1950s six-wheel coaches

PETE Kelly, in his excellent piece ‘A Golden Age’ (July), made me smile when he mentioned that the use of “six-wheel carriages (would continue) well into the 20th century”. You bet they did!

As an eight-year-old in July 1951, I travelled several times on the North Sunderland Railway to Seahouses, and as the accompanying picture shows, the consist behind NER-built ‘Y7’ 0-4-0 No. 68089 is two ex-Great Eastern (or Great Northern?) sixwheeled carriages with a van.

It is my understanding that after closure of the line in October 1951, the two carriages went on to see service elsewhere, possibly on workmen’s trains.

I am the tallest one in the picture, along with my two younger brothers.

Gordon Casely Crathes, Kincardineshire