Lewin latest - w/c 27th February 2012

Below: This morning Lewin's boiler arrived back from Alton Engineering following completion of its rebuild. The view below shows it aboard Dave Gibson's lorry, along with the remains of the 1990s fitted smokebox (of wrong pattern for our purposes), 1990s chimney and also the original Savage boiler from the steam gallopers, which had also been rebuilt by Alton.

Below: Lewin's boiler is small - the centre engine boiler is absolutely tiny! It clearly illustrates just how hard the centre engine has to work to keep up with the demand of the ride.

Below: A view of Lewin's 'face'. We will now proceed with painting the boiler pending its movement to Hetton in the next week or so to allow it to be fitted into the frames.

Below: A close up of the unusual smokebox door arrangement - the entire door comes off! It is also heavy (and will be hot when in steam). Not ergonomically brilliant! The top handrail was made at Alton and fitted to Dave Young made stanchions/knobs. The straight handrail was one of the many fittings made by Dave Young. We are now at the stage of adding all the bits...

Ruston, Proctor Portable Progress February 2012

Steam Engineer Stuart Hines was recently in Suffolk and called in to see progress on the rebuild of the Ruston, Proctor portable engine's boiler currently underway at a contractor there.

Below:Trevor Wrench is working on the reassembly of the Ruston, Proctor Portable's boiler, this view showing the new firebox side sheets (outer wrapper) bolted in place ready for a coded welder to come in and weld them to the existing upper wrapper. The new sheets are the pinky coloured parts in the photo below.

Below: This view, from the smokebox end, shows the absence of front tubeplate. You can also see the bolts, lower down on the barrel (shiny bits!) which run along the seam and have enabled the old rivets to be removed. This was originally to be a partial replacement but further inspection has resulted in the need to replace all of the seam rivets along the barrel length.

Below: The circular shape in the centre of this photo is the new front tubeplate, with pilot holes drilled ready for opening out to the tube diameter.

All of the longitudinal and firebox stays have been made and delivered and procurement of the new inner firebox is underway. After this the new smokebox will be produced, a new chimney made and repairs made to the forecarriage. Stuart will also be carrying out various jobs on the boiler, including fitting of new studs etc.

101 - Vintage past...

Below: Andy has been busy with his gadgets again, producing this very convincing shot of Sunderland 101 in vintage guise - we could almost produce the evidence that 101 really once existed in Sunderland Corporation's fleet! More photos using this technique on the Museum's Flickr page...

Another addition to the tramcar fleet!

The puns can run thick and fast - 'Don't miss the boat at Beamish' seems to be a favorite for the moment! But what has brought forth such creativity (!)? We (Beamish) are delighted to have reached agreement with the Lancastrian Transport Trust to bring another LTT owned tram, Boat 605, from Blackpool for operation at the Museum. Talks have been underway for some time, and as an additional benefit to the deal, the British Trams Online website has agreed to sponsor the repaint of 605 from its current WW2 style livery into the classic 1930s cream and green guise complete with renumbering as 233. More technical detail regarding the tram can be found on the LTT's website: http://www.ltt.org.uk/our-trams/open-boat-605


Full news coverage of the loan and of 605's (or rather 233's) stay at Beamish can be found on the BTO site: http://www.britishtramsonline.co.uk


Below: This photo, courtesy of Jason Cross, reveals 605 (233) in glorious sunshine in Blackpool, highlighting its distinctive (though not original) wartime style reversed colours.

Below: These two images, taken by Andrew Waddington, further illustrate 605 during its later working days in Blackpool.

233 is due to arrive at Beamish on Wednesday, to be followed by a period of inspection, commissioning, cleaning and testing before a planned launch into service at Easter. It will appear at the GNSF event (all being well) before being temporarily withdrawn to allow for the repaint and renumbering to its original guise to take place.

This is an exciting move and I have to confess a real personal liking for the Boat fleet. This car is in excellent condition from our preliminary inspections and will no doubt be an enormously popular addition to the tram fleet - especially if 2012 brings the odd sunny day in which to really make the most of it!

General News Roundup

There has been much going on in recent days, with a lot of tooing and froing of wagons among other things...

Below: The three Bowes Railway hoppers were returned to Springwell in three trips, with two pre-NCB liveried wagons making the trip to Beamish. This will enable a reasonable rake of wagons to be operated at the GNSF, after which the two low sided open wagons will head back to Bowes, the coal hoppers staying here for a little longer.

Below: This is now our standard means of moving wagons - using a BRIMEC lorry, usually used for plant movements etc. but ideal for these purposes.

Below: The second of the two Bowes wagons is unloaded...

Below: The two grey pre-NCB liveried wagons together. For the record they are numbers122 and 1289 respectively.

Below: In the workshops at Foulbridge the replica 'General' bus is in for a replacement clutch. This view shows the cab space with floor removed and gearbox (below it) dropped to allow access. This is not glamorous work but it is vital to the continued availability of the running fleet.

