TWO shunter engines that first saw service in the late 1950s are enjoying a well-earned retirement.

Chris Booth, a photographer for The Northern Echo, came across the engines at Thornaby depot, a derelict train yard a few miles east of the railway line between Middlesbrough and Egglescliffe.

He said: "I saw this scene on my way to another job and my eye was caught by the symmetry of the engines, so I stopped to take a photograph. I think it makes for a striking and haunting image."

The engines worked across the country shunting in yards and are presently being stored by D B Schenker, a German rail-freight company on the site of what was formerly a mecca for rail enthusiasts.

This image and many other are available for sale from the Photosales section of The Northern Echo's website, on thenorthernecho.co.uk.