ULTIMATE SURVIVOR
How NELPG saved ‘Q6’ No. 63395
From its North Road works at Darlington came a long line of distinguished North Eastern Railway locomotives, not least the Raven ‘Atlantics’, but also a host of unpretentious, workaday locomotives designed to transport the very lifeblood of the North East – coal, iron and steel.
The NER’s requirements for its coal and mineral engines were straightforward – no nonsense power and lots of it!
By the time of the First World War, these requirements were being met by two distinct types of locomotive – six and eight-coupled tender engines, examples of which were to survive until the end of BR steam operations in the area.
Among these were the ‘T2’ (later ‘Q6’) class 0-8-0s, 120 of which were built between 1913 and 1921 by the NER for working heavy coal traffic. Designed by Vincent Raven, these powerful and (to some) elegant engines were built with superheated boilers and steam reversing gear and, not surprisingly, they were popular with drivers and firemen all over the system.
The preserved engine we know today, No. 63395, was completed as ‘T2’ No. 2238 by the NER at its Darlington North Road Works on December 2 1918, one of eight built in that year.
It was a special order, authorised by the War Office, that permitted the construction of this batch, to replace those sent to France and enable the NER to continue vital freight haulage, particularly of coal for the Royal Navy, at a time when all materials were required for the war effort.
In the ‘T2’, Vincent Raven produced an engine that could be driven ‘all out’ – full regulator and full forward gear – for indefinite periods at anything up to mineral train speeds.
In 1915, examples of the class had undergone dynamometer trials on 700-ton trains between Newport and Shildon in Co. Durham, giving some impressive performances and comparing very favourably with the new electric locomotives which had just begun working that line.
The ‘T2s’, or ‘Q6s’ as they were later classified by the LNER and BR, proved to be extremely successful engines, carrying on a fine NER tradition for freight haulage.
As a measure of their success, the basic design of the locomotive was never altered, though some engines – including No. 63395 – gave up their self-trimming tenders to the famous NER three-cylinder ‘Atlantics’, in exchange for conventional ones.
Following completion, No. 2238 was sent to Gateshead for running-in and allocation to Blaydon depot. There it remained for 25 years before it began extensive travels throughout the North East.
Sojourns at Newport, Darlington, West Hartlepool and Hull Dairycoates preceded a long spell allocated to Selby depot from December 1 1949. On June 14 1959, No. 63395 was transferred once more to Darlington, and then to Consett, before the engine was finally sent to Sunderland South Dock on May 23 1965.
From here the ‘Q6’ worked south to Vane Tempest, Seaham, Teesside and South Hetton, and northwards to the Tyne until, as the last ‘Q6’ in service, it embarked upon its journey into preservation.
THEN THERE WERE TWO
Twenty-four ‘Q6s’ were in traffic when NELPG was founded in October 1966, but, as time progressed, they were gradually withdrawn from service and sold to local scrap dealers.
In the three months to January 31 1967, withdrawals at Tyne Dock, Sunderland and Hartlepool left just 17 ‘Q6s’, and by the original planned finishing date of June 1967 they were down to just 11 – but still the survivors were working flat out every day. Tyne Dock withdrew its last two ‘Q6s’ on July 1, leaving just four – Nos. 63431, 63344 and 63387 at Hartlepool, and a solitary No. 63395 at Sunderland.
At its inaugural meeting, NELPG founder members had voted narrowly to preserve a ‘J27’ rather than a ‘Q6’. However, following the success of the ‘J27’ appeal, when No. 65894 was purchased on December 1 1967, thoughts turned to buying a ‘Q6’, but at that time, NELPG clearly didn’t have the money.
However, members could still dream: if they had some money, which engine would they buy? All remaining ‘Q6s’, like the ‘J27s’, were in quite an appalling condition, having endured at least 60,000 miles of heavy use since their last major overhauls.
There was no expert inspection made of the two survivors, but it was decided to try and have one locomotive put aside – and the chosen engine was No. 63395. This was partly because it had had a Darlington North Road intermediate overhaul in September 1965, but also because it was a favourite engine with enthusiasts, who had unofficially cleaned it and taken lots of pictures, with black smoke arranged with the helpful crews!
In the meantime, good contacts had been established with the regional BR engineering managers at Newcastle, many of whom had a soft spot for steam, even though these same men were responsible for eliminating it! One of these was John Bellwood, traction engineer for the North Eastern Region who, at the time, was himself involved with preservation at the nascent Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.
John allowed the ‘Q6’ to be safeguarded until June 1968, pending the anticipated purchase for a quoted price of £2,100. The appeal for donations to save the last ‘Q6’ was launched in early December 1967, but news of this appeal in the railway press could not be in place until January 1968.
After the high of writing out the cheque to buy No. 65894, NELPG received a body blow when the group received a letter from BR, dated December 5 1967, that starkly said:
“Locomotive No. 63395, together with other locomotives, has been disposed of by competitive tender and I regret it is not now available for offer to you”.
The news was a terrible shock, particularly in the light of previous assurances. Worse was to follow.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE?
It was scheduled to be towed from what we thought was the safe haven of Tyne Dock to Hughes Bolckow’s scrapyard at Blyth the next day. Then, to the surprise and delight of the group’s members, the diesel locomotive crew rostered to accompany the engine did not report for duty that day.
