BATTERSBY

OPENING OF LINES

The North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway from Picton to Stokesley was opened on

3rd March 1857. For goods traffic the section from Stokesley to Ingleby opened on

1st February 1858 and to Ingleby Junction, on 6th April 1858. The North Eastern

Railway took full control of the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway in August

1859, inheriting the powers to construct the Rosedale Branch. A private railway

owned by the Ingleby Ironstone & Freestone Mining Company ran from Ingleby

Junction to Ingleby ironstone mine this was opened on 6th April 1858 and was later

incorporated into the Rosedale Branch which opened on 27th March 1861. A

passenger service operated from 1st April 1861 between Castleton and Stockton.

The 5 ¼ mile branch line from Ingleby Junction to Great Ayton and Nunthorpe

opened to goods traffic on 1st June 1864 and to passenger traffic on 1st April 1868.

The station was named Ingleby Junction when opened in 1868, as it was situated

within the Ingleby parish boundary. It was renamed Battersby Junction on 30/9/1878

to avoid confusion between Ingleby and Ingleby Junction stations. On 1/5/1893 the

station name was shortened to just Battersby, although it is still called Battersby

Junction by the locals.

Battersby station c1910

looking towards Kildale. The

booking office & waiting

rooms are to the left of the

picture, with the station

masters house on the right.

Battersby station in 2001 from the same

position as the photo above. The

signals and signal box have

disappeared, the station buildings have

been converted into a private house, the

station masters house is also privately

owned. The major change is behind the

Photographer where the line no longer

continues to Ingleby.

STATION

Sketch of the track layout at Battersby around 1900 redrawn from an original

sketch by William Huby.

Battersby station had three platforms. The platform on the up line to Picton Junction

included the station masters house and a waiting shelter. The platform on the down

line to Whitby included the booking office, waiting rooms, ladies and gents toilets,

porters room and lamp room. These platforms were linked by a NER standard cast

iron footbridge which was removed in the 1960’s. The third platform was a bay

platform which trains from Middlesbrough usually ran into, this platform is no longer

used and the track has been lifted.

A NER signal cabin was located at the Whitby end of the

down line platform, this was built in 1902. The signal

cabin became obsolete in 1989 and was demolished in

1991. Water columns existed near the station masters

house on the up platform and close to the signal box on

the down platform.

Water tank built in 1897 and still surviving in 2011.

Passenger traffic when the line was open between Picton and Grosmont in 1865

consisted of 4 trains in each direction, stopping at all stations and taking just over 2

hours for the journey from Stockton to Whitby. By 1900 this had risen to 7 trains in

each direction with no trains reversing at Battersby. The 1922 timetable showed

some trains travelling to and from Middlesbrough via Great Ayton which required the

locomotive to run round its train at Battersby. In 1954 at the time of closure of the

Battersby to Picton section for passenger traffic 2 trains ran from Whitby to Stockton

via Ingleby and 2 trains ran from Whitby to Middlesbrough via Great Ayton and the

same in the opposite direction. In the summer of 1958, 15 trains ran in one direction

and 14 in the other this was the highest number of passenger trains seen at

Battersby in one day. This came about because of the closure of the Middlesbrough

to Whitby coast line via Staithes. By 1971 this had reduced to 6 trains daily to and

from Whitby. Currently in 2011 this has further reduced to just 4 trains to and from

Whitby on a week day and 5 trains to and from Whitby on a summer Sunday.

Passenger trains were worked from the mid 1870’s by BTP 0-4-4 tank locomotives

often as steam autocars between 2 coaches. Class O, locomotives which became

LNER class G5 worked the trains from the mid 1890’s. Sentinel steam railcars also

worked on the line in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Other locomotives working the line

included classes A6, A8, F8, L1, V1, and V3. The last passenger working over the

Battersby to Picton section was worked on 12th June 1954 by class B1 61034, Chiru

on the 6-59 pm Battersby to Stockton. Diesel Multiple Units replaced steam

locomotives on the 5th May 1958. The occasional steam train operated by The North

Yorkshire Moors Railway still runs to Battersby.

A G5 leaves Battersby for Whitby towards the end of steam worked passenger

trains in the late 1950’s. The signal box, signal gantry and long closed

locomotive shed can be seen.

