Weekend Happenings

31st August 2010

The weekend turned out to be something of a mini-steam event with a good selection of steam lined up for visitors - a taste of this weeks event to come...

As I write, there are lorries heading south to gather various attractions for the forthcoming GNSF and I am looking skywards at blue skies - will this weather last though?!

Below: Alan Hines' had his Robey Showman's engine in steam over the weekend, to keep the gallopers company!

Below: A herculean effort by Stuart Hines, Bob Fielding and numerous other colleagues saw the gallopers up, tested, running and even with music (albeit with a cd and speaker as the organ is not due back from its restoration until the 10th September). There are one or two details to attend to, mostly cosmetic, but the ride has proved to be popular with the steam school students readily taking on the job of firing and driving the sometimes tricky Savage centre engine. All good stuff!

Below: The ride, the Robey and a threatening sky...

Below: Meanwhile Sir Cecil Cochrane continues to ply the 1000 yard round trip some 25 times a day every weekend. This weekend is its last however, after which WST from Bowes will take over for the remainder of the season, maybe joined by the Y7 for October half-term. I had the engine on Sunday, and the sun shone and the rain fell in equal measure - this was during one of the former intervals!

Below: In the Colliery, Blue Circle (with owner Mick Smith) was in steam all three days, joined by myself and Coffee Pot on Saturday - a chance for some line-up photographs.

Below: A formal portrait in the exchange sidings.

Below: On Friday night, David Potter's 'Paddy' arrived, and on Saturday it was pushed out for display while Mick and I were around. Since its last visit it has acquired a roof and also the lettering for the 'British Steam Piling Co' (the source of its cylinders as I recall).

Future motive power at Rowley - WST and a Y7!!!

26th August 2010

Blog followers may have spotted that several of this months railway magazines were reporting that the forthcoming Great North Steam Fair would feature the NER designed (LNER built) Y7 0-4-0T from the North Norfolk Railway. The engine is reaching the end of a lengthy overhaul and unfortunately, whilst it had been the hope for it to appear at the GNSF, it will not be ready in time.

However, I am pleased to announce that we have signed a three year deal (potentially renewable thereafter) with the NNR to base the Y7 at Beamish. It is also intended that it wear its LNER livery with NE on the tanksides and number 8088. It will be our regular station engine for this period, and will work with the Beamish NER brake end coach No.3071 (currently at Tanfield) as soon as is practicable next season. This will settle the situation down which lately has seen a high turnover of visiting locomotives - so far this season we have run Hudswell Clarke No.6, Furness Railway No.2o, RSH 'Sir Cecil Cochrane' and are expecting one further guest engine followed by a return by Barclay 'WST' from the Bowes Railway. This is interesting but is also very expensive in terms of haulage!

I will be aiming to bring in visiting engines to both the railway and colliery lines for events etc. in the future, and already for 2011 we have some exciting visitors requested for both areas. We also hope to bring in further visiting tramcars and narrow gauge locomotives in 2011 as part of the developing events (Pftp and GNSF) as well as regular steaming throughout the year, with other weekends nominated for particularly intensive steam operations on both road and rail.

There is much work in hand (Ruston Portable, Lewin, extension of fairground, further railway developments in the form of sheds and a steam contractors yard, improvements to the colliery railway and extension of the lines available for use there and some short and long term visitors to the museum) so I hope that these will more than make amends for the non-appearance of the Y7 this September. It is entirely possible that it will be here in October, maybe featuring in some mooted half-term steaming at Rowley, or even Halloween...!!!

Below: A Y7!!! LNER No.986 - one of the later batch built with dropped buffers fitted as standard. Photograph copyright of Photomatic.

Below: WST during its first visit to Beamish in 2006.

Chaldron Progress Part 12

26th August 2010

Here is a selection of views showing progress on L1219 (see the original number in the last photo). Alan has fitted the top rail and also the brakegear, which has been fitted per original rather than some of the later attempts both at Seaham and Beamish. This works very well.

Once the top rails are secure and the shape has been created (by clamping and bolting), the striking boards (to protect the body when loosening stuck coal), miscellaneous metal fittings and the end profiles of the sides will be finished off. The waggon will receive a final coat of paint then numbering and lettering.

Come along to the Great North Steam Fair to see it!

Narrow Gauge Railway laid!

26th August 2010

This morning a team of staff relaid the narrow gauge construction line, in readiness for the arrival of 'Paddy' on Friday, which can then be manoeuvred into the shed until the 2nd September...

Below: A view of the layout, simpler than last time, as laid this morning.

Blue Circle to steam over Bank Holiday

23rd August 2010

'The Blue Circle', A&P traction engine locomotive No.9449/1926, will be in steam this coming weekend - August Bank Holiday, on Sat, Sun and Mon. Coffee Pot will also be in steam on the Saturday. The weekend will also see the gallopers debut in public operation under steam for the first time since 1952 (the ride being electrically powered from then until 2009). In addition, Sir Cecil Cochrane will be running at Rowley Station, so if you can't make the steam fair the following weekend, here is a good chance to see some great steam action!

Below: A selection of Andy Martin's photos taken when the engine arrived last week - see more of these images on the facebook and flickr pages for Beamish - links to the right...

Chaldron Progress Part 11

24th August 2010

The Chaldron project is rapidly drawing to the close of several aspects of this important project. Dave Potter has all but completed the drawings and survey, Alan Milburn has virtually completed the first waggon reconstruction and has prepared much of the material for the second waggon and I have carried out the research and survey of extant vehicles. There is so much material that we are likely to self publish a short publication on the subject...