Many theories exist as to why this happened. Some suggested that the famous Newcastle Brown Ale may have played a significant role, but it is more likely that John Bellwood, who was central to the engine being put aside, had intervened, phoned the shedmaster and cancelled the job to allow time for the NELPG committee to find a way forward.
Within 24 hours, an emergency committee meeting was exploring all options to save No. 63395. The Hughes Bolckow managing director was soon convinced of the passion to save No. 63395, the very last steam engine to be bought by the scrapyard, but he was unable to re‑sell it because of a condition of his BR purchase contract that banned its re‑sale. This was a standard condition, applicable to all scrap dealers in the UK, and it also applied to the hundreds of engines in Dai Woodham’s scrapyard at Barry in South Wales.
NELPG’s chairman at the time, Bryce Greenfield, had, during the bulk purchasing negotiation, reduced the price of No. 65894, and had an excellent working relationship with ARPS Chairman Peter Manisty.
The latter set up a meeting with the British Rail Board, and the entire preservation movement owes him a debt of gratitude for what happened next. Peter liked a challenge and came out of the meeting having changed the standard terms and conditions of the BRB sales contract – a truly amazing feat.
Engines for the very first time could now be re‑sold to preservation groups. It was the breakthrough, initiated by NELPG, that allowed a real chance to save No. 63395, and to provide the opportunity for other preservationists to pursue the locomotives at Barry.
Meanwhile, No. 63395 remained at Tyne Dock as further meetings with Hughes Bolckow took place and a deal was finally struck, whereby the scrapyard would be given £200 more than the £2,100 they paid for the engine by way of compensation for lost profit, and staged payments were agreed with the total price of £2,300 (£39,200 in today’s money) to be raised in five months. The enormity of this task should not be underestimated.
It had taken a full 12 months for NELPG to raise the £1,400 to save No. 65894, and it now had just five months to raise £2,300.
As if this was not hard enough, several other preservation societies were making similar appeals elsewhere for schemes to acquire ‘B1’ No. 61306, ‘A2’ No. 60532 Blue Peter and ‘J21’ No. 65033 (the latter was saved just five days before it was to be towed away for scrap) while ‘J72’ No. 69023 had been purchased privately by Ron Ainsworth. It was against this uncertain background, where things could change on a daily basis, that
NELPG was trying to raise the then enormous sum of £2,300.
Drastic action was required, so an emergency newsletter was sent out appealing for donations. The reaction was unprecedented. From £464 on December 31, the fund rose to £1,316 by January 5 1968, a fantastic response to the appeal, which included a sizeable donation of £500 from Vice President Brian Hollingsworth: it was an amazing donation at just the right time.
Thus, on April 1, the committee was able to report that No. 63395 had been purchased. As this story indicates, No. 63395 is a true survivor. It was the last engine Hughes Bolckow bought for scrap but an engine that never arrived at their yard – a tribute to all the enthusiasts who rose to the challenge to secure its future.
BIG ENGINES NEEDED
The ‘Q6’ was immediately moved to Thornaby depot, where it was stored in the roundhouse while NELPG volunteers restored it.
This culminated in a successful steaming in the spring of 1970 and a move to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on June 20 that year.
At the time it was a marriage of convenience: NELPG had two locomotives but nowhere to run them, and the infant NYMR had a railway but no big engines! While the ‘Q6’ was outshopped from Thornaby in BR black livery, after a short time on the NYMR it was changed to LNER unlined black, with the number 3395 and then, in time for ‘S&D150’, to lined NER livery as ‘T2’ No. 2238.
Although the ‘Q6’ made its debut on the NYMR on June 25 1970, it has been out of traffic for periodic overhaul, though following its withdrawal at the end of the 1982 operating season it was to languish for 25 years before returning to traffic once more in 2007 after a lengthy but very thorough seven-year overhaul, partly financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
It was then in regular use until 2012, averaging over
4,500 miles each year. Following a boiler overhaul at Crewe in 2012/13, the ‘Q6’ returned to traffic in 2014, only to be withdrawn for axlebox repairs in 2017, but it resumed its duties in 2018 in time for its centenary. Its highest annual mileage was 7,296 in 2016 and its total NYMR mileage to date is 54,762.
While the locomotive has spent the majority of its preservation working life on the NYMR, it has been away from the railway on the odd occasion: its first foray was in 1972 when it went on display in Newcastle Central station. Then, in 1975, it participated in the memorable Stockton & Darlington Railway 150th anniversary celebrations at Shildon, alongside the group’s ‘J27’ and ‘K1’.
More recently, the ‘Q6’ has appeared at Locomotion, Shildon and enjoyed working visits to the Great Central Railway in 2009, and the Severn Valley Railway in September 2018.
Appropriately, the ‘Q6’ worked a return service from Grosmont to Pickering and back on December 2 2018, exactly 100 years to the day since it was outshopped from North Road Works at Darlington. A momentous occasion, indeed.
This will be followed by a relaunch of the engine in NER livery in May, so we’ll be able to say ‘Happy 100th Birthday’ all over again!
● This is a précis of the full story of the preservation of the ‘Q6’ which appears in Keeping North Eastern Steam Alive, The Remarkable Story of 50 Years of the NELPG. These are available from Silver Link Publishing (quick link: https://bit.ly/2THK6yd).