Two photographs take 40 years apart. The first taken by J W Armstrong in

1951, courtesy of the Armstrong Railway photographic Trust shows A8 69883.

The second taken in 1991 in almost the same position shows a pacer train,

note the water column and tank.

Goods traffic up to the closure of the Rosedale branch in 1929 consisted mainly of

iron ore travelling to Ferryhill or Stillington. Extensive siding existed at Battersby to

handle this traffic, (see section on engine shed for further details). During the early

years the weighing of iron ore traffic was undertaken at Battersby the wagon

weighbridge was also available for traffic to and from the Great Ayton, Picton and

Grosmont branches. Later the Iron ore from Rosedale was weighed at Ingleby

Incline foot. All records and accounts of the ore traffic were dealt with at Battersby

station. Coal and lime were handled at Ingleby station and not at Battersby. Ingleby

or Battersby sidings as it was later called was used by Lord De L’Isle and his

tenants, it was located approximately a third of a mile from Battersby Junction along

the Rosedale branch.

70013 Oliver Cromwell arrives at Battersby on 4th October 2009

ACCIDENTS

The first accident known to have taken place at Ingleby Junction occurred on 27th

August 1864. The passenger train left Castleton at 5.20pm and proceeded towards

Stokesley. It approached Ingleby Junction at 16 to 18 miles per hour, the train was

not booked to stop here. The driver noticed that the points from the main line to a

siding were open, he put the brakes on but could not avoid a collision with some

trucks in the siding. The train was described as rebounding with great violence and

all passengers were thrown from their seats causing the greatest confusion and

alarm. The train contained around 30 passengers who suffered bruising but no

serious injuries. The engine, two carriages and guards van came off the line. The

failure to properly attend to the points could have resulted in a serious loss of life.

A further accident occurred at Battersby Junction on 9th May 1887 when the 2.35pm

train from Newcastle (via Ferryhill and Middlesbrough) entered the bay platform at

too high a speed and came into collision with the buffer-stops at the end of the bay.

Four passengers complained of injury and the head guard of the train riding in the

rear van had two broken ribs. The train consisted of bogie tank engine No 138,

running coal bunker first and seven carriages. No wheels left the rails but the buffer-

stops were damaged. An identical accident occurred in the mid 1950’s when a

passenger train again ran into the buffer-stops.

A fatal accident occurred on the 7th May 1909 at Battersby. Mortimer Thompson was

the guard of a train of twenty-six loaded ironstone wagons from Ingleby Incline foot

to Battersby. He was riding in the brake van which was placed next to the engine.

When the train was entering the reception sidings at Battersby at about 4.10pm, at a

speed of about 15 miles per hour the brake van became derailed. Mortimer

Thompson either fell or jumped in front of the wagons, which were not derailed, and

sustained fatal injuries.

The brake van was derailed at the facing points which lead into the branch line

reception sidings and the main line reception siding. An examination of the points

showed that the connecting rod and stretcher bar of the points were disconnected,

the bolt which should have connected them having apparently fallen out. This bolt

should have been secured by a split pin, but the split pin could not be found.

The accident report by J H Armytage of the Railway Department, Board of Trade,

found that:

Several slide chair bolts in these sidings were not fitted with split pins at all, and the

ends of split pins used to secure some of the other bolts had not been opened

properly. Although in these cases the absence of the split pins would not be likely to

cause an accident, their absence points to the fact that the points were not been

properly maintained. I am of the opinion that in this case the split pin was either

omitted from the bolt connecting the rod to the stretcher bar or that it was put in

without being properly secured and subsequently fell out.

An inquest was held on the 8th May at Battersby Junction. Evidence was given by

Joseph W Brotton a railway clerk of Battersby Junction who had been travelling with

Thompson in the guards van. Brotton stated that when opposite Battersby signal

cabin the van came off the road, the deceased remarked, what’s matter? Both were

rising from their seats when the witness was thrown to the other side of the van,

against the brake handle, to which he clung until the train stopped. Brotton never

saw the deceased again. The van travelled some distance off the rails at an angle of

45 degrees with the ground. When the train stopped, Brotton got out, seeing nothing

of Thompson he ran back and found him underneath the wagons, dead and terribly

cut up, about nineteen wagons having passed over him. He could not say if the

deceased jumped out or was thrown from the van, but it was quite possible for him to

be thrown out, having regard to the jolting and tilting of the van. Dr Charles Stuart, of

Great Ayton, described the injuries as of a frightful character and death would have

been instantaneous. The jury returned a verdict of accidentally killed.

