FROM this paper 100 year ago. - It is not sufficiently known that now and since July a late train has been added to the meagre railway service between Northallerton and Stockton, Middlesbrough, West Hartlepool and Saltburn. Instead of having to leave Hartlepool at 6.50pm and Middlesbrough at 7.28pm, people can now leave Hartlepool at 8.18 and Middlesbrough or Stockton at 9.10pm, arriving at Northallerton at 9.55pm. This is a valuable acquisition of time, and "Spectator" heard a Northallerton tradesman go into raptures about its utility, and deplore the fact that few people seemed to be aware of it - not even the railway officials, for a railway porter at Middlesbrough vehemently declared that the 7.28pm was the last train. Now it is possible to go to Stockton or Middlesbrough and attend any of the places of entertainment for half-time, or tap any of its sources of instruction and education of an evening.

From this paper 50 years ago. - Awards and certificates for gallantry were presented at York on Monday to three Stockton railwaymen who checked a fire which broke out among petrol drums in a goods siding at North Stockton yard on March 11. The recipients were William Edward Humble, aged 41, yard inspector at North Stockton; Henry Patterson, aged 47, engine driver, of Stockton; and Joseph Carr Cowe, aged 35, carriage and wagon examiner, Stockton. The citation stated that at 9.30am a wagon containing 24 petrol drums was seen to be on fire in one of the sidings. Humble immediately issued instructions for the pilot engine to go into the siding and haul the wagon out and place it under the water column.

The fire was so fierce however that the engine could not approach near enough to be coupled to the wagon. Humble obtained a wire rope, and despite the danger from exploding drums secured the rope to the wagon as an extended coupling. The wagon was drawn by the pilot engine, driven by Patterson, to the water column. Patterson tried to reduce the blaze by playing two fire extinguishers on it so that Cowe could pull the water column over the wagon and turn on the water.

From this paper 20 years ago. - The excitement of the forthcoming annual Colburn Lodge Leek Show has been marred by the mystery theft of an exhibitor's six best leeks. The leeks belonged to Mr Bob Dinsdale, a lorry driver of Meadowfield Road, Colburn, who had grown the leeks from pips to a standard that would have provided tough competition for other leek growers. Mr Syd Richings, the show secretary, said: "This is the first time something like this has ever happened around here.