Below: And finally... A wagon load of stationary engines, pumps and a Furnival guillotine are loaded for departure to their new home at Anson Engine Museum in Cheshire. It is great to see items re-homed where they will be of more use and given a better chance than they might otherwise have waiting in the very long restoration queue at Beamish!

Below: A bit more work on the Waggonway brake chaldron has been identified! It is seen here bereft of one side, which will be replaced in its entirety to remove some quite deep rot.

Below: The Friends volunteer team has painted the Hodbarrow side tipper's wheels. The rest of this will hopefully arrive back on site shortly to enable reassembly and detail work plus painting.

Out and about in Scotland

Last week we enjoyed a staff/team bonding trip to Scotland, which included New Lanark and the Riverside Museum (transport) in Glasgow:

Below: A part of New Lanark, which is a huge site based around numerous restored mill and tenement buildings some 20 miles to the south west of Glasgow.

Below: A notable feature for lovers of steam - this engine, by Petrie (of Rochdale), built in 1912 and producing 250HP from its tandem compound cylinders was originally located at Philiphaugh Mill near Selkirk before being relocated and rebuilt by the New Lanark Trust. I believe it can be turned over (using an electric motor) though it was static when we visited last Friday.

Below: Moving on to the new Glasgow Riverside Museum, which in some ways replaces the old Glasgow Transport Museum but is in fact much more than that museum in terms of content, size and quality of display. I'd read a number of reviews regarding the museum, and was therefore interested to see it for myself along with colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and interests at Beamish. It was therefore interesting to note wholesale approval of the new Riverside. I had heard some criticism from some sources, but which I put down to it not being of a pure enough 'railway' theme for a museum. To the general public and interested specialists it is an excellent example of how to blend the technological content with the social history - making the story of the Glasgow tramcar relevant by presenting the stories of those who used and relied upon them (for business, travel and pleasure) for instance.

This view shows three stars from the previous museum, CR 123 on the left, HR 103 on the right and G&SWR 9 high above them. HR 103 is of particular interest as it was designed by David Jones (whose team designed Dunrobin) and built by Sharp Stewart in Glasgow (who built Dunrobin). It was therefore interesting to compare some of the detail features of both!

Below: A reconstructed street scene is a feature of the new museum, as it was in the old.

Below: This Glasgow horse tram heads up the street scene display.

Below: One of the huge number (over 1000) Glasgow standard trams, set here in a display about the contribution of the tram drivers to the First World War. Behind is NBR 4-4-0 'Glen Douglas'.

Below: An impressive new exhibit is this Glasgow built ex South African Railway class 15F, which was famously repatriated and has received extensive conservation work to allow its display, overlooking the Clyde.

Below: The many cars in the museum are displayed on a novel set of shelves around the museum walls - it doesn't allow the closest inspection but certainly makes a great impact for the display.

Below: Similarly, high on impact, is this method of displaying cycles from the collection.

Below: An overall view from the upper display area. Of note, to the left, is a moving conveyor belt of model ships.

So all in all, well worth a visit!

The Great North Steam Fair - Invited Exhibits - Part 1

Part 1: A selection of railway exhibits:

In anticipation of the Great North Steam Fair (April 12 - 15th) I will start to filter out some images of exhibits we hope will be attending - some await final confirmation and as ever these are all subject to availability...

Below: The Waggonway - the engines not in use during the event will be on display and hopefully available for photography.

Below: The Y7 will be in operation, but not quite as usual. If the next exhibit arrives as is hoped, then the Y7 will be moved to the Colliery area for the four days of the event in order to match it with Bowes Railway coal wagons and the chaldrons - this should create some great photo opportunities. 985 was one of the LNER built Y7s (rather than being a former NER H class) and as built it did have lower buffers (dumb) for working with chaldron type stock.

Below: We have asked if we can borrow the Bluebell's 1877 Fletcher Jennings 'Baxter' again.

Whilst still awaiting confirmation it would be the intention to operate the newly vacuum brake fitted loco at Rowley Station.

Below: We are building a new narrow gauge railway, of a more permanent nature, and booked to appear this April to inaugurate this line is 1877 built De Winton vertical boiler locomotive 'Chaloner' normally based at the Leighton Buzzard Railway in Bedfordshire. It is seen here at the Llanberris Slate Museum, photo by owner Alf Fisher.

Below: On the vertical boiler theme we are delighted to have Dave Potter and co's 0-4-0VBT (no longer geared!) 'Paddy' making its third visit to Beamish.

We are still working hard on readying SHDC No.18 (Lewin) for the event - it may or may not happen, but we'll certainly have a good go! The boiler passed its insurance company hydraulic and steam tests on Tuesday and is due to arrive back in the north east next week.

