Tyne and Wear Metro history resources

[Journeyman]

Currently doing some work relating to the Tyne and Wear Metro, and it's giving me an appetite for some background reading.

I know a bit about how it evolved from the old Tyneside electric system, and how it was built, but not as much as I'd like to know. Are there any good books about how the system was planned, constructed and opened?

 

[Crimzz]

A lot of stuff out there for the Metro system, On youtube you had two interesting documentaries one called Tyne and Wear Metro: Clocking Up The Kilometres (1989) and Metro - The way ahead.

 

[Goldie]

There are some really nice construction photographs on https://www.somethingconcreteandmodern.co.uk/.

 

[Ken H]

Currently doing some work relating to the Tyne and Wear Metro, and it's giving me an appetite for some background reading.

I know a bit about how it evolved from the old Tyneside electric system, and how it was built, but not as much as I'd like to know. Are there any good books about how the system was planned, constructed and opened?

Sorry if I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs,

1. The T&W metro didn't follow on from the electric services, There was a phase when Newcastle locals were DMU. BTW, did you know the Newcastle electrics went to southern? They were basically 2-EPB's
2. Do you know about the T&W test track, Part of it is now the North tyneside Steam railway
3. The Gosforth shed was built by LNER in 1923 to house the new electrics. It converted to DMU in the 1960's. then to Metro. There was a time when DMU and Metro vehicles co-existed - https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8252/8512140607_ba42d95641_z.jpg
4. There used to be freight on the Metro. There was a connection with BR near Benton and the freights went over the Gosforth avoiding line then onto what is now the airport branch, then just a freight line beyond Bank Foot. The overhead on that section is (used to be?) to BR clearances, not the lower (in height) T & W standard

 

[Scott M]

DM told me when the system first opened they used to emergency brake (or brake at the highest setting below emergency) into every station to minimise journey time, but were almost shut down by the RAIB because they kept over shooting stations. So now they brake more slowly.

 

[Busaholic]

I can't find anything on Tyne and Wear on the urbanrail.net website that lists dozens, if not hundreds, of books on metro systems worldwide. There have obviously been fleetbooks, etc, but I'd have thought if a comprehensive account of the formation (at the very least) of Tyne and Wear Metro had ever been produced it would feature. Back issues of 'Modern Tramways' magazine would be a good source and I do know that Mike Parker of Nexus was high up in the organisation that produces that mag, now known as 'Tramways & Urban Transit'.

 

[Ken H]

seem to remember articles in Modern railways from when it first started.

 

[FQTV]

There are some really nice construction photographs on https://www.somethingconcreteandmodern.co.uk/.

Thank you for posting that link; I wasn’t aware of the website before and there’s some superb imagery there.

 

[Graeme]

There used to be freight on the Metro. There was a connection with BR near Benton and the freights went over the Gosforth avoiding line then onto what is now the airport branch

I remember watching blue diesels pulling freight vans through Regent Centre after it opened as a Metro station: sorry but can't remember the exact types now. I was told at the time that some served the Winthrop Laboratories and (more likely) the Rowntree factory up at Fawdon.

 

[DanNCL]

Currently doing some work relating to the Tyne and Wear Metro, and it's giving me an appetite for some background reading.

I know a bit about how it evolved from the old Tyneside electric system, and how it was built, but not as much as I'd like to know. Are there any good books about how the system was planned, constructed and opened?

Unfortunately there aren't any books - I spent a good amount of time trying to find books on Metro without success earlier in the year.

The archives in Newcastle's City Library have quite a few original documents from when Metro was built so contacting them may be worth a try? Other than that I'm not sure what to recommend unfortunately.

1. The T&W metro didn't follow on from the electric services, There was a phase when Newcastle locals were DMU. BTW, did you know the Newcastle electrics went to southern? They were basically 2-EPB's

Only the South Shields line third rail EMUs were 2-EPBs, the units used north of the river were ex LNER units of a unique design and were all scrapped when third rail services ended in 1967.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Tyneside_electric_units

I think BR/TWPTE must have realised that the DMUs were a mistake quite quickly as Metro was already in the planning stages less than 5 years after the last third rail services operated, and 4001/4002 had been built only 8 years after the last third rail units went.

4. There used to be freight on the Metro. There was a connection with BR near Benton and the freights went over the Gosforth avoiding line then onto what is now the airport branch, then just a freight line beyond Bank Foot. The overhead on that section is (used to be?) to BR clearances, not the lower (in height) T & W standard

The OHLE still is at BR clearances west of Regent Centre I believe, not sure about Longbenton to Benton though.

 

[142094]

Unfortunately there aren't any books - I spent a good amount of time trying to find books on Metro without success earlier in the year.

The archives in Newcastle's City Library have quite a few original documents from when Metro was built so contacting them may be worth a try? Other than that I'm not sure what to recommend unfortunately.


Only the South Shields line third rail EMUs were 2-EPBs, the units used north of the river were ex LNER units of a unique design and were all scrapped when third rail services ended in 1967.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNER_Tyneside_electric_units

I think BR/TWPTE must have realised that the DMUs were a mistake quite quickly as Metro was already in the planning stages less than 5 years after the last third rail services operated, and 4001/4002 had been built only 8 years after the last third rail units went.


The OHLE still is at BR clearances west of Regent Centre I believe, not sure about Longbenton to Benton though.

OHL was at BR height from Benton south to west curve all the way to Callerton for trains running up to the ICI plant, and still is. rest of the system excluding the Sunderland extension the wires are lower, which is why any new rolling stock can't be to standard Network Rail clearances.

 

[AndrewP]

Try contacting Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums based at the excellent discovery Museum.

https://twmuseums.org.uk

Also there will be something on Skyscraper City but I havent done the search

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2258#/forums/2258

 

[AutoKratz]

If you’ve got a spare 10 minutes there are two interesting New Scientist articles about the Metro from the ‘70s.

Interestingly, the initial idea was that the Metrocars would emerge on-street and travel to the West End of Newcastle as they were originally classed as ‘supertrams’ capable of street running.

Tyneside Supertram (1) Tyneside’s Metro Gathers Momentum
https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/New_Scientist.html?id=Ajl7-D117KcC&redir_esc=y

Tyneside Supertram (2) Metro’s Well-tried Technology
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...ce=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false