Joseph W Brotton is perhaps best known for the photographs he took of Ingleby

incline, he retired as Station Master at Pinchingthorpe. The reason for the accident

has similarities to the Potters Bar accident in 2002; it is a pity that 93 years later the

lessons on track maintenance had still not been learnt.

STATION MASTERS

A total of nine station masters have been identified at Battersby, see table below.

From opening of the station in 1858 until the 1870’s it is likely that the Station Master

at Ingleby looked after both stations.

Date Station Master

By 1876 William R Sharpe

By 1881 Henry Orton, retired 1902

1902 John Dunn, retired 1921

1921 William Huby, left in 1934

1934 W A Calvert, retired 1939

1939 R W Smith, retired 1948

1948 W G Storey

1952 R O Faisey, left in 1953

1953 Edward P Leach, left in 1963.

William Huby Ted Leach the last Station Master at Battersby

ENGINE SHED

At first it was not considered necessary to provide an engine shed at Ingleby

Junction, traffic from Ingleby incline foot to Stockton and Ferryhill being worked by

locomotives and men from Stockton shed. The Working Timetable for mineral trains

prior to the building of Ingleby shed on 1st February 1874 was as follows: -

a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. p.m. p.m.

Ferryhill 7-40 10-10 12-10

Stockton 4-50 5-10 6-45 9-45 12-25 2-00

Ingleby Junction 6-00 6-20* 8-00 11-00 1-40 3-10

a.m. a.m. a.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.

Ingleby Junction 6-30 8-30 11-40 12-40 2-20 3-40

Stockton 7-45 9-50 1-05 1-55 3-25 4-50

Ferryhill 9-10 11-10 2-20 3-15

* Employed on the Ingleby branch and leave with load of ironstone when work done.

1873 and 1874 were the peak years for ironstone from Rosedale and it was on this

level of traffic that the decision would have been made to build an engine shed at

Ingleby Junction.

In 1874 NER minute 14880, dated 17/12/1874, proposed that stabling

accommodation for 8 engines should be provided at Ingleby Junction, along with 30

cottages. On the 8/4/1875 NER minute 15281 recorded that tenders be accepted for

the erection of engine shed for 8 locomotives and turntable. On the 6/5/1875 at a

meeting of the NER Locomotive and Stores committee tenders were received as

follows:

J Gladstone, Whitby. £2,500 1s 4d

R Kitching, Darlington. £2,588 19s 5d

Thos. Wood, Pickering. £2,875 1s 0d

Aspinall, York. £3,466 14s 0d

Gladstone’s tender of £2,500 1s 4d was accepted. Minutes of the NER Locomotive

and Stores committee on 27/9/1877 refer to the new shed opened at Ingleby, costing

£350 1s 3d more than the contract price. The shed was referred to as Ingleby shed

as Ingleby Junction station was not renamed Battersby Junction until 30/9/1878.

After this date it became known as Battersby shed. The shed was built of brick and

contained three tracks, it had

a length of 166ft and a width

of 46ft. There were fourteen

windows on each side of the

shed. It remained open for

only a few years, because

production of Ironstone at

Rosedale ceased in

March1879 following the

failure of the Rosedale and

Ferryhill Iron Co Ltd. It is

likely that Battersby shed also

closed in 1879.

Battersby shed in 1950/60’s

It was not until 1st January 1889 that Battersby shed reopened. Again the shed was

to remain open for only a short period of time as the level of ironstone from Rosedale

failed to make the shed viable. The shed closed for the final time on 30/11/1895.

