North Eastern Region of British Railways
A British Rail Class ES1/NER No.1 electric locomotive | |
Overview | |
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Franchise(s): | Not subject to franchising (1 January 1948-31 December 1966) |
Main Region(s): | North East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber |
Parent company: | British Rail |
The North Eastern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948, whose operating area could be identified by the orange signs and colour schemes that adorned its stations and other railway buildings. It was merged with the Eastern Region in 1967. It was the near direct post-nationalisation descendant of the North Eastern Railway, that had merged with some other companies to form the LNER in 1923.
In 1958 in a major re-drawing of the region boundaries it gained those former LMS lines that lay in the present-day West and North Yorkshire. In 1967 it was disbanded and merged with the Eastern Region.
Electrified lines
Most lines had steam traction. A NER No.1, an electric shunting locomotive, once used on the Quayside Branch in Newcastle upon Tyne, is now at the Locomotion museum in Shildon, County Durham. It is one of a class of two locomotives built specifically for the branch using American designs and powerplants, which served from 1903 until 1964.
In the Newcastle area some suburban lines were electrified using 3rd rail at 630V DC.