Fire Queen

28th October 2010

After a request to this blog, here are a couple of views of Fire Queen at Penrhyn Castle further to the one posted earlier in the week...

From Dave Young's workshop...

27th October 2010

Dave Young has been as industrious as ever, pattern making, overhauling components and assisting with a number of key projects including a pump for the Steam Mule, and a pump for it to drive, a quantity of brass handwheels (to replace modern variants that come on purchased fittings and to my mind can ruin a good restoration!) and work on the Ruston portable. He also has a new 12 month programme of work associated with Lewin so we will keep him busy! Now is a good time to record our thanks for the considerable and highly skilled work Dave has done for us and continues to produce from his superb home workshop.

Below: Handwheels - prior to finishing. Some are for the Steam Mule, others are for stock. The foundry cast a supply for stock too so there are plenty around to ensure we can replace the modern plastic coated variants generally supplied today.

Below: During the overhaul of the American built three ram pump, to be belt driven from the Steam Mule (another technique important in our training), Dave needed to re-metal various bearings. In order to do this, he created jigs and mounts in order to cast the white-metal (which has a high lead content and therefore melts at relatively low temperatures). Here is the crankshaft end of the pump ram connecting rod (there are three) being prepared.

Below: The same component with the insert for moulding fitted in place...

Below: ... and sealed with putty.

Below: This is another set of bearings, showing a more complicated arrangement and using a temporary shaft as part of the process. Note the white putty.

Below: Dave melts an ingot of whitemetal in his home-foundry (!), using a small crucible in the process.

Below: First pour, into the more complicated arrangement (with the temporary shaft). The frame of the pump itself is the grey casting visible, placed on its side.

Below: Pouring for the other bearing at the other end of the shaft.

Below: The connecting rod bearings after cooling and separation. Final dressing and scraping in (if needed) to follow.

Below: The crankshaft of the pump was very badly pitted.

Below: To remove the pitting, Dave turned down the shaft and made a sleeve (seen to the right) that fitted over the now smaller shaft.

Below: The near completed pump. The remetalled bearings are where the three brass oil pots and two steel stauffers can be seen. The frame upon which the pump will be mounted is the next job, as well as a water container to allow circulation and by-pass features to be incorporated. There is some thought we might contrive to power a small water fountain at steam events using the finished machinery!

Busman's holiday - part 2

25th October 2010

Also in Wales... A day on was spent of each of the wonderful Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog Railways. In superb weather these two railways have long passed the 'heritage line' definition, and can now be regarded as a transport system in their own right. Heritage roots are well understood and the heritage train was evident at Boston Lodge (first photo - see also the new Manning Wardle 'Lyd' in the background). Here are just a few photos from that weekend...

Busman's holiday - part 1

25th October 2010

This part of autumn has been a busy one at Beamish and off site and a few days break in Wales gave the opportunity to sample some other museum/heritage attractions...

Below: A selection of photographs taken at Penrhyn Castle, which also contains (within the stables complex) and industrial railway museum! It has a variety of local (and not so local) exhibits, as well as an external narrow gauge display focussed on material collected from the slate quarries at Penrhyn (whose owner developed the present castle - more a stately home than a true fortification). The National Trust are the guardians and the castle and collection are very well presented. Highlight must be the Penrhyn Railway Hunslet built 0-4-0ST 'Charles' - brother to the famous 'Linda' and 'Blanche' at the Ffestiniog Railway. I was also rather taken with the three foot gauge ex Ironstone Black Hawthorn 0-4-0ST which appears in one scene - and was studied for details that will be usefully applied to the Lewin Restoration. A Hudwell Clarke and Neilson also provided useful details - so there is no such thing as a true day off! Another attraction is ex Padarn Railway 0-4-0 'Fire Queen' of 1848 and built by Horlock, notably using the boiler as the frame.

Correction

14th October 2010

A correction on events dates - the Great North Steam Fair is the 14 - 17th April, not over Easter weekend as I previously suggested...

Wheelbarrow joy!

