Saturday 17/10 - Ken Hemmings

Around 1960 Ken Hemmings, a school leaver from Dunston who was keen on railways, started as a post boy for BR in Gateshead.   His bicycle round was the Tanfield Branch, daily delivering mail & notices to every signalbox, crossing cabin & yard bothy on the line.   Seeking a railway career, his next job was as a cleaner at Greenesfield shed, where he soon progressed to passed cleaner, firing as required on yard shunting, main line trips, at Dunston staiths, and the Tanfield Branch.

Ken on a J72 in the yard for Dunston staiths
(photo courtesy of Ken Hemmings)

People at ET

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Irene preparing the tea carriage ......

William Thomas

William Thomas, from the only known portrait
(artwork courtesy of Yasmin Turnbull)

This post follows today's talk by Les Turnbull at the Lit & Phil.

William Thomas (17xx - 1824) was the steward of Elizabeth Montague's northern estates & the viewer of her East Denton Colliery.   He was consulting engineer at Blackett's Wylam Colliery and a founding member of both the Lit & Phil and the Society of Antiquaries.

As a visionary, William was notable for his views on railways, which in his time were usually single purpose non-passenger unidirectional pit to port waggonways.   His ideas for the development of railways became evident in 1800 when he gave a talk at the Lit & Phil espousing a steam double track inter city railway between Newcastle & Carlisle, not only for bulk  materials such as coal, but also to carry general goods & passengers.   I wonder how many of his contemporaries thought similarly in NE England, a quarter century before the S&DR?

Brian High

Brian cutting a gasket .....

Joicey Collieries around Tanfield

The following is a short extract from a facsimile of A History of Coal, Coke, Coalfields znd Iron Manufacture in Northern England by William Fordyce, published in 1860.   At the time, the NER was newly established, the Tanfield Branch was an iron railway without locomotives, colliers worked 12-18 hours a day (unionisation was in its infancy), wooden brigs predominated - but could not pass beyond the Georgian bridge at Newcastle, & the TIC had barely started to improve navigability of the Tyne.   The book may have been written for the general knowledge & interest of educated Victorians who would have understood the importance of coal & iron to the NE economy.

A coal mill used to pump water from mines, similar to that at Bobgins
(I believe drawn by TH Hair about 1830)

Selling Steam Sentinels to Steelworks

In 1950 Ken Judkins, who had had a working life pre WWII with steam road traction, began a late career as a demonstrator for Thomas Hill of Rotherham.   Thos. Hill was an agent for Sentinels of Shrewsbury and all were concerned in selling steam over diesel.    Ken made an impact in this role, selling new steam locomotives to industrial concerns around Britain.   He later became associated with Chasewater Railway and wrote a couple of books, a story from "My Life in Steam" (Oakwood Press, 1970) being reproduced below.

Ken Judkins at Chasewater Railway
(Courtesy Chasewater News 1994)

The Bishop

Bill Hampson in the Redhill Gang at Little Benton
(photo courtesy of Les Turnbull)

See Bill's foreword in Les Turnbull's 2007 book "Tickets Not Transferable".   Les dedicated his 2021 book "The First Tanfield Railway" to Bill.   The 2012 book by John Gilroy "The Glory and the Steam" contains tales of another 1950s Heaton Loco spotter.

Horden Works

First arrival at Andrews House from East Tanfield

North East Notables

Any list of notables incorporates bias, misses important folk & adds contemporaries who may soon be forgotten.   Can you put a name to each of these faces of people, dead or alive, associated with NE England?

Journalist, Businessman, Engineer

Sportsman, Politician, Engineer

Actress, Director, Philosopher

Sportsman, Trade Unionist, Scientist

Diplomat, Engineer, Actor

Sportsman, Musician, Sailor

Answers will appear below .....

Colin Mountford

Dr Michael Bailey, President of the Stephenson Locomotive Society, presenting the first SLS Literary Award to Colin Mountford for his book Rope & Chain Haulage in 2016

Doxfords

William (1812-1882) & Hannah Doxford with daughters c1840

Crane tank locos built by Hawthorn Leslie & RSH which were used at Doxford's shipyard at Pallion have recently featured on Tanfield Railway Facebook.

James Joicey, 1st Baron Joicey

James Joicey 1846-1936 
(1925 photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Creative Commons Licence)

Tanfield Railway is well connected to James Joicey.
He is featured today on Tanfield Railway's Facebook page.
He was born in Tanfield.
He owned East Tanfield Colliery & several more around Stanley.
His companies owned many collieries in County Durham. 
He owned Twizell  &  LH&JC No.14.

NE Miners Talk

NE miners talking in 2014 of their experiences & conditions in a video on Vimeo (2015, 55 mins)
Caution - contains everyday NE dialects, pitmatic, pit humour, tales & technical terms - no subtitles

Thomas Elliot Harrison

Blue plaque on a house in Whitburn Village

Signalling Record Society

Thanks to Rob Fallon, who mentioned the interesting web site of the Signalling Record Society which gathers & shares information about railway signalling.


In particular, it presents videos of signalmen & their memories, one of whom is Michael Rising, a Tyneside signalman born in 1937, at work around Tyne Dock, Boldon & Washington from the 1950s.

Michael Rising recording his memories of Pontop Crossing 

The site also contains mainline signalling notices & diagrams for the NE of England. 

Matthew Kirtley Plaque

The plaque unveiled today at Clough Dene, near Kirtley's birthplace

More Mince Pies

The photos below were taken yesterday &, except as noted, are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Angela sets a train away from ET

NPE Day #9 - Polar People

David shunting carriages for the NPE
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Tuesday Moves

Move #1 - taking the dumper to East Tanfield

Two Stars

NTM on RSH 38 - but I don't know the date - leave it in a comment