Tyneside Electrics

The Tyneside Electrics refers to the suburban railways on Tyneside that the North Eastern Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway electrified using the third rail system. The North Tyneside loop was electrified from 1904 onwards and formed one of the earliest suburban electric networks; the South Tyneside line to South Shields via Pelaw was electrified in March 1938. British Railways converted these lines to diesel operation in the 1960s: the line to South Shields in January 1963 and the North Tyneside lines in June 1967 when the electrical supply infrastructure (which dated from 1935) and the rolling stock (which dated from 1937) had become life expired. In addition, the system was losing passengers and suffering from costly vandalism. Since the late 1970s, much of the system has been converted to form the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Routes

North Tyneside Loop

Legend Tynemouth Whitley Bay Cullercoats North Shields Monkseaton West Monkseaton Percy Main Riverside loop Howdon Willington Quay Point Pleasant Former Blyth and Tyne Railway line to Percy Main Backworth Carville Wallsend Walker St Anthonys Walkergate Benton Junction on East Coast Main Line Benton St Peters Heaton Junction on East Coast Main Line Heaton Byker Riverside loop Longbenton South Gosforth Gosforth Car Sheds West Jesmond Jesmond Manors Line to South Shields High Level Bridge over the River Tyne Newcastle Central

The lines covered were the North Tyneside Loop from Newcastle Central via Wallsend, North Shields, Whitley Bay and South Gosforth back to Newcastle; the East Coast Main Line (ECML) from Newcastle Central to Benton (providing a short cut to Monkseaton and Whitley Bay), and the Riverside Branch from Byker to Percy Main via Walker.

At Benton the electrified lines diverged from the ECML to join the Blyth and Tyne line (see below). These curved lines were called the South West Curve and South East Curve based on their disposition looking north. The SE Curve had scheduled electric services running over it from time to time, but the SW Curve was used for empty stock movements.

In 1923 the triangular junctions at South Gosforth were electrified in connection with opening of the new car sheds, but were used only for empty stock movements. In the same year, a route was electrified in the Heaton area. This route left the ECML at Benton Bank and ran through the freight yard at Heaton to connect with the Tynemouth lines at Heaton East Junction. It was used for empty stock movements and as an access route to Walker Gate Carriage Works where heavy repairs and overhaul of the electric stock took place. This route was called the "Heaton Independent Lines".

Finally, a short freight-only line, the Newcastle Quayside Branch left the Tynemouth lines just east of Manors East station at Trafalgar South yard, opposite Argyle Street signal box, and emerged after traversing through three tunnels into the Quayside yard adjacent to the quayside at Newcastle. This route was equipped with both overhead line and conductor rail to enable electric operation in June 1905.

History before electrification

The line through Jesmond, Benton and on to Tynemouth was opened in the 1860s by the Blyth and Tyne Railway (B&T), and the line through Wallsend by the Newcastle and North Shields Railway in 1839. The portion of the East Coast Main Line to Benton had been opened by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway in the 1840s. The Newcastle Quayside Branch had been opened by the NER in 1873, and the Riverside Branch in 1879. The junctions at South Gosforth dated back to 1905 and were laid for the Gosforth and Ponteland Branch.

The original B&T terminus in Newcastle was at New Bridge Street. Thus the original electrified route was not quite a loop. Electric services ran from New Bridge Street until 1908 when a replacement station was built at Manors. The existing station at Manors that served the lines to Heaton was renamed Manors East while the new station was named Manors North. The electric service continued to terminate here until 1917, when full out-and-back circular running to and from Newcastle Central station began and Manors North no longer functioned as a major terminal for electric services. The section of line that closed up the loop from a new junction at Manors (East) and effectively by-passing New Bridge Street station had been laid in 1905. Some services from Newcastle Central to Benton did start running over the new section of line after the opening of Manors North station.

Electrification of the South Tyneside line from Newcastle via Heworth to South Shields was announced by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935 and electric services began in the spring of 1938.

Rolling stock

North Eastern Railway

All of the North Eastern Railway electric stock was built at the NER Carriage Works at York. The first batch was in the period 1903/4 with the electrical equipment being supplied by British Thomson-Houston. BT-H were the British agents of General Electric, and the original batches of rolling stock were fitted with American-built control gear and motors, the later batches used equipment manufactured at the BT-H factory at Rugby.

The growth in traffic gave rise to further additions in 1914–15, which along with rebuilds led to a very diverse range of rolling stock.

In August 1918 there was a serious fire at the original car shed at Walkergate, which completely destroyed 34 cars and damaged many more. An order for 35 replacement cars was placed and these were built between 1920 and 1922. These were to a somewhat different design, with revised roofline and improved electrical equipment. They took the same running numbers as the destroyed cars.

A 1937 LNER Tyneside Electric train calls at Manors North station.

London and North Eastern Railway

Main article: LNER electric units

The NER stock remained in service with the LNER after the 1923 grouping. In 1937 the newest ex-NER stock, built in 1920 to replace those vehicles lost in the 1918 fire, was refurbished for use on the newly-electrified South Tyneside line. The other NER stock, some of which dated back to 1903–04 was replaced on the North Tyneside lines by new articulated units built by Metropolitan Cammell.

British Railways

Main article: British Rail Class 416

The LNER 1937 stock remained in service with British Railways (BR) after nationalisation in 1948. In 1955 BR introduced new stock on the South Tyneside line based on the Southern Region 2–EPB stock and was designated "South Tyneside 1951 Stock". They were electrically identical to the 2–EPB but the body on the motor brake cars had a much larger luggage space to accommodate prams. Minor detail differences were route indicating lights and destination blinds. The 1920 stock was withdrawn and was broken up at Simonside Wagon Works near Tyne Dock in the period 1956–58, although some vehicles were retained for departmental use or saw further service as "Pram Vans".

When the South Tyneside line was de-electrified in January 1963, all but one of the 1951 EPB stock was transferred to the Southern Region. The exception was Motor Parcels Van E68000 which was transferred to the London Midland Region's Liverpool — Southport line, renumbered M68000 and used for another five years before being withdrawn in 1968. It thus had a service life of just 12 years – less than half of its capital life in financial terms.^{[citation needed]}

Sources

• Hennessey, R.A.S. (1970). The Electric Railway That Never Was – York–Newcastle 1919. Oriel Press. pp. not cited. ISBN 0-85362-0873. 
• Hoole, K (1961). The North Eastern Electrics. Oakwood Press. 
• Hoole, K (1987). The North Eastern Electrics (2nd edition ed.). Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-3583. 
• Hoole, K (1988). The Electric Locomotives of the North Eastern Railway. Oakwood Press. pp. not cited. ISBN 0-85361-3672. 

External links

• LNER Encyclopedia