BR No. 63381
The Q6 was an un-glamourous freight workhorse that plied the tracks of the north east of England for 50 years. Remarkably, along with the class J27s, it was one of the very few pre-Grouping steam locomotives to survive right up to the end of steam on British Railways.
HISTORY
a) Design and Construction
63395 at Houghton Colliery 1967 63395 working at Houghton Colliery in 1967. Maurice Johnson.
Wilson Worsdell introduced the first T class 0-8-0 on the North Eastern Railway in 1901, but Vincent Raven carried on the development of the T1 when he designed the superheated outside cylinder class T2 0-8-0s for handling the heavy goods trains of the North Eastern Railway. A total of 120 engines were built at the NER’s Darlington Works between 1913 and 1918. An engine was produced that could be driven all out - full regulator and full forward gear – for indefinite periods at anything up to mineral train speeds. In 1915 examples of the class had undergone trials on 700 ton trains between Newport and Shildon, putting up some impressive performances and comparing very favourably with the then newly introduced electric locomotives working that line.
The T2s, or Q6s as they were later classified by the London and North Eastern Railway and British Railways, proved to be extremely successful, carrying on a fine NER tradition for freight haulage right up until the demise of steam in the North East in 1967. As a measure of their success, the basic design of the locomotive was never altered, though some engines – including 63395 – received tenders from the famous three cylinder NER Atlantics. As class T2 No.2238, 63395 was completed by the NER at Darlington North Road Works on 3rd November 1918, one of eight built that year.
[Yes I did spot one of the lamps is about to fall off the front, thanks.]
b) Service
Following completion, 2238 was sent to Gateshead for running-in and allocated to Blaydon depot where it remained for 25 years. Its first re-allocation as part of a large wartime reshuffle was to Newport (Middlesbrough) allocations also followed at Darlington, West Hartlepool, and Hull Dairycoates, preceded six years allocated to Selby depot.
On 14th June 1959 63395 was transferred once more to Darlington Bank Top, and then to Consett, before the engine was finally sent to Sunderland South Dock on 23rd May 1965. From here the Q6 worked south to Vane Tempest, Seaham, Teesside and South Hetton, and northwards to the Tyne, ironically ending its days where they had begun almost 50 years before. 63395 was the final Q6 to be overhauled at Darlington Works in September 1965 and, along with 63387 of Hartlepool shed, was the last Q6 in service. Following withdrawal, on 9th September 1967, 63395 was moved into store at Tyne Dock shed pending preservation.
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