North Tyneside Steam Railway: History Lesson

Saturday, 20 June 2020

History Lesson - Consett Iron Company

Today’s history lesson - The Consett Iron Company:

Side tank locomotive A5, flagship of the NTSRA fleet was built by Kitson of Leeds in 1883, as works number 2509. It led a somewhat nomadic existence, moving between Templetown shed at Consett & Derwenthaugh shed (on the Chopwell & Garesfield railway, owned by the Consett Iron Co). Being based at Consett 1922 – 1928, 1929 – 1935 and 1936 – 1940, in 1940 she was dispatched to become the shunter at Chopwell colliery and she was still based there in 1947, when the National Coal Board was created. She became number 41 in the NCB fleet, eleven other A class locos also joined the NCB at that time. She remained at Chopwell till 1952, in that year she was moved to Derwenthaugh, where she remained till being withdrawn in 1968 and preserved in 1971. From here she moved to Monkwearmouth, being restored in the Goods shed, returning to her Consett Iron Co livery before moving to Middle Engine Lane.

Consett 10, was an 0-6-0 diesel mechanical loco, built by the Consett Iron Company at Templetown works in 1958, alongside her sister number 9. They were based on the then standard Hunslet diesels being purchased by the company. Using parts of scrapped crane locos, they still bore a striking resemblance to the Hunslet engines. It is also believed that the loco foreman at Consett had been poached from Hunslet, hence the similarity. Number 9 was scrapped in 1971, however her sister survived at the works till closure. Moving to Monkwearmouth, then Middle Engine Lane. We were lucky to be visited in 2018 by one of the apprentices that built her at Consett!

The third survivor from Consett Steelworks is vertical boilered crane E1, built as a 2-4-0 crane for heavy lifting in the works, by Black Hawthorn in 1887, as works number 897. One of four similar locos to survive until recent times, her last sister was scrapped in 1973, by this time she had also been converted to oil firing. E1 remained at the works til 1980, and upon closure moved to Beamish Museum, where she remains in a unrestored state.

In the museum is the cab of Ajax/Clio. Ajax was built by the Blyth & Tyne railway company at the Percy Main Works in 1867 as an 0-6-0 inside cylindered long boilered tender loco. It was absorbed by the NER and was sold by the NER as their number 1719 in September 1907 to the Seaham Harbour Dock Company, Ajax lasted at Seaham until scrapped in 1926. It wasn’t the end for Ajax, as her cab was transferred to another long boilered tender loco, Clio. She had been built by the NER at Gateshead in 1875 and was fitted with the cab from the scrapped Ajax. She carried this until scrapped in 1955. The cab again survived, laying around the works until preserved as the last part of a Blyth & Tyne locomotive.