Beamish Winter Wonderland

29th November 2010

Another six inches of snow fell last night, rendering the Museum even more picturesque than before! Here are some views taken over the weekend when we were open, the first one though shows the scene this morning - no trams today!

Below: A couple of unconventional views of Gateshead 10 and Sunderland 16 at work.

Below: Two rather more conventional scenes. Once the railhead is clear the trams run very well in the snow, though deeper snow tends to trigger the lifeguards/trays.

Below: Not seen on the blog before, this is Flint Mill on the Beamish Burn below Pockerley.

Below: Not many gallopers keep running in the snow I suspect?! A respectable number of visitors braved the conditions to ride and see Santa!

Trams brave the snow!

26th November 2010

Well, its still snowing! The tram route is clear and 10 and 16 are in service, though there are few visitors braving the elements! Local road conditions have been appalling though.

Below: 16 in the town, black and white to suggest something of scenes from the past...

Below: The same scene in colour when the sun came out!

Below: Its a shame we haven't an engine in steam in this view. The work to floor the RMS is virtually complete so a shunt will shortly take place to put everything away - unfortunately this snowfall beat us to it.

Below: A wider view.

Below: Some of the girls spent lunchtime productively...!!!

Lewin latest

26th November 2010

Planning work and initial restoration on Lewin is now well advanced. To date an extensive research exercise has been undertaken by David Potter and myself, resulting in 32 pages of engineering drawings being produced of the locomotive to record what exists and what is needed to return it to its 1936 appearance. At Alton Engineering in Derbyshire the boiler has received remedial attention, a new smokebox and chimney and the work required to prepare it for steaming at Beamish. A project planing sheet has been created to identify all of the sub assemblies and contractors/suppliers as well as time-scales etc. This is cross referenced against the drawings. As a narrative and guide to the project a massive document, called a Conservation Management Plan, has been written to ensure robust curatorial practice can be applied.

So, to the metal itself! Davy Sheen (as posted previously) has removed the buffer beams as preparatory work to straightening the frames, work likely to commence next February. Meanwhile David Young made the first cuts of new material, with the modification of a whistle that we had in stock. This entailed modifying the whistle itself, then machining from scratch a bracket and mounting for fitting the assembly to the cab front. A whistle valve will shortly be obtained. As ever Dave excelled himself, returning the completed work only days after collecting it from Beamish! As a result of this expediency I am hoping that he will agree to producing many more of the myriad fittings and details required by this project.

Below: A trio of views of the whistle and the mounting bracket (which also acts as steam supply). A whistle valve (sprung) will be fitted to the threaded section evident in these photographs.

Below: A 1936 view, taken by Jarvis (an image apparently held in various collections and one which becomes available on e-bay from time to time) showing Lewin, or No.18 as we should correctly know it, apparently ex-works. At this time it had probably become a saddle tank (having previously been a well/side tank) and also may have received a new boiler. The platework looks straight and tidy and there was obvious pride in the engine! Note the whistle!

This is the appearance to which we are restoring the locomotive. The colour is apple green with black and white lining, red buffers and deep crimson frames.

A trip to York...

26th November 2010

Yesterday I was attending a meeting at the NRM, York so found a few minutes to have a wander about and remind myself of some of the better, and less well known exhibits therein...

Below: Duchess of Hamilton dominates the streamlined age display - I like the juxtaposition of Bauxite No.2 in the background!

Below: A new exhibit is the SRPS' North British Railway 0-6-0 Maude, which has arrived on loan to the NRM to represent Scottish railways and builders.

Below: The early railways display with Agenoria (built by Foster, Rastrick & Co in Stourbridge in 1829), probably the finest Georgian steam locomotive left in the World. Also in the line up are carriages from the Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway.

Below: Finally, this morning - an overnight heavy snowfall left the site looking very seasonal but heavy traffic in poor road conditions pretty much isolated the Museum from the main road network! On site the roads were cleared by a few staff who had struggled in and a decision was awaited as this post was written as to whether or not the Museum will open today...

Latest!!! The Museum is open today...

