Whilst at Kirkby Stephen for the Stainmore 150th event over the Bank Holiday weekend.
I noticed 2 small photos on a display showing the recovery operation of 2 Q6s that derailed and rolled down a bank 63355 and 63373.
It was dated 20th May 1955.
The photo showed 2 Steam Cranes in use but unable to get any detail of them.
I have tried to take a shot of the photo and will post if I can.
Article stated that they were sent from Darlington but due to weight restrictions had to be separated by a number of empty wagons.

Any more details known?

_________________
Bryan

http://www.nymr-pway.co.uk/

As mentioned previously I managed to download the photo of a photo.
Original Photographer unknown.

_________________
Bryan

http://www.nymr-pway.co.uk/

An interesting and enjoyable challenge, Bryan!

There is enough detail in the photographs to identify both cranes as of Cowans Sheldon make. Darlington is fairly close to Smardale, so it makes sense for at least one of the cranes to have been despatched from Darlington depot.

J S Brownlie's book "Railway Steam Cranes" tells us that a 1939-built CS 45-ton crane was based at Darlington in 1955, carrying BR No. 156. Hence the crane with the plate-sided jib in the photographs is most likely No. 156.

The fully latticed jib and other details of the second crane reveal that it was one of three 1930/31 CS 36/50-ton cranes, numbered MP2, MP4 and MP10. In 1955, MP2 was based at Carlisle Kingmoor, MP4 at Crewe and MP10 at Motherwell. I think it's safe, for geographical reasons, to assume that we are looking at MP2 in the photographs.

Movement of MP2 from Kingmoor to Smardale would have been comparatively short and direct, so it seems very likely that it was in the Darlington area for another reason at the time of the call-out to Smardale.

No. 156 (ultimately ADRC96716) was scrapped in 1993. MP2 (ADRC95202) is in preservation at Butterley.