The Last Days of Steam in North East England

In September 1967 the last steam locos finished operations in the North East – the area where it had all begun 142 years before. The last trains ran from the engine sheds at Sunderland, Tyne Dock and West Hartlepool, and were hauling coal from collieries to industrial sites, power stations and docks for export or transport by coaster to ports in the south of England. The traffic had hardly changed as the original railways were built to transport coal, only the distance the coal travelled was now greater. Even the means of moving coal had not changed greatly – most coal was moved in trains of wagons capable of carrying 16 or 21-ton loads and some of these were hauled by 0-6-0 locos. This book of colour photographs shows scenes from the last two years of steam operations in and around Tyneside and Wearside, including locos in service with the National Coal Board at various collieries and the Doxford shipyard at Sunderland.