Leeds Northern Memories

IN THE excellent 125th anniversary Issue (July), many RM readers would have noticed that in the nostalgic feature ‘Thanks for the memories!’ there was a contribution from Practice & Performance writer John Heaton, with his memories of the Huddersfield railway scene in 1959, and the sight and sound of a LNWR G2a 0-8-0.

John’s recollections of a product of Crewe Works are interesting, but equally so are his ‘Practice & Performance’ articles, particularly those which feature products of Doncaster Works, and their performance in the 1950s on the former North Eastern Region of British Railways.

In the closing paragraphs of his P&P in the May 2007 issue, there is a very brief reference to locomotive rosters on the Leeds Northern (linking Leeds to Thirsk/Northallerton via Harrogate and Ripon). Logs of locomotive performance on the Leeds Northern are probably in short supply, but of particular interest would be the Liverpool-Newcastle trains, which during that period reversed at Leeds following arrival behind perhaps a ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 double-headed with a ‘Black Five’ 4-6-0.

This train was classed as ‘load not to exceed 400 tons tare’ (11 coaches are 380, 12 are 410) and, if only an ‘A3’ was available, it was often double-headed with a ‘D49’ 4-4-0 or ‘B16’ 4-6-0 for the long climb out through the Leeds suburbs. Headingley bank begins at 1-in-130 but steepens to 1-in-100 for four miles to beyond Horsforth and the famous Bramhope Tunnel.

However, if an ‘A2’ was available, it was considered powerful enough to lift this train out of Leeds without assistance. The ‘A2s’ fitted with a Kylchap double blastpipe and chimney proved to be very strong locomotives, and Newcastle-based ‘A2s’ (of 52A Gateshead and 52B Heaton) often worked through to Leeds – particularly Nos. 60538 Velocity and 60539 Bronzino.

For a period in the mid/late-1950s, these two locomotives working back to their home shed were regular performers on the Liverpool-Newcastle train that passed through Headingley before 5.00pm.

Spotters gathered adjacent to the northern portal of Headingley tunnel certainly knew if an unassisted ‘A2’ was approaching up Headingley bank, and had a grandstand view as it emerged from the tunnel with a thunderous roar, probably with ‘twelve on’, heading for Ripon and the East Coast Main Line.

George Sidebottom

By email

John Heaton adds: I have recently completed a Leeds Northern article, mainly on the ‘Queen of Scots’, although a publication date has yet to be decided upon.