Below: This is probably one of the very last pieces of Londonderry lettering in existence! Taken from the dismantled L1521, it is in store at the museum and is a complete board, with numbering, lettering and tare weight. It is therefore our specimen sample. Even the apparently original lettering on L25 appears to have had post-preservation interference so cannot be totally relied upon as accurate.

The style of lettering is interesting in itself, being very 'folksy' in appearance, something that will be replicated on our rebuilds and repaints...

Below: L25 was brought out of storage in order that it be photographed. This rare appearance revealed a number of interesting features, which have been duly recorded, and that were not appearent when in the darkness of the stores. Unfortunately this waggon (like most) has lost the original door, though the metalwork remains.

Below: L25 from the North...

Below: And from the south - I suspect this lettering has been reapplied at some point post-Seaham using the remains of the original as a guide.

Below: Meanwhile in the colliery, Alan Milburn has virtually finished the erection of the first rebuild (L1219) and has carried out much preparatory work on the next waggon, which will be rapidly assembled in the space occupied by LH&JC No.14 which will be moved this weekend (or next) for final display at Beamish pending its move to new owners, the Tanfield Railway...

The space it occupies will be dedicated to waggon works for some time to come, though there are plans for further steam exhibits in this area - watch this space...

Rambler's Travels

23rd August 2010

This weekend we attended the Lincoln Traction Engine Rally with our Fowler DNAS steam roller Rambler. Also at the show was Michael Davison's Marshall 'Mary Margaret' and Guy Rutter's Wallis Advance. The show suffered very wet conditions on the Saturday, but Sunday was fine and hot.

Below: Rambler leads Mary Margaret and the Wallis on a parade around the grounds.

Below: Rambler and Eve, a 1923 Fowler (15981) which was exported to Sri Lanka, returning to England for restoration in 1990.

Below: This beautifully restored Foster dating from 1913 and named 'Mighty Atom' was accompanied by a restored Foster traction wagon, adapted for carrying passengers.

Below: This is how they move!

Sundry news from around the site

23rd August 2010

Lots has been happening while I've been off...

Below: The Gallopers are in one piece and are currently under test and being used for staff training. They will be in action from this, the Bank Holiday, weekend...

Below: Aveling & Porter Traction Engine locomotive 'The Blue Circle' arrived at Beamish from the Bluebell Railway and is on display inside the colliery engine works, soon to be joined by Sir Vincent...

Cochrane in action

23rd August 2010

Here is a selection of views of Sir Cecil Cochrane from the Tanfield Railway during its working stint at Beamish...

Latest GNSF confirmations!

23rd August 2010

Two more confirmations for the 2 - 5th September:

Below: Anthony Lister's Clayton & Shuttleworth 'Louise', a regular attendee at Beamish.

Below: Roy Etherington is bringing 'Issin Sid' - a replica of the compressed air locomotives built by the Grange Iron Works in Durham - I will put more info on the blog in due course...

Blog break!

8th August 2010

This blog will be having a short break for the next two weeks - but look out for announcements on its return on the 23rd August - more confirmations for the GNSF and maybe the gallopers up and running...!!!

Remember there are still steam services every weekend at the station and Blue Circle is due to arrive next week so will be on display in the colliery engine shed. The Bowes Railway holds its toy and train fair next weekend (14/15th August) and will have our own Puffing Billy as a star attraction.

Other museum news on the main website and Facebook pages...

31 outside!

5th August 2010

Here is a photo of Blackpool 31 outside, showing off its completed livery. It is due to move to Blackpool in the last weeks of August, being under pressure at Beamish to move the large numbers of visitors we are enjoying at the moment. The Balloon from the LTT will be the inbound load for the movement though it seems unlikely that the latter will be commissioned in time for the GNSF in September. However, Leeds 6 will be in action as will the horse tram L53 - so plenty of tramway interest to enjoy.
31 will remain in Blackpool until November and is likely to take part in some tours there other than those it is required for as part of BTS' celebratory programme.

Locomotive Swap

5th August 2010

The latest locomotive swap at Rowley has taken place:

Sir Cecil Cochrane, a 1948 built 0-4-0ST by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, has arrived from the Tanfield Railway and will be operating every weekend until the 5th September. It arrived on Sunday night aboard John Antell's low-loader which then took Furness 20 to the Bluebell Railway on the Monday morning as these views show...

Below: Cochrane, arrived on Beamish rails.

Below: Furness 20 reverses onto Cochrane in order to shunt it to the shed.

Below: An unusual pairing!

Below: Furness 20 on Monday morning as it heads through our Town street on its way to Sussex.

National Tramway Museum visit

4th August 2010

Yesterday, for various reasons, I found myself in Derby and heading north past the National Tramway Museum at Crich, so I popped in for half an hour to break the journey...

In operation were Glasgow 22, Liverpool 869 and Southampton 45. LUT159 was making impressive progress in the workshop and numerous trams destined to visit Blackpool this September were also being worked on - see www.BlackpoolTramEvents.co.uk for more on this (also to feature our own Blackpool 31 - staying at Beamish for now as we are having to cope with large numbers of visitors and have not found time to prepare the car for the road journey west. It will be there for BTS's programme of events though - do not worry!).

I had a quick wander through the re-displayed exhibition area, featuring exhibits old and new. I understand there is much more to come in this area.

Below: A quick shot of LUT 159. Leeds 399 to the right and Blackpool 40 in the background - both are heading to Blackpool in September.