Heaton Park Tramway 'Blackpool Transport' event

23rd November 2010

On Sunday the Heaton Park Tramway held its much anticipated Blackpool Transport gala. Featuring Beamish's Blackpool 31 (which is there for the winter/spring season) and also a visit by Blackpool Transport's open top Balloon 706 'Princess Alice' as well as the two resident former Blackpool cars, Vanguard 619 and the works tram/rail grinder - the latter being illuminated for the occasion. A selection of relevant buses were provided by the Lancastrian Transport Trust and a shuttle bus service ran to the Museum of Transport at Boyle Street in Manchester.

The Saturday had consisted of a day long photo charter, with Sunday being a public event. Despite the gloomy (typically Mancunian - and having lived there for 24 years I can say that!) weather, the event was busy and a constant service was provided, running to 7pm (providing a chance for nocturnal riding and photographs). Even as the rails became damp and slippery the trams kept running and all in all it was a terrific event and one surely appreciated by the tramway enthusiast.

Below: Two Blackpool open toppers... 706 and 31 pause at the depot and waiting shelter. This is original tramway, not a new system - the only such example in the country.

Below: 31 pauses after reversing at Middleton Road. This was the former entrance for trams turning into the park onto what was essentially a substantial siding.

Below: The Vanguard heads towards the boating lake, Middleton Road being in the distance.

Below: Trams by night - the illuminations working to effect!

Below: A connecting service as a restored SELNEC (South East Lancashire, North East Cheshire - an amalgamation of numerous corporation systems and later to become Greater Manchester Buses) Leyland waits on Middleton Road as the works/illuminated tram reverses at the terminus.

Steam Navvy Asbestos Strip

23rd November 2010

For some time there have been concerns regarding the boiler lagging on the Steam Navvy. As a result, and with financial assistance from the Friends, the whole navvy has been decontaminated. This now means we can consider providing access to the interior, previously isolated.

Below: An overall view showing the rather handy staircase to the Navvy door - something we would like to copy on a permanent basis.

Below: The firebox tubeplate. A future step will be to remove the tubes and vent the boiler in order to gain an idea of its condition.

Below: This is the view looking forwards from the firebox end of the boiler, the controls being seen to the left and the closed shutters also visible. To the right is the drum for raising and lowering the bucket arm. The thrust for digging is provided by an engine mounted on the jib.

Below: A view of the boiler. The doorway to the left is where access is gained at the top of the temporary staircase. As can be seen, it is a locomotive type boiler rather than vertical boiler often associated with such equipment.

Below: Part of the engine which rotates the superstructure on the base. Track steering appears to be accomplished using levers on the track unit itself.

Our next step will be to tidy, clean and prepare the interior for public viewing - no timescale has been set for this the work completed is a step towards this, and ultimately an feasibility assessment regarding a return to steam...

Model side tipping waggons

12th November 2010

Blog readers may remember the side tipping models that we had purchased from the Joe Powell sale earlier this year. These have now been cleaned and treated (and frozen) and earlier (in a hurricane!) I photographed them for the files and for a forthcoming article in a specialist narrow gauge modelling magazine. I thought others might appreciate these photos...

I have now identified the waggons as being 1:10 scale, three foot gauge narrow gauge side tippers (on 3 1/2 inch gauge wheelsets). Such waggons were commonly used by contractors (especially on reservoir building contracts) and also saw service on lines such as the Scropton Tramway. None appear to have survived, though the more modern and larger Scaldwell variants are similar and there were some contractors type waggons at Betchworth, two of which survive at Amberley Chalk Pits.

Below: One of two surviving Scaldwell side tipping waggons, both of which are now in the care of the National Railway Museum at York. One is in store while the other has been extensively conserved for incorporation in the redisplayed Great Hall.

Below: A pair of Betchworth tippers at Amberley Chalk Pits, running on 3 ft. 2 1/4 inch gauge.

Blackpool 31 at Heaton Park

12th November 2010

Blackpool 31 arrived safely at Heaton Park on Tuesday (see their website for more photos). It was unloaded, commissioned and run the same day!

