General News Roundup

30th June 2010

The blog has proved its worth! Having commented on our difficulty sourcing suitable crests for 31, David Smith, editor of the Tramway Museum Society Journal, stepped forward and kindly offered to modify the Blackpool Corporation Transport crests he has prepared for Blackpool 167, to read Blackpool Corporation Tramways, required by 31 (and 143 and maybe one day Blackpool 40 again at Crich). Originally the BCTramway crests have been modified BCTransport transfers. Using the original transfer evident on an original and archived side panel from 31, I have photographed the required letters for David to produce a new digital image. We will then get these printed on high quality vinyl, per 167, 131 et al. and adorn 31 and 143 accordingly. Needless to say a couple of spares will be kept! David is interested in digitising tramway crests (and I wonder if there is a market for traction engine manufacturers? Railways are well covered) so if anyone has any mounted on board in original condition please do get in touch! Needless to say we are extremely grateful to David for his assistance on this matter. In return an article on 31's repaint (green and now red!) will be submitted for the TMS journal...

Below: Three views of the original crest from 31.

Below: While at the NRM, York, yesterday I encountered the original NER tile-map - reminding me that we have one of the replicas (or new-builds as they technically are) in store awaiting fixing somewhere...

Below: Rambler has regained its rear rolls! These will be lined in due course, likewise the front rolls. Stuart was due to move it on air later today, the engine being due to steam Fri/Sat/Sun as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations. The Ruston portable will shortly move to the workshop for dismantling and full survey pending a decision on its restoration... Exciting times!

Below: Later in the day Rambler and the Steam Mule (still hot from a test of a new safety valve) bask in the afternoon sunshine.

Below: The completed decency panel number on 31 - a work of art!

General News Roundup

28th June 2010

Below: Its actually a smoke hoover, sucking all this in!!! The Mule undergoes further testing and adjustment, using a particularly dirty batch of coal... Dave is fettling the regulator and Stuart has the safety valve off for resetting.

Below: A close up of the firehole door and tiny shovel!

Below: Davy and Stuart painting Rambler's rear rolls - there is apparently only one chair!

Below: Meanwhile Phil has all but completed the lining on 31 - it looks stunning and pictures do not do it justice. There is some remaining detailing to complete and we are still trying to track down some crests in order to compete the scumbled panels. The tram will then be varnished before re-entering service this weekend for the 40th anniversary... Note, it will probably be decorated with garlands for the event if anyone is planning to photograph its new finish!

Seaham Harbour Coal Drops

28th June 2010

I thought a few words of explanation about the Seaham Harbour Coal Drops would be of interest to readers of this blog - to perhaps make sense of why we're making a big fuss about them!

Below: This photograph by Frank Atkinson was taken at the point of the drops being prepared for removal. Frank recognised their value and importance and whilst there was nowhere for them to be displayed, initiated their rescue. Such action showed the need for a museum like Beamish and the dismantling and recovery of the drops would make a book in themselves! The view is taken looking South, across the South Dock at Seaham. If you look at Google earth you can identify the stone headland upon which they were built, not to be confused with the North Dock, which is earlier and smaller. In this view the deck and track upon which the chaldrons would reach the cradle has been removed, giving a clear view of the beam.

Frank commissioned this model and it serves well to explain how the drops work. At Seaham the harbour is against a series of cliffs, so the height was available for the drops, but also a problem in causing breakage of coal. As a result, William Chapman (1749 - 1832) a noted engineer, patented (in 1807) a means of 'Putting coal on board ships, lighters and other vessels so as to prevent breakage'. In 1820 Chapman became engineer to the Londonderry family who owned a number of collieries around Seaham and were developing a harbour there. John Buddle was chief viewer for the Londonderry family (essentially their engineer) and he oversaw a lot of the Seaham Harbour works - dying in 1843. It is therefore possible that these two initiated the construction of the forerunner of these drops - originally a timber construction but later, perhaps in the 1845 - 1850 period, upgrading these to iron construction.

Below: A chaldron arrives on the top of the drops and is positioned onto the cradle.

Below: Lowering the cradle by means of gravity, speed being controlled by a band brake running over the brake wheel, concealed within the structure.

