Gateshead Tram still in British Railways guise as Grimsby & Immingham route Tram - looks good!
North Eastern Railway 'Birdcage' brake van which is due to have restoration work done on it
1913 Smith & Rodley steam crane
Peek inside the goods shed
What appears to be coaling and watering facilities being built at the back of Rowley Station
The 2 foot gauge railway, which as mentioned in another thread is to have a replica 1870's steam locomotive built for it. It also runs round the side of the slag heap
Author of 'The North Eastern Railway in the First World War' - now available in paperback!
How accessible is the rolling stock/etc at Beamish, and how often do they have things running?
I have a wedding I'm attending in Co. Durham in May, and I intend to follow it with a bit of NER tourism...
My guess is I'd visit Beamish on a weekday - possibly Whitsun week depending on when that is.
Halifax GOG is only 2 weekends after the wedding, so I'm considering making it a 2 week trip - 7mm shows are non-existent here in the US!
There's usually bits around the 1913 railway station, more seems to be outside during the summer season. Locomotives, usually Y7 985, runs a passenger service during the summer too but i'm not sure if that's weekends only or during the week too, or whether it depends if it's school summer holidays or not.
In the colliery area there is sometimes locomotives running but i've never been when there is, also in summer the engine shed there is open (it's shut in winter) which has several interesting industrial locomotives, and usually two industrial locomotives, 1901 Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST 'Newcastle No 1' and 1900 (ish) Stockton Ironworks 'Malleable No 5' are outside.
During the summer season though when you visit, the Pockerley Waggonway will be open which is my favourite railway attraction at Beamish even though the Edwardian era is the one i'm usually most interested. It runs daily giving rides behind either 'Locomotion', 'Puffing Billy' or the Steam Elephant over a short demonstration line, and you can go into the engine shed where the non-operating engines are kept and also the Hetton Colