Transport

Links between the works and the steel and coal infrastructure of the north east including key transport around Consett site

These pages are always under construction; if you have any images to share please get in touch.

Shunter at CIC. It was driven by Arnold Parkin for the NCB in the 1960s at the CIC foundry. Arnold says it was the only locomotive that could get round the sharp bends to enter the building. Thanks to Bob Graham for the image.
One of the larget locomotive cranes, the E class, in 1895. Image taken from A Description of the Works, 1895.
The steam crane- what a beauty. Now at Beamish Museum. Image credit: derekphillips1 on Flickr
Consett Low Yard on 10th May 1982 with loco 37094 shunting wagons of scrap from the demolition of the works. Consett North signal box is in the background. Leslie Lowes says: ‘A sad picture for me. I was a platelayer working at repairing the tracks in the Low Yard in the 1960s during college summer vacations. Great comeradery among the Low Yard platelaying gang. Hard work, but great company.’
The torpedo trains transporting molten metal from Teeside to Consett in the late 60s and early 70s. Thomas East writes: ‘On molten iron coming into the steel plant, we transferred it into charging ladles which were larger, if there was a hold up in production the guys on the bottom (I was a crane driver on top) would shovel carbon (coal) onto the top of the metal which formed a crust which would solidify sealing in the heat.
From the South Pelaw Junction website, this image shows a torpedo train discharging the moletn metal into the ladle Thomas East describes. David Thompson adds ‘The torpedo had a refractory lining which was preheated to keep the molten iron liquid. In the case of the Consett trains the lining was a bit thicker because of the journey time. They had two main concerns as this had never been done over this distance before . No1: that the metal solidified before it got there, and 2 they had a break out or de-railment on a major rail network.’ Luckily, no incidents with the train shipments were reported.
A fantastic image of the 9Fs at work on the steep sections of the Tyne Dock to Consett line. The waggons were released from the cab, with gull-wing doors.
The 9Fs were replaced by diesel on the Tyne Dock line. The characteristic waggons remained. Phot from Steve Shields.
Clearing snow in Waskerley – I suspect this was a regular winter activity
The Works ambulance
An early image of a locomotve crossing Hownes Gill viaduct