Below: A view without the boat, to make the whole thing a little clearer. The chaldron would discharge through its bottom door, the brake holding everything in place. The now lighter chaldron would rise once the drops brake was released, counterweights fitted to the rear of the beams ensuring it will rise.

Weekend Steaming

28th June 2010

Well, Monday comes round once again and its another hot day! Following on from a blistering weekend and a busy museum site (until the Football kick off on the Sunday!). There was plenty of transport action for the visitors to see, including:

Below: Mary Margaret and living van enjoying some leisurely running around the site.

Below: Leeds 6 in service - annoyingly we had no open top car for the weekend as 31 is still being finished and Newcastle 114 was inexplicably taken out of service for the floors to be repainted!!!

Below: FR 20 was in action all weekend at the station.

Below: Alan and Tim, FR 20 and appropriate attire!

Below: I'm always surprised how few people take this photo! For those visiting, this is from the events field and is perfectly accessible to visitors. It is well lit by the sun (when it shines!) and the elevation makes for a nice composition.

Below: Winston Churchill, Neil Corner's Burrell Showmans engine, arrived in readiness for next weekend (3rd and 4th July) when Beamish celebrates it's 40th anniversary...

Below: Mary Margaret (unusually itself dwarfed by the Burrell!) eases past during shunting manoeuvres. We will also have one of Neil's fairground organs next weekend, with attendant Scammell Showtrac - with the regular traction engine 'home fleet' plus the waggonway, steam winder, Coffee Pot and Furness 20 it will essentially be a mini steam gala!

The big lift - Part 2!

26th June 2010

Part 2 of the big lift continued this morning and was completed early this afternoon. Scott from Dowse has done a superb job in completing this major exercises and we have accomplished a great many things.

This second phase focused on moving the machine tools not used in a long time from the dormant Foulbridge workshops to the new RMS facility. These will be wired in during the next few weeks and will enable a shortly to be finalised programme of major works to commence here - as ever, watch this space!

Below: One of the two lathes to be relocated to the new engineering workshop at the RMS.

Below: Placing the HIAB to lift the radial arm drill.

Below: And up it goes - the HIAB can lift 9 tons and is a formidable piece of kit, originally built by Dowse Cranes on a Foden chassis.

Below: In situ, the two lathes.

Below: The radial arm drill, with Rambler to the left. The drill is positioned to enable it to be used to its maximum parameters, with good access for forklifts and plant to the right of the photo... One of its first jobs is likely to be boring various components that the Friends are refurbishing on the horse drawn roadsweeper.

General news roundup

26th June 2010

A selection of views showing what has been happening around the site...

Below: FR20 was in steam yesterday for the big shunting operation - remember you can see it every Sat and Sun until the end of July...

Below: Davy Sheen welds the spokes on one of Rambler's rear rolls, making good old repairs prior to repainting in time for the 40th anniversary event.

Below: Peter Barlow has set up a working area for the testing and refurbishment of the 3600 lights for the gallopers! This has greatly sped up progress on the work to some very old electrics!

Below: Blackpool 31 has regained its identity! Phil Anderson has begun the final numbering and lining jobs on this tram, with a roll out next week being the aim. The reluctance to get it dirty, or even wet will be very evident amongst crews I suspect!

Below: As well as scumbling the side panels, Phil has tackled the destination boxes with the same method.

Below: Phil begins to apply the lining to the decency panels...

Below: Adding the corner details to the decency panel lining.

Below: You can just discern the shape of the number panel - part of the revision of the livery to the 1924 - 1928 condition. We have a tracing of the original panel, but this has had to be enlarged as the current decency panels are deeper than the original - a concession made to H&S/HMRI during the late 1980s. This will make a dramatic difference to the livery, which we hope is as accurate recreation as possible - we await to stand corrected!!!

Below: Three views of some new acquisitions - a cornish style boiler and two open troughs, formerly part of boilers. The Cornish, by G E Black, boilermaker, of Tweedmouth, still has some fittings attached and we will shortly be researching this - maybe a supply for the long term Home Farm aspiration of returning a barn engine there to steam... The bicycle is a Sunbeam, used by staff as a means of getting around site!

