The History of Consett Steelworks project team are excited by the growing collection and interactions we a range of people locally & around the world
We are exploring how we can work with partners like the National Archive and others to make sure the remarkable history is maintained for future generations as well us all of us now. Partners like the National Archive can also help make sure that advances in technology will not impact the collection storage or accessibility
This is part of being the custodians of this rich local industrial heritage and wish to leave a true legacy for the future.
One of of largest parts of the current collection is an amazing range of items donated by the family of the late Tommy Moore
We’ve been slowly digitising the many VHS and MiniDV tapes we acquired a year ago from the estate of the late Tommy Moore.
Among them we’ve found this one, that seems to show a train journey from Newcastle into Consett, via Annfield Plain & Leadgate.
The video is obviously shot from the moving train, but is not an original, instead it looks as if the originator has tried to record from a TV screen using a second camera.
We’re uploading it, because we are hoping to identify the original video in the hopes we can obtain a better copy to digitise.
Please do get in touch if you help locate the original tape so we can copy and digitalise it for all to enjoy and now in the future
Thanks to John Donnelly who runs and manages http://www.southpelawjunction.co.uk which is a wonderful website and resource for his time and comment on our Facebook group
This is the best I can do from the footage, all my opinion of course and happy to be corrected if anyone has any other ideas:
0:03 Penshaw Monument from, I think, Cox Green
0:12 North In to Newcastle over the High Level Bridge
0:17 In to Newcastle Central Station from the East End. DMUs for the services to the coast in the background. The DMUs are painted in BT Corporate Blue dating the video to later than 1965 or later.
0:28 Heading south over the King Edward Bridge. Original Redhaugh Bridge in the background
0:34 Can’t place this part at all although I assume it is between Pelton and Leadgate?
0:50 Leadgate
1:00 Villa Real
1:12 Consett East, Hownsgill Plate Mill
1:41 As mentioned, this part is rather incongruous, a real mix of coaches some of which appear to be quite old and none of which, to the best of my knowledge, have any place any where on the lines around Consett. At 1:59, a bridge starts to come in to view on the left but this hasn’t helped with location.
From here I believe that we are watching video clips from a different time, earlier than the footage from the train.
2:01 A 9F with a loaded iron ore train at Pelton banked by another 9F
2:11 A 9F with an empty iron ore train at Pelton heading back to Tyne Dock
2:17 A WD with brake van at Pelton heading towards South Pelaw
2:29 A WD with a loaded coal train Beamish being banked by a Q6
2:45 A 9F at South Pelaw passing under Pelton Lane Bridge (still there today) with a loaded coal train. A Q6 and brake van in the Stella Gill lines.
2:58 A Q6 with 21T hoppers crosses the junction from the main line from Ouston Junction and heads in to Stella Gill
3:32 Q6 with a loaded coal train heading in to Anfield Plain from Stanley with another Q6 banking.
3:50 Same train as above at Anfield East Junction. Anfield Plain signal box visible on the right.
4:00 9F with a loaded iron ore train between Beamish Station and Stanley with another 9F banking.
4:14 WD with a loaded coal train between Beamish and Stanley.
History of Consett Steelworks 
This film is actually 3 separate films.
First up is a passenger special up the branch which I cannot identify but the subjects are
Penshaw monument possibly from the Washington area
On high level bridge, Newcastle station and KE bridge with view of old redheugh bridge
From 0.52 leadgate followed by villa real at 1.01
Hownsgill plate mill from arriving and departing train.
2nd part. The coaches are preserved vehicles at an unknown location but nothing to do with Consett
3rd part. Footage of freight trains in the 1960s between Pelaw South Junction and Annfield East. Could this be a commercial product played as a VHS tape on the TV from which it was recorded?
Good luck with your researches
Malcolm Braim
Wakefield
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I put this on Facebook but it is worth adding here and I’m pleased to see that my conclusions match those of Malcolm…
0:03 Penshaw Monument from, I think, Cox Green
0:12 North In to Newcastle over the High Level Bridge
0:17 In to Newcastle Central Station from the East End. DMUs for the services to the coast in the background. The DMUs are painted in BT Corporate Blue dating the video to later than 1965 or later.
0:28 Heading south over the King Edward Bridge. Original Redhaugh Bridge in the background
0:34 Can’t place this part at all although I assume it is between Pelton and Leadgate?
0:50 Leadgate
1:00 Villa Real
1:12 Consett East, Hownsgill Plate Mill
1:41 This part is rather incongruous so I think it is a different video, a real mix of coaches some of which appear to be quite old and none of which, to the best of my knowledge, have any place any where on the lines around Consett. At 1:59, a bridge starts to come in to view on the left but this hasn’t helped with location.
From here I believe that we are watching video clips from a different time, earlier than the footage from the train.
2:01 A 9F with a loaded iron ore train at Pelton banked by another 9F
2:11 A 9F with an empty iron ore train at Pelton heading back to Tyne Dock
2:17 A WD with brake van at Pelton heading towards South Pelaw
2:29 A WD with a loaded coal train Beamish being banked by a Q6
2:45 A 9F at South Pelaw passing under Pelton Lane Bridge (still there today) with a loaded coal train. A Q6 and brake van in the Stella Gill lines.
2:58 A Q6 with 21T hoppers crosses the junction from the main line from Ouston Junction and heads in to Stella Gill
3:32 Q6 with a loaded coal train heading in to Anfield Plain from Stanley with another Q6 banking.
3:50 Same train as above at Anfield East Junction. Anfield Plain signal box visible on the right.
4:00 9F with a loaded iron ore train between Beamish Station and Stanley with another 9F banking.
4:14 WD with a loaded coal train between Beamish and Stanley.
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