13th October 2010

Wheelbarrows! The Friends completed two replica (and incredibly substantial) barrows for use in the Colliery Engine Works/Shed. They have been inscribed and hopefully this, combined with their weight and a sophisticated computer tracking device (well, maybe not the latter!), will ensure these ones do not vanish in the manner all previous engine shed barrows have! Only time will tell...

Below: Here they both are and very welcome they are too for moving lighting up wood, oil drums, coal (when crew forget to coal up before going on shed!) and ash. You really can never have enough wheelbarrows! Thank you to the Friends for making us these examples.

Chaldron Progress - Part 15

13th October 2010

Alan Milburn is tearing into the second waggon and tonight's task is to pick some wheelsets from the wheelset shop! Some are OK, others are good and some are very poor. There are also a mix of inside and outside journals (the surface that runs in the bearing). Alan is also completing a barrier waggon for us, to enable RCH buffered stock/locomotives to safely run with the dumb buffered chaldrons, and also because a flat waggon would be very useful!

Below: A sea of wheelsets!

Below: Inside the works, the ribs are now fitted to the second waggon, L1833. As much of this had been prepared earlier (alongside L1219), the work is proceeding very quickly.

RMS Evacuation!

13th October 2010

This morning the great stock move to empty the RMS took place - this also involved emptying the goods shed to create temporary undercover storage for the original chaldron waggon and WST, which we were using for the shunting. Here is a summary of the shunt...

Below: These two vans are normally resident inside the goods shed with appropriate displays. The Transit Van (nearest) is in fairly good order and represents wagons used to trip small loads between goods stations where they too small to make up a wagonload. The G2 van behind is rather more tired and as it is, I believe, unique, it is kept inside until it can one day be rebuilt.

Below: Not quite what it seems! The Simplex 'Ubique' is attached to the coach, but WST is at the far end and actually providing the propulsion!

Below: WST tows the Londonderry chaldron L25 - the most original of its type left - past the signalbox. It was then hand shunted into the goods shed, WST not having dumb buffers suitable for propelling this fragile and important waggon.

Below: E No.1 emerges into the daylight for the first time in many years - just how closely this fits under the footbridge doesn't bear repeating!

Below: Space - a lot of it! It is amazing how large an area looks when there is nothing in it. Once the floor is in, it will no doubt look even swisher - until we fill it all back up...

News round-up

12th October 2010

The pace of activity at Beamish at the moment is frantic, with progress on the Chip Shop, general grounds infrastructure, railway collections and looming developments occupying the staff to the full. On top of this we are about to concrete the floor in the railway section of the RMS (Regional Museum Store), entailing emptying it. Tomorrow! There will be photos but all of the stock will be outside for at least two weeks (bar the very precious items which will be locked in the goods shed). If you want to photograph anything in particular then next week is the time to do it! I'll psot photos once the shunting is complete to show what is where...

Below: First move, today, was the remains of Gateshead tram 51 - a section of which is shown here. We collected this from the Ravensworth Estate five years ago and it remains as very much a 'one day' project. We do have quite a lot of the fiddly bits though which would re-fit to a new body...

Below: Peter Barlow is busy replacing all of the thousands of bulbs on the gallopers with LEDs, which also entails substantial re-wiring and refurbishment - in time for the Christmas season in late November. As a run about he is using the Smiths electric van - restored by the Beamish Tram Group some years ago but not often seen in the light of day - so here it is!

From the Friends Workshop...

11th September 2010

Here is a summary of projects upon which the Friends are currently making great progress:

Below: The Tyne-Tees Shipping coal box (used for bunkering coal etc.) is nearly complete and will join the Fairground when it moves to the Waggonway in November. It will be used, appropriately, for fuel storage for the Gallopers.

Below: The team are reassembling the Baker street sweeper, which has involved a lot of refurbishment as well as some quite major replacement of badly corroded framework. I am not sure they are convinced of the April 2011 target for completion - but the sweep (and water cart, also to be finished by the group) should be running for next September's Power from the Past...

Below: A quantity of bicycles is also in the workshop, new to the museum and separated into specimen items for the collection (still to be working exhibits however) and a selection of cycles for day to day use by the staff - an alternative to walking or the dreaded replica van!