Coffee Pot - now or then???

The wonder of the 'App' has come to Beamish! Andy Martin has made this short film showing Coffee Pot No.1 at work during this February's half term. The computer trickery has enabled a wonderfully convincing archive feel to be captured - compare this to the real film showing Lewin and Coffee Pot No.17 working at Seaham Harbour and available on the Beamish YouTube channel.

All this needs now is some suitably upbeat music and a 'frightfully proper' commentary!

Dunrobin - a glance back to June 1970...

On the 18th June 1970 Ray Manning chanced across Fort Steele and found an expatriate there, in steam and operating on the 4km line there. He was welcomed by the staff and took a number of images in colour and black & white. Sadly Ray died recently but his photographs came into the possession of Peter Clark who thoughtfully donated them to Beamish. Here is a selection of those views. What is interesting (to me at least!) is that they show Dunrobin before the air brake conversion, thus it is free of the air pump. It is also interesting to note the buffer beam colour and addition of electric lighting. Dunrobin had only been in Canada for five years at that point. Enjoy these views (a full set is available on Beamish's Flickr site) - a great foretaste of what we will be able to enjoy in a couple of years time...

General News Roundup

Its been another one of those weeks where lots of work hasn't produced so much to show on the blog, though hopefully I can change this soon with some interesting developments on a number of fronts... Behind the scenes I have been working with Tony Vollens on the planning for our new workshop facilities, which should truly transform our capacity to carry out work in house and will include a heavy engineering shop, machine shop, long term projects joinery (capable of dealing with tram bodies etc.), a machine shop, dedicated tramcar overhaul area and various improvements to the existing vehicle workshops and facilities. Our target is to open most of the facility in the early autumn.

Planning for the Great North Steam Fair has reached a point where we will shortly be able to announce most of the expected exhibits and as usual there will be a Flickr page to the right of this blog showing what is coming. Planning for the September event is also in hand, likewise the events for 2013 and even 2014!

We are looking to increase our fleet of period vehicles for use on (and off) the Museum site. I am currently looking for three vans, 1940s/50s and these will be used in place of modern vans currently fulfilling a role on site. I then aim to find as many as three more so that there will be a complete range of site transport available for diverse roles such as those carried out by the track team, attendants, handymen, gardeners and catering departments. The Model Ts haven't been universally popular with the Ton Truck doing most work and the rather better van seeing less use. We are working on improving this.

If anyone has a period van or even car (especially an Austin 7) that is in good condition and they might like to give us then I am all ears - the Morris Commercial was a good example of someone placing their pride and joy into a museum collection but being assured of its care and future use.

There is a cracking set of Dunrobin photos to put online shortly, taken in 1970, but until then here are a couple of views showing progress in recent days:

Below: Tony Vollens, while waiting for a timber order to arrive, has set about overhauling one of the chaldrons from the running rake. This has included new boarding and partial top rail replacement. Our longer term view is that we will always have a chaldron passing through the works, aiming for an eventual total of 12 running waggons (three rakes of four) plus one spare, a replica 'box' chaldron and a replica Londonderry brick waggon. This is on top of the waggon at the entrance building. This project would pretty much use up all the available parts and spares accumulated over the years and would enable the Colliery to look far more populated in terms of coal waggons, though this situation has certainly improved in recent years.

Below: Meanwhile, Lewin has not been forgotten and much beavering away in various parts of the country is taking place to enable the completion of the project sooner rather than later.

Dave Young has braved illness and a trapped nerve to keep his lathe turning and produce the components required to make the two water valves (of two different types) required to feed the injectors, which are currently a contract job for Graham Redfern. Dave will also tackle re-handling the injector steam valves and is busily pattern making for flanges as well as producing odd size nuts, bolts and studs to speed up the assembly of the loco. We are regularly visiting to paint various bits, Vince Allen working on the valve gear having spent considerable time realigning such things as slide bars etc (Lewin was very worn!). In Staffordshire the Hunslet team are manufacturing the cab, bunkers and tank and the boiler awaits collection from Derbyshire.

The photo below shows Dave's drawings of the water valve operating linkage along with the completed valve itself. At the heart of this is a commercial valve, altered to suit our purposes both operationally and cosmetically.

General News Roundup

Below: The level crossing gates from Rowley have been moved to the Colliery Engine Works for Tony to overhaul. They have been suffering from rot for some time as well as damage caused by them not fitting properly when closed to road traffic. This is being corrected as well as the gates substantially overhauled.

Below: A close up showing the steel crossbars and areas of wood and metalwork removed for overhaul.

Below: Outside Tony has started work on repairs to the final Waggonway vehicle and is seen here propelling a new bottom plank into place. Note the other new wood and missing top rail which is also being attended to.

Below: Another 'action shot' showing how this plank fits in place and also the versatility of the chaldron design that such repairs are possible with relative (!) ease.