consett line 1970s/80s

[ecmlthrash15]

Does anyone know if any of the many railway magazines have featured articles on the line to consett, featuring the class 37s with iron ore during the 70s, until it’s closure in the 80s? thanks.

 

[Magdalia]

Does anyone know if any of the many railway magazines have featured articles on the line to consett, featuring the class 37s with iron ore during the 70s, until it’s closure in the 80s? thanks.

Railway Magazine July 1974 has a 2 page article "Service to the steel industry". This is mostly about the Tyne Dock-Consett ore trains that ended in March 1974, with traction provided by pairs of class 24s. The article does include some information about the replacement Redcar-Consett iron ore trains that were hauled by pairs of class 37s.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Railway Magazine July 1974 has a 2 page article "Service to the steel industry". This is mostly about the Tyne Dock-Consett ore trains that ended in March 1974, with traction provided by pairs of class 24s. The article does include some information about the replacement Redcar-Consett iron ore trains that were hauled by pairs of class 37s.

Thanks for that. I am aware of that particular article. I’ve heard that it was a bad move allocating the class 24/5s on the Consett line. Those trains were notoriously unreliable.

 

[Magdalia]

I’ve heard that it was a bad move allocating the class 24/5s on the Consett line.

Gateshead had a dedicated pool of class 24s D5102-D5111 for the Tyne Dock-Consett iron ore trains. They were specially equipped with air pumps and connectors to operate the doors on the wagons.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Gateshead had a dedicated pool of class 24s D5102-D5111 for the Tyne Dock-Consett iron ore trains. They were specially equipped with air pumps and connectors to operate the doors on the wagons.

from pelaw it is uphill all the way to consett. i’ve read that those 24/5s were continuously failing.

 

[Magdalia]

from pelaw it is uphill all the way to consett. i’ve read that those 24/5s were continuously failing.

Class 25s did not work the Tyne Dock-Consett iron ore trains as they were not equipped with the air pumps and connectors needed to operate the doors on the wagons.

The class 24s would not have lasted for nearly 10 years if they had been continuously failing. They were the first traction to operate the trains without banking assistance. The July 1974 article says that trains were 9 wagons each 29 tons tare holding 56 tons of ore. I make that total trailing load 765 tons within the capability of a pair of Type 2s even on steep gradients.

The July 1974 article also hints that the main factor making the service unreliable was the compressed air operated doors.

 

[Gloster]

David Monk-Steel’s book on hopper wagons (HMRS, 2022) says that the old wagons originally worked in sets of four, with two sets forming a train. There were three trains in service, one set under maintenance and two spare wagons at any one time. When the 9F took over around May 1956 it became three sets of nine and three spare wagons; this was unchanged when the Class 24 took over between May 1965 and November 1966. The last day of the old wagons was 24 March 1974.

 

[MoleStation]

Could this site be if any use?

(no title)

- A HISTORY OF THE TYNE DOCK TO CONSETT RAILWAY -

southpelawjunction.co.uk

 

[Gloster]

A further small piece of information is that before the introduction of the Diagram 1/182 bogie wagons in 1952, trains were normally made up of twenty-two 12’ wheelbase former Ministry of Transport iron-ore hoppers (LNER Diagram 167). These were almost identical to LNER coal hoppers, the type that later became TOPS HTO and HTV, and they went into coal traffic once they were no longer required for Consett trains.