A train is set to be installed on a Middlehaven roundabout, after plans were approved.
A train is set to be installed on a Middlehaven roundabout, after plans were approved.
Middlesbrough Council has granted itself planning permission to position a 1959 diesel-electric shunting locomotive on a roundabout over the border, situated where Riverside Park Road meets Ironmasters Road. The loco, repurposed by AV Dawson, is set to be installed as part of commemorative efforts for the bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR).
As has been reported, the project is led by AV Dawson, with council input, as the local authority is responsible for the roundabout. Charlie Nettle, Group Managing Director of AV Dawson, sits on the S&DR board, with the company recently sponsoring a book by the Friends of S&DR, detailing the railway’s 200-year history.
Council highway officers were satisfied that the installation would not pose a safety risk for vehicles approaching the roundabout. However, there are more hoops to jump through before the work can commence, with further documents needing to be submitted to the council.
Commenting when the application was submitted, a spokesperson for AV Dawson said: “Looking ahead, we’re keen to see similar celebrations for Middlesbrough’s railway bicentenary in 2030, marking the 1830 opening of the Middlesbrough branch line that connected the S&DR to the new port on the Tees—originally named Port Darlington, now the Port of Middlesbrough, owned and operated by AV Dawson.
“This line was opened to support the export of locally produced iron and coal which was brought to the port by train. The extension of the railway and the port made Middlesbrough what it is today as before the railway extension it was a hamlet with fewer than 30 residents.”
The plan is to display a 1959 British Rail Class 08 diesel-electric shunting locomotive. AV Dawson explained that while 996 units were originally built, less than 200 remain today. To mark the S&DR bicentenary, the retired locomotive has been repurposed as a local tribute. The company’s engineering team has refurbished it, removing the engine and fitting water butts for rainwater collection to support planting around the roundabout.
The officer report, prepared by the council, states that the locomotive would be approximately 8.8 metres in length, 2.6 metres in width and 3.8 metres in height, with the front of the locomotive facing south. Following 25 original neighbour consultations, no comments were received in response. The view from council officers was that the loco installation and associated works would be acceptable in terms of “visual amenity and public safety”.
Comments from highway planning said: “Based upon measurements calculated from the plans provided, sightlines and suitable visibility for vehicles approaching and negotiating the roundabout will be retained following implementation of the proposed scheme.”
One of the conditions does however say that prior to works commencing, “a traffic management and works methodology” that details the implementation and future maintenance, needs to be submitted to (and approved by) the local planning authority. The delegated report also sets out that maintenance would be left to third parties, which is acceptable, subject to a licence being “prepared and completed”.