round house is in fact square with around two dozen lines radiating from a central turntable. After servicing engines would go onto the turntable and be turned to face an empty line. The longer lines into the corners could accommodate two tank engines. Most engine sheds with roundhouses had one or two, but some very large sheds had four roundhouses, and the one that immediately comes to mind is Old Oak Common which served the Great Western's London terminus at Paddington. OOC's four roundhouses were arranged in a square; and so we come back to Neville Hill. I came across a plan of Neville Hill Shed in a North Eastern Railway Magazine from 1912 which showed the four roundhouses in one long line, which was most unusual. There was only one track in to the first of the roundhouses and two out from the first and second roundhouses coming out of a side wall. If an engine was derailed in the short distance from the coal stage to the first shed it would have caused extreme difficulties until the engine was re-railed with engines having to enter and leave through the side walls of the first and second roundhouses. Does anyone know if there were any steam sheds with three roundhouses?
Before finalising this instalment, I came across an interesting fact about the current Neville Hill Depot. It is the very last rail depot in the country to receive its fuel for the diesel-powered trains by rail; just two tank wagons a week from Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire on the Humber Estuary on a Wednesday. However, having been loss making for several years the owning company filed for bankruptcy on 29 June 2025. The Government stepped in to keep the refinery in operation until a buyer could be found. I am not sure of the final outcome but believe that Neville Hill continues to receive oil by rail from a different refinery on the Humber Estuary.
PS This article was mostly written in December 2024 and has waited a long time to see the light of day.
PPS On 6 February 2026 when this article was basically finished a magazine style book (ISBN: 1-871608-79-1) arrived through the post after purchase on Ebay. It was bought for a 20-page article on the engine sheds at Laira, Plymouth both steam and diesel. When the single roundhouse was being considered by Churchward for the then new site at Laira he actually wanted to build a much larger super-shed of three or four roundhouses. A couple of sites were considered: - 1. A string of four roundhouses in a line just to the east of Tavistock Junction at Marsh Mills on the north side of the main line, later the site of Tavistock Junction up sidings. 2. A square of four roundhouses directly opposite on the other side of the main line, later the site of Tavistock Junction down sidings. 3. A string of four roundhouses in a line just to the west of Lipson Junction on the south side of the main line. None of these proposals were ever built but it was fascinating to read something that I could not remember reading before.
Cover of the North Eastern Railway Magazine for November 1912
Plan of Neville Hill Engine Shed as extended in 1905
Many thanks Mike, another interesting read, much appreciated.
For more of Michaels articles, please click here.
For more of Michaels articles, please click here.
Redhill Vans
Roger Geach
For a couple of years we had a Redhill van train, although I can't recall how long it ran for. With different timetables, destinations changed, although in the 1970s they did not - the destinations back then were just Crewe and Paddington.
47759 with the 1400 Penzance - Redhill vans passing Bolitho on 08.08.1994. 47759 was quite a common loco from memory. Copyright Roger Geach.
Common loco or not, it's a superb photo Roger. Many thanks for sharing it with us.
Retro Railfreight
Steve Clark
56054 stabled in Didcot Yard with a Redland Self Discharge train from Banbury. This was unable to return North via its usual route due to Engineering Work. Copyright Steve Clark.
Five Tractors stable at Godfrey Road, Newport with an 08 in the stations Parcel Bay. Copyright Steve Clark.
37197 passes Cardiff with a short rake of SPAs. Copyright Steve Clark.
37698 passes Canton with a Coal train whilst 3 other 37s await servicing at CF. Copyright Steve Clark.