The LNER Encyclopedia

As a child, my interest in the NER was from exploring the disused Teesdale line from Cotherstone, and now I've moved to the North East I'm able to re-discover it again. All along the line, now a very nice path, there are concrete stiles - I'd always assumed they were relatively modern, put in place after the track was lifted, but the comment on the image of one here:

https://www.railscot.co.uk/locationnew. ... =Mickleton

Calls it an 'NER' stile. It could just be a throwaway comment but had me thinking - are these concrete stiles of railway origin? On a rural line like the Teesdale branch I suppose it would make sense for farmer/local access across the line

There's a few more here, both in the NER area (and the Cotherstone one is of course on the Teesdale line)

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2416357

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2708038

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4347903

Similar one at Torver on the Furness Railway:

http://geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/thelakes/ ... k22395.htm

Mr Pike is that stile one made at the York concrete works?

I'm not totally sure of the locations of the LNER concrete works. As there was one at York i'd suggest they were able to make anything in the catalogue. Where else had concrete works? When did Melton Constable stop making concrete articles..

Out of region I know but could they have been "Bought in" from the SR at Exemouth Jcn Concrete works?
Or are they definate NER / LNER?

In that part of the world, I'd always assumed they'd originated from a renewals scheme in the early/mid fifties. Certainly there are pictures of new concrete works in place from about 1954 onwards across the whole Stainmore scheme, including fencing as well as notice boards so I would expect stiles to fall in with that project. Incidentally there is a concrete style to this pattern still extent at the eastern end of Tees Valley Viaduct.... while the style is complete on the western side of the line, look on the eastern side for a signpost and a fragment of trespass notice.

BTW. might NER in this case not refer to North Eastern Railway but rather to North Eastern Region?

Just looked at the drawing again.
It is LNER on the top line.
The Drawing number indicates a 1945 design and the YC may mean York Concrete.
Can anyone decipher the Engineers names?

I think you have just done a fairly good job. YC for York Concrete seems fairly plausible.

I note from the catalogue other codes appear. EC, LC, ES and EW are quite common. One section states articles for Edinburgh area only and contain EC in the part number.

Been routing through the garage this afternoon and unearthed an old office copy file from York Concrete works.
And it does include a stile.
However it is slightly different and a bit newer as it is into North Eastern Region BR 1960s'
The file details a whole range of products from Stiles to Loading Gauge posts.