At the time of closure four engines were stationed at the shed. A 42ft engine

turntable was situated adjacent to the shed, this was in an exposed position and

difficulties often occurred when turning locomotives during gales. The problem was

stopping the turntable, sand was used on the track to help with the control. The

turntable was removed in 1941 although the pit still remains. It is hoped to excavate

the turntable pit during 2011. In 1906 the shed was used to store eight condemned

engines. During the First World War six dinning saloons were stored there. ECJ

190 and 191, First class diners built at Doncaster in 1914; ECJ 192 and 193, Third

class diners also built at Doncaster in 1914; GN & NE Joint diners 26 and 28, built at

Doncaster in 1907. The GN & NE Joint diners were 12-wheelers and the others 8-

wheelers. The shed was used by railway staff as a miniature rifle range. The

Battersby Station Miniature Rifle Club was formed in 1909 and use for this purpose

continued until the 1920’s. During the 1930’s the shed carried a large notice TO

LET. During world war two the shed was used as a store. The shed then remained

empty until December 1965 when it was demolished, only the water tower surviving.

The shed existed for 88 years but was only used as a locomotive shed for less than

10 years.

Locomotives and Duties

It is not known what individual locomotives were based at Battersby shed, but they

would have included the former Stockton & Darlington Railway class 1001, 0-6-0’s

and the class 398, 0-6-0’s. An accident occurred at Hartburn curve on 8th March

1877 when locomotive No 831 of class 398 hauling an empty mineral train from

Stockton to Ingleby Junction was involved in a collision with a Middlesbrough to

Stockton mineral train hauled by a class 1001 locomotive.

Duties involved the working of iron ore trains to the Ferryhill Ironworks of the

Rosedale & Ferryhill Iron Co Ltd, situated to the north of Ferryhill at West Cornforth,

via Ingleby, Picton Junction and Stockton and the return of empty wagons. After

Rosedale mines were taken over by The Carlton Iron Company, iron ore travelled to

their iron works at Stillington. Duties also involved working empty wagons to Ingleby

Incline bottom and loaded wagons from the incline bottom to Ingleby/Battersby

Junction.

Shed Staff 1877 - 1879

Little information can be found for staff who worked at the shed between the years

1877 – 1879. It has been possible to identify only one driver and one guard:

William Burton. On the 1871 census, William Burton was an engine driver living at

Stockton. In December 1878 he was an engine driver living at Battersby Junction.

His son David was christened at St Andrew’s Church Ingleby Greenhow. By the

1881 census William Burton was still an engine driver, but had returned to live at

Stockton.

John Mothersdale. Shown as a mineral guard living at Ingleby on the 2/12/1877

when his son was christened at St Andrew’s Church Ingleby Greenhow.

Shed Staff 1889 - 1895

Fortunately it has proved to be possible to find much more detail of the staff who

worked at the shed between 1889 and 1895. This is because the period the shed

was open falls into the census year of 1891. Information is also available in the

North Eastern Railway Register of Enginemen and Firemen.

The 1891 census lists 13 staff of the North Eastern Railway, living at Battersby

Junction, whose occupation connects them to the engine shed:

Engine Shed Foreman: John Wilkinson.

Drivers: John Bryan, John George Wass and Thomas Lonsdale.

Firemen: William Tomlinson, John James Copeland, John I’anson and James Henry

I’anson

Steam raiser: William Thompson.

Guards: William Churchman, Ralph Robinson and John Fred Ismay.

Engine Fitter: William Baines

By consulting the North Eastern Railway register of Enginemen and Firemen it is

possible to identify further enginemen and firemen who worked at the shed, and to

identify career details.

Engine Drivers based at Battersby shed:

It is not surprising those drivers who transferred to Battersby shed were relatively

young and in most cases it was their first position as driver. There would be little

incentive for older drivers to move their family to this remote part of Yorkshire.

John Bryan. Entered NER service 23/6/1873, fireman at Stockton shed. Appointed

Driver 1/1/1889 at Battersby shed. Transferred to Middlesbrough shed 5/12/1895

upon closure of Battersby shed.

John George Wass. Entered NER service 16/8/1864 at Stockton. Fireman at

Stockton shed by 1881. Appointed driver at Battersby shed by 1891. Returned to

Stockton shed, date unknown.