Below: It is seen here arriving, and below that, in operation in the dark... From what I understand it is the first double decker to run on the line in the heritage era.

Thanks to Heaton Park for the photographs.

The Spennymoor Chip Van

11th November 2010

Today I've been in Haltwhistle to see the folks at Stanegate Replicas and Restorations who are adding the finishing touches to the Spennymoor chip van (seen departing the museum on the blog last year). The van was very much a home-made affair, using what was probably a commercial (and by then already life expired) commercial dray or rolley chassis. A timber frame was clad in steel, later modified and with a long and hard life expected of it. It became an icon in the area after featuring in a number of Norman Cornish's paintings, the van eventually being brought to Beamish after finishing its working life in Spennymoor.

Kept in store for some 40 years the van's primitive construction had somehow managed to retain its shape and form until last year it was moved to Stanegate for restoration as part of the chip shop development. The specification was hard to determine, as to rebuild it as it was would have resulted in it collapsing fairly soon again. However, a full rebuild has been carried out which ensures its longevity but retains its character and non-sophisticated appearance. As part of this a new range has been made, and tested! To all intents and purposes the van is now in working order, though of course would not meet today's food hygiene standards (though hot fat would kill most known germs!). It reflects Beamish's policy to show the past in all its reality, so even though the van won't be used to cook chips for the visitors, it could and is therefore as real as it ever was - something very important to us curatorially.

The van will be collected in the next few weeks and is likely to visit Spennymoor as part of the celebrations following its restoration. In the short term I expect we will display it in the Town here, alongside the garage and in a similar situation as that immortalised in the painting. Next year it will take its place in a lean-to alongside the chip shop - a very tangible and real object for visitors to enjoy...

Below: Nearly finished...

Below: The interior, new material and old, fully conserved.

Below: The old range...

Below: ... and the new range, fully working and installed!

See Stanegate Restoration & Replicas website for step by step photos of the restoration and coverage of various other interesting projects they are carrying out.

Tram depot shuffle

10th November 2010

Tram 196 arrived early this morning, back from Heaton Park (where 31 had arrived yesterday and has been successfully tested!). In order to make space for this seventh tram, 264 was placed onto its skates and slid sideways in the depot. 264's next move is likely to be when it is stripped for a thorough overhaul to begin - though the date and funding are still to be set for this.

Below: A selection of photos showing 196, and 264's sideways voyage. Having two tele-handlers at the moment proved of great value!

Preparing for winter...

8th November 2011

The last few weeks have been occupied with the transition of Beamish from its summer season role into a winter season - including preparation for the big Christmas theme. The gallopers are moving to the Waggonway (via some electrical maintenance), Locomotion has moved from the Waggonway to the Colliery for the winter (it will be back at the Waggonway in time for next season), Alan Milburn has started the flat waggon and also has the first repair in, L328, in the works to dry out prior to receiving some remedial work to the body and a full repaint.

Below: To carry out the shunting of Locomotion and chaldrons, Coffee Pot was steamed for the last time on the current boiler ticket. It will stripped for inspection next week and hopefully will be back in service before Christmas. There are a number of jobs to carry out, not least fitting of a damper in the chimney - the engine has become notorious regarding control of the fire - the boiler steams very freely and the engine blows off a lot! It was never originally fitted with an ashpan (it now has an ash tray for the sake of the track!) so the usual form of control is not available to us. It is seen here shunting Locomotion, complete with No.17 acting as a barrier waggon. Thanks to Andy Martin for the photos with me in them - the black and white shot is particularly evocative of working industrial steam.

Below: Locomotion No.1 ensconced inside the Colliery Engine Works, with chaldron L328 ahead of it.

Below: Progress on L1833 - it is all but complete. Beyond are the wheelsets for the flat waggon, which will have dumb buffers but large enough to suit RCH and chaldron pattern waggons/locomotives. Beyond that is L328.

Below: With Tram 196 anticipated this week, Sheffield 264 is to be moved off the tracks and onto a storage road not connected to the running line. In order to ease the move, these two skates are being made to enable 264 to traverse sideways within the depot...