This is the furthest back in time I’ve gone on this thread. A spotting trip to Northallerton with teenage friends in July 1962.
Saturday 14th July 1962
A1 60154 09:34 West Hartlepool-Northallerton (09:04 Sunderland-Kings X)
D353 19:18 Northallerton-West H’pool (Sunderland portion of 15:00 ex KX)
We left on time at 09:34 passing B1 61275 on four or five coaches, waiting in the south bay platform with the 10:07 West Hartlepool-Blackpool (a Saltburn portion would be attached at Stockton). V2 60916 (51L) had arrived in the station to work the 10:47 West H‘pool-Manchester Exchange.
Alighted at Northallerton and watched Bon Accord promptly pull away. The A1 was booked to work right through to Kings Cross. Noted some Standard 2-6-0s 78010, 78014 and Ivatt 46477 at the shed by the low level avoiding line. The next passenger train to arrive was a Scarborough-Glasgow behind B16 61448, and after that it was a constant stream of passenger, freight and parcels traffic through the station or along the avoiding line.
During our stay, spent on Northallerton station, I recorded the following steam and diesels locos (totals in brackets).
Steam: A4(6), A3(7), A1(6), A2(2), V2(17), B1(6), B16(2), K1(4), WD(6).
Diesel: Deltic(9), Peak(6), EE Type 4(26), Type 2(8).
By early evening the traffic was easing. The last A4 seen 60033 came through at 18:20 on the 17:10 Newcastle-Kings Cross, and A3 60088 passed on a northbound freight at 19:15, having worked a southbound express earlier in the day.
Travelled back on the Sunderland portion of the 15:00 Kings Cross-Newcastle, which had been detached at York. It arrived 15 minutes late at 19:30, behind D353 on three coaches, and departed just as late. What we didn’t know, no mobile phones or internet back then, was that the FSO Manchester Exchange-Newcastle (via the Durham Coast) running 30 minutes behind us, had Royal Scot 46130 at it’s head. This train didn’t call at Northallerton, but if alighting at Stockton to wait it’s pending arrival, some very rare haulage would have been possible……if only!! I did however catch a sighting of 46130, from my bedroom window a few minutes after arriving home.
