EPW016430 ENGLAND (1926). An LNER A1 "Pacific" class locomotive hauling the "Flying Scotsman" towards Edinburgh, Newton Hall, 1926

4472 Flying Scotsman was (and is) an A3 class not an A1.

Nice Title but that could be any large locomotive of the time, even perhaps a NER Raven designed 4-6-2, even if the locomotive class and the train (name) are correct there is nothing to suggest that it is 4472... Also, in reply to Maurice, some of those rear coaches do look like they have clerestory roofs, there is a distinctive 'shadow' not present on any of the other roofs.

"Flying Scotsman" was the third A1 Pacific to enter traffic in February 1923 and is shown here as LNER 4472 hauling a full train north to Edinburgh, just two miles north of Durham Station. The junction at Newton Hall was removed after the closure of the branch line to Sunderland in 1964 and the curve was reduced on the East Coast Main Line by April 1970.

The East Coast Main Line from Durham to Newcastle is still in heavy use and is now has overhead line electrification. The curve of the line at this point was eased at some time relatively recently (say the 1970's). This meant that the line is now on a different alignment to the west of the one shown. This has enabled the speeds of trains to be raised in this area.

Perhaps someone who has the date when this work took place can fill in the details.

Newton Hall is to the right as you look at the photo.

View is looking south.

Newton Hall Junction - the branch line leaving the photo at centre left goes off to Leamside Junction on 'The Old Main LIne' and thence to Sunderland

Having seen image EPW016431 I withdraw the suggestion that the train contains any clerestory coaches. The relatively high number of coaches might be the result of some of the train being made up of three coach articulated sets (three coaches on four bogies) which had shorter bodies than the normal c57ft of this time. (Also gives me the opportunity to correct my original mis-spelling of clerestory!)

Sixteen coaches is a very long train even in the 1920s. Two coaches two the rear, are not long out of the works, either new or after a repaint as they display white roofs. Repaint of the roofs that is; the bodies would be varnished teak. A little further forward is a pair of clearstory coaches that might be a restaurant car set. The carriages carry roof destination boards, a feature of the British railways scene until the early 1960s when changing designs, increasing speeds, overhead electrification and increasing labour cost various brought about the end of the practice.