Below: The Hodbarrow side tipper chassis was dismantled on Saturday. The Friends will attend to the chassis while I will attend to the rather worn wheelsets - some of the flanges are sharper than knife edge...

Below: The rest of the waggon frame! Seen inside the coal box.

Below: On the left are the inverted castings that form the main structure of the side tipper. To the right are the corroded channels from a car lift, currently under restoration and waiting for new channel to the unusual section to be manufactured. Once complete this will be displayed in the Town Garage.

Events 2011!!!

11th October 2010

Some news on events for 2011...

This year's two transport events were terrifically successful, and both will be repeated in 2011. We are, however, swapping the events and dates. This is to avoid clashing with the numerous September steam events, which in turn makes the haulage etc. rather chaotic.

An outline of both events, subject to all the usual confirmations are:

April 14 - 17th 2011 Great North Steam Fair

Featuring a wide variety of steam traction, with several big surprises and definitely worth travelling to the museum to see! A number of very good exhibits have been invited and will be confirmed nearer the time. I also hope the Y7 will be running at the station by this time.

On the tramway front we can now confirm that our own Blackpool 31 will be moving shortly from Blackpool to Heaton Park to take part in their November 'Blackpool Trams and Transport' event, which looks set to be a brilliant end to the fantastic year of trams. Oporto 196 will return to Beamish. In time for the 2011 GNSF, Manchester 765 will move from Blackpool (where it will winter) to Beamish and spend several weeks with us here. Seeing it running through the street is something to look forward too! As ever, watch this space for more event announcements...

More information on the Heaton Park event can be found at:

http://www.heatonparktramway.org.uk

September 1st - 4th 2011 Power from the Past

In September we will have a second transport event, maybe a little less steam this time but with much more in terms of horse and tramway activity. I have a list of trams (plural!) I would like to attract for this event. There are again some interesting steam exhibits to be approached too so don't feel that steam is being neglected! Less steam on the road does mean more space for other things, and there will be visiting railway exhibits (as there will be for the April event too).

Hopefully blog followers will be able to join us and make 2011's events as successful as 2010s!

General News Roundup

11th October 2010

Last Friday I was in Shildon to help Michael Davison steam his Marshall traction engine from Shildon to Tees Cottage Pumping Station in Darlington.

Below: Whilst at Shildon I saw Phil Anderson who is repainting the LMS 'Crab' from black to Crimson livery - a break from tramcar painting! It is seen here in the workshop.

Below: Mary Margaret out on the road and motoring well. The eight mile route was covered quickly and without fuss on a very pleasant autumn afternoon.

Below: A pause was taken at Heighington Primary School for water, where the classes were brought out to see the 'big engine'!

Below: After arrival at Tees Cottage, the Marshall joined Mark Sutherland's Wallis for the weekend.

Below: Meanwhile, back at Beamish, Davy Sheen has commenced stripping Lewin's frames. The plan is to get back to a bare chassis in order to carry out some straightening and repairs to distortion at the front end. Alan Milburn is on standby to make new buffer beams and our target is a rolling chassis by next Spring, in time for the return of the repaired boiler.

Below: Davy wields a gentle touch to separate long joined together components!

Chaldron Progress - Part 14

7th October 2010

Below: Rapid progress is being made on the second chaldron, L1833. All of the metalwork is ready and the timber frame is receiving final preservative treatment following trial assembly.

Below: Elsewhere, the Daimler replica bus is receiving attention to various components, necessitating the removal of the engine - seen below. Fortunately, many years ago, the museum obtained a spare chassis of the same design used for this replica (a Renault) and various parts of this have been used, including (in the past) the engine.

Below: The track gang is forging along the Colliery railway, as evidenced by the mud now apparent! The line in the middle of this view has been done and was in use during 2010, they are now focussing on the line to the left, which was partly re-sleepered but not fastened down. In the distance you can just make out the buffer stop which will be the end of a temporary headshunt to enable the loop to be of great use - particularly in bringing locos in and out of the museum and getting the engines doing the shunting to the right end! The longer term view is to extend the line all the way to the Pockerley Tram stop and create a 'construction' area and also hardstanding for much improved loading and unloading...