The big lift!!! Part 1

25th June 2010

Today was the day we moved Seaham Harbour Coal Drops! Nearly 40 tons of 1840s wrought iron which has sat in a corner of Beamish for 30 years since it was placed there after originally being saved in 1966 - for more on this watch this space...

The brief was to move the coal drops to a new location where they will be in the public eye. The only problem is that since they had been stored, 30 years of development has taken place and what was once the corner of the museum's original car park was now a difficult to reach embankment behind the Regional Museum Store. Add the railway lines and several other large objects between the drops and liberty and we had quite a challenge on our hands! To make matters more fun, the deadline as the end of June - in order that the drops be seen in their new position for the museum's 40th anniversary event on the 3rd and 4th July. Phew!

Dowse Cranes were contracted to carry out the move and a series of planning sessions took place to unravel a plan. Needless to say this was amended on the day, and throughout!

First of all a fair degree of shunting was needed in order to release the Smith Rodley steam crane from alongside the RMS and place it out of the way. Not having a diesel locomotive in working order, Furness 20 was steamed for the day to provide motive power. The rest of the day is shown in the following sequence of photographs:

Below: FR20 raises steam early on Thursday morning.

Below: In order that the hired road crane could reach the coal drops (located in the trees to the right of this photo), the embankment was cut back to enable the outriggers to be fully extended.

Below: Meanwhile, a sleeper pad was laid over the railway track for the crane/lorries. This extends from the level crossing and will probably remain in situ...

Below: Gravel is spread into the gaps between the sleepers to further improve the access. FR20 simmers alongside.

Below: Shunt 1 - remove the Armstrong diesel and NER bogie van.

Below: The Armstrong (under repair) and the riding van (which is now the property of the Locomotive Conservation & Learning Trust) emerge into the sunlight.

Below: FR20 shunts the AW diesel clear...

Below: ... poses alongside... prior to returning for the bogie van.

Below: Meanwhile, we were taking the opportunity to move one of the egg ended boilers from the colliery to the station as this will become part of a water tower to be constructed there, alongside the RMS.

Below: Lift 1! The 5 ton egg ended boiler is swung clear for loading onto a lorry.

Below: Lift 2 entailed moving the 17 ton Smith Rodley steam crane off its isolated track and onto one of the running lines.

Below: The rather odd (and amusing!) site of the crane mid air, suspended from another!

Below: The view from the footbridge...

Below: And touchdown.

Below: FR20 was then used with an open wagon as match truck to push the ensemble into the RMS for dry storage.

Below: A rare view inside the railway section of the RMS - looking rather empty!

Below: Meanwhile the egg ended boiler was unloaded into a temporary storage location.

Below: The track panel and buffer stop were lifted...

Below: ... and swung across for later dismantling.

Below: The weather was very good for this work and FR20 was a popular visitor attraction when not shunting. Seen coupled to the Simplex 'Ubique'.

Below: Next the crane was repositioned ready to lift the coal drops brake wheel.

Below: The 10 ton brake wheel is lifted clear.

Below: Then placed onto one of two lorries brought in for the movement of the drops.

Below: The biggest challenge was the main section of the drop itself. This was at the limit of the crane's capacity so was walked towards the crane to bring it into a better envelope for lifting. There were also concerns about the potentially brittle nature of the iron, but it held and the lift proceeded.

Below: 17 tons of beam is swung onto the lorry.

Below: And what a tight fit it was! There was actually less than a piece of paper in clearance!!!

Below: All loaded and ready for the short journey to Clover Field, across the site.

Below: A general view of proceedings showing how much rolling stock was moved just to get the crane inside!

Below: Teatime and the unloading begins. The tramway is to the right of this view, Pockerley behind and the town in the distance.

Below: I was keen the drops were laid out in their correct orientation, so each part was lifted and turned as necessary.

Below: The beam set the datum...

Below: ... followed by the brake wheel.

Below: The drops in their new, and temporary, home!

Below: It is much easier to see and understand the drops in this situation and information as well as a painting of them in context and erected will complete this phase of the job - I'll post more on the blog next week...

So ended a 10 hour day and a lot of work for a lot people, but it all went well and this morning the movement of workshop machine tools began...