Memories of East Newport Station

Memories of East Newport station from David Sutherland.

Living in Norwood, we looked out on the station – it was often
interesting, and noisy, especially in the time before  diesel replaced
steam. Most of the trains were pulled by BR 2-6-4 tank engines. My
dad taught in Dundee art college, and often gave evening classes, so
he made good use of his season ticket. The coaches had separate
compartments – no corridors. The railway yard contained two coal
merchants, and occasionally there would be shunting to put the coal
wagons into the sidings. I believe that on one occasion there was a
fatal accident while this shunting took place. In addition to the coal
sidings, there was also a ramp which was used by tractors delivering
sugar beet from local farms. They would drive up the ramp and unload
the beet into railway wagons on the siding below.

On one occasion a train ran into one of the level crossing gates. It
can’t have been going very fast as only one gate was damaged, but it
took a long time before it was repaired.

There was a phone box outside the station. We did not have a phone
at home for a long time – phones were not cheap – so we used the
phone box from time to time. It had the traditional mechanism ( press
button A, press button B).

In order to prevent collisions, trains travelling on single-track lines
were obliged to carry a token with them. This was provided to them by
the signalman. In the case of the track to Tayport there was a platform
on the side of the signal box, and the signalman would come down
onto it to pass the token to the engine driver. The token was held in a
pouch attached to a large ring so that it could be easily passed to the
driver. Needless to say, all the signals and points were driven by
levers from the signal box.

The station was still gas-lit, and as it was getting dark, the lights had
to be turned on. Each light had a little pilot flame which was never
extinguished. This was used to light the lamp itself – when the gas
was turned on, it was ignited by this flame. On the footbridge over the
line, the lamp had a see-saw lever to turn the gas on and off, and the
gas started to flow when it was pulled using a pole with a squiggle (~)
on the end.

On one Saturday, at the time when the line from Tayport to Leuchars
was still there, we had a remarkable event – all the main line trains
travelling south were diverted at Wormit and passed through Newport.
Presumably work was being carried out on the southbound track on
the main line.

I can remember the train which subsequently crashed at Wormit in
East Newport Station. It was unusual because it was for a Sunday
school picnic. Somehow or other, after the crash, the word reached us
in Newport. I jumped on my bike and cycled there. I wouldn’t do that
sort of thing now. The official report on the crash is available on the
internet. I can remember going there a few days later as well. The
engine still seemed to be there, covered with a large tarpaulin. We
sometimes cycled to Wormit to see the trains on the main line – real
express trains, often pulled by A4-Pacifics.

In West Newport there was an open pedestrian crossing across the
track. Apparently an old lady who was crossing was hit by a train and
killed.

Most of the trains just went to Tayport and then came back again, but
I think that there may have been trains which went on to Leuchars.
Once work started on the road bridge, the line to Tayport was closed
and the trains stopped in Newport. Needless to say, demand dropped
off once the road bridge was opened, and despite efforts by the Town
Council, the line was closed.