Picture in Time” moves on to the northeast of England for the next few weeks as we take a look at some images from past on the Tyne and Wear Metro. With the original Metrocars coming to an end of their operating careers it seems an appropriate time to look back at their heyday and to start off with we go back to even before they entered service.
And the first Metrocar that we feature in this series of articles is also the very first which was built – 4001. There were two prototypes built by Metro Cammell in 1975 and both 4001 and 4002 were delivered to the region ahead of the system opening to allow for extensive testing to take place. For this a test track was provided on a 2.4km section of the Backworth Colliery Railway running from West Allotment towards Percy Main. With the track reconstructed and overhead installed an artificial tunnel was built and two road shed and basic platform constructed at Middle Engine Lane with the facility opening in June 1975.
To give the public the chance to see the new Metrocars there were occasional open days, including on 6th June 1976 when 4001 was the vehicle in use as we see in the photos below.
4001 has not run in service for some time but its life is about to come full circle. It has been selected for preservation and will be moving to the Stephenson Railway Museum in due course – which is located at the Middle Engine Lane site so 4001 will in effect be going home!
This first view below shows 4001 approach the test track passenger platform showing the original fleet livery.
We then see another view of 4001 in what was relatively open countryside in 1976 between the Middle Engine Lane depot/platform and the A1058 Coast Road bridge.
Both Photographs by Donald Brooks, 6th June 1976