Thomas Lonsdale. Entered NER service 20/11/1872 as a steam raiser at Stockton

shed. He was appointed fireman 19/7/1875 and driver 3/5/1888. Transferred to

Battersby shed 3/1/1889. Transferred to Middlesbrough shed 19/10/1893, then to

Rosedale shed 4/1/1894. Thomas Lonsdale stayed at Rosedale until 28/10/1910

when he was transferred to Newport shed.

William Ransom. Entered NER service 12/9/1873 at Stockton shed. Transferred to

Middlesbrough shed March 1879. Appointed driver 21/2/1889, transferred to

Battersby shed 19/10/1893, as a replacement for Thomas Lonsdale who moved to

Middlesbrough shed on the same date, see above. Transferred to Middlesbrough

shed on 5/12 1895 upon closure of Battersby shed.

Details indicate that there were three drivers based at Battersby at any one time.

This would agree to the information given that four locomotives were allocated to

Battersby shed at the time of closure in 1895. Three locomotives in use and one

under repair/servicing at any one time.

Firemen based at Battersby shed:

William Tomlinson. The 1891 census shows him as a fireman living at 4, Battersby

Junction. By the 1901 census he was an engine driver living in Middlesbrough.

John James Copeland. Entered NER service on 21/1/1881 as a cleaner at

Stockton shed. Appointed fireman 22/12/1887, transferred to Battersby shed

3/1/1889. Transferred back to Stockton shed 21/7/1892.

John I’anson. Entered NER service 13/5/1884 as a cleaner. Appointed fireman at

Battersby shed 17/10/1889. Transferred to Middlesbrough shed 5/12/1895 upon

closure of Battersby shed.

James Henry I’anson. Entered NER service 16/12/1887 as a cleaner at Rosedale

shed. He was appointed fireman still at Rosedale on 27/3/1890 and moved to

Battersby still as a fireman on 21/7/1892. He transferred to Middlesbrough shed in

May 1895, where he became a driver on the 2/3/1900.

Milford Darnborough. Entered NER service as a cleaner at Newport shed,

Middlesbrough on 18/12/1880 and appointed fireman 12/5/1887. He was transferred

to Middlesbrough on 2/8/1888 and then to Rosedale on 1/11/1888. He moved to

Battersby shed on 23/10/1890, staying until 12/1/1893 when he moved back to

Rosedale. He returned back to Battersby on 1/11/1894 and stayed until the shed

closed on 5/12/1895, when he moved to Newport shed, where he was appointed as

a driver on 12/6/1899.

Edward Young. Entered NER service 4/1874 at Newport shed. Transferred to

Battersby 9/5/1889. Appointed as a driver and transferred back to Newport shed

27/2/1890.

William Thompson. He was recorded on 1891 census as a steam raiser, living at 3

Battersby Junction. The Ingleby Greenhow parish register records him as a fireman

with children christened in 1889, 1892 and 1895.

George Sutton. Occupation recorded as fireman, when child christened at St

Andrew’s Church, Ingleby Greenhow, in August 1890. In the 1891 census he is

recorded as a fireman living in Middlesbrough.

RAILWAY HOUSES

To accommodate staff in 1875/6 two rows of houses were built by the North Eastern

Railway at Battersby Junction along with the Engine shed. These consisted of 22

houses on what is known as the front row and 11 houses on the back row. A further

4 houses already existed between the row of houses and the station. As well as

these 37 houses further houses were the Station Master’s house, houses at road

crossings and along the line side towards Battersby crossing. The number of

houses built reflected the optimism of the amount of iron ore to be carried from

Rosedale.

Cottages c 1955 Current view, track lifted & houses privately owned

The short period of time the engine shed was open and the number of empty houses

shown on the table below, taken from the 10 year censuses, suggest the NER

optimism was not met by actual tonnage of iron ore from Rosedale. Even in 1891

when the locomotive shed was open 12 houses were uninhabited. The total of 27

houses uninhabited in 1881 is not surprising following the closure of the shed around

1879. The houses still exist today, although now privately owned.

1881 1891 1901 1911

Uninhabited 27 12 12 14

Habited 10 25 25 23

Railway Employees

8 24 17

Non Railway 2 1 8

Total Houses 37 37 37 37