Stockton & Darlington 150

Morning All

Thanks to all the people who have passed comments on the above collection there are 5 more by Mike Hutton here

Raising Steam
Railway-Photography's Photos : Steam Misc : Stockton & Darlington 150 1975 | SmugMug

Darlington Station Exhibition
S & D 1975 Darlington Station Exhibition - Railway-Photography's Photos | SmugMug

Shildon Exhibition
Shildon Exhibition - Railway-Photography's Photos | SmugMug

4767 naming ceremony
4767 Naming Ceremony - Railway-Photography's Photos | SmugMug

Shildon Shuttles
Shildon Shuttles - Railway-Photography's Photos | SmugMug

Many thanks to Mike Hutton for allowing me to use these photos

Neil

 

One of the saddest pictures is S15 841, now a dumped set of frames. Sadly several of the other locos depicted are now hidden away in sheds as well.

 

It's striking the number of locomotives in pre-nationalisation liveries. I guess so soon after the demise of steam on BR it was the preferred option not to have a BR livery if possible something which seems to have gone full circle?

 

Great memories - can see myself on 41241

 

My theory is that the older enthusiasts (who tend to be more dominant in societies / have more money / influence) tend to want to recreate what they remember from their youth 50 or so years before. So in 1975 that meant pre-grouping liveries, because there were still plenty of enthusiasts who could remember them. In the 1980s / 1990s, it meant grouping liveries (hence the preponderance of mainline locos at that time in LMS / GW / SR / LNER guise). These days, going back 50 years or so means recreating the BR period. What is interesting is what will happen twenty years or so on from now, when no-one will remember steam in its original incarnation. I predict a much greater diversity of liveries, because the support base will have all sorts of different reasons for what they want to recreate, but recreation of mainline steam of their youth won't be a significant one of them.

Tom

 

That event in 1975. I went there on an excursion from the West Country and as we arrived fairly early, those of us who wished to could stay on the platform at Shildon station. Others took up viewing & photting positions where they wished.
A 175th anniversary was planned for the year 2000, but didn't materialise.
Some tour operators were prepared to run excursions there but at more than the cost of a normal return fare to Shildon.
Prices were announced for seats in a grand stand. Those wishing to pay less could stand in a field. Too bad if you were not in the first three rows. It was announced that stewards would move on anyone loitering on an overbridge trying to geta free view (even if the bridge was a public right of way). I still wonder about the legality of that proposal. Needless to say, the event did not happen.
Will there be one in 2025?

 

I think you've got it spot on, Tom. Personally, I suspect we'll see a swing back to pre-nationalisation liveries in the not too distant future as your group of 'older' enthusiasts try to recreate how the locos when they knew them in their younger days i.e how they looked when they were first preserved.

 

With six years to go until a theoretical 'Shildon 200', do people think it will happen? What organisations/powers that be came together to organise the first one? I wasn't around for it so I don't know what the circumstances were. (Resurrecting a thread for this with 6 years to go may be a bit cheeky but it does take a number of years to plan an event and get it right, especially if the right locos that could and should be there, are.)

 

I guess that next time they will work out which side of the line is best for photos and charge accordingly. At the 150th the cheapskates in the field, like me, had the right light and the people in the expensive grandstand were shooting into the sun.
I'd love to think it might happen but I feel that maybe the work involved against the return would put organisations off. No longer do we have a coherent rail system capable of organising such special events.

 

Also bear in mind that BR sometimes demanded that locos were not to display BR livery, as it was their copyright. Look at Clun Castle, Pendennis Castle, Sir Nigel Gresley, Flying Scotsman and many of the smaller locos in the early days of preservation/mainline running. The only one I can think of that didn't go 'pre-nationalisation' was Clan Line, but I think they had an arrangement or permission due to the fact it was a 'rebuild' in BR days.

 

I went to the 150 event with my father. I was in a somewhat delicate psychological state at the time and reacted badly to some problems, both before we even got there and then, if my memory serves, deciding not to take our paid-for places on the grandstand because of the pall of cigarette smoke (which I find painful even out of doors). This thread has now reminded me to look at my photos from that day.

 

Ha !. Some of us cheapskates ended up in a field on the wrong side for the light . I've only ever scanned one of the shots I took that day.
It was a fun day out although in retrospect the loco and stock movements to and from Shildon would have been far more interesting to see than the loco parade, but I lived on the wrong side of the country.
For Rainhill in 1980 I was able to see many of the movements to Bold but everything was put into chaos by a steam ban due to the hot weather at the time.
I had a day in the stands at Rainhill but you could see very little clearly over the rows in front of you and standing up to take any photo, even if for a few seconds, was met by a chorus of 'sit down'. .
Wouldn't bother to go to a cavalcade again. If there is any event in 2025 I suspect it will just be something static in the Shildon museum building involving as little effort as possible,

 

Which would be the biggest shame of all, as shildon itself is like a living history museum, any event should be spread over the town.

 

For the 150th we camped nearby, went to all of the various museums, shows and events etc. The whole town seemed involved which made it a real community event.
In the days before the net we had no idea of the movements of locos to get there so we missed out on many great sights. All my pictures are on slides stored back in the UK.

 

Ah yes - back then you needed a contact with access to the special traffic notices.

 

I suspect this is why we are seeing increased desire for BR blue on locos (people born late 50s into 60s teenager 70s and early 80s) and I am sure in a few years time for some of the other BR liveries ie inter city, nse, Scotrail. I imagine in 2046 we will see demand for Virgin, Stagecoach, East Coast, FGW liveries etc. Imagine the debates which livery should the class 66, Pacer or Voyager be in....

 

The B.R. Liverpool area chief P.R.O. (can't remember his name now) arranged a special train from Liverpool Lime St. direct to Shildon. The dozen or so of us from Steamport were allowed to join Bill McAlpine in 'his' field, on the correct side of the light, as long as we didn't stand up and get in his view - a real gent. It would be great to see it again 50 yrs later, particularly with the NRM outstation now being there, but I'm not holding my breath! Last time (and at Rocket 150) each loco had to have a B.R. crew and I doubt that they could find even a fraction of those needed.
Ray.

 

Whessoe shed should also be a focus for 200 and then a legacy.

 

Absolutely it should, shildon has lost so much already, if there was to be a 200th anniversary things like the level crossing have long gone, as well as the look and 'feel' of the place. Here's some reminders for people.




Of course the best locos wouldn't be able to be shown again, as someone eloquently put it in the YouTube comments "the filthy art students that now run the NRM are scared of things that boil water these days", some interesting new builds could be fielded however.

 

'Eloquent'? It's a deeply unpleasant, nasty personal attack on NRM staff and given the severe financial pressures they work under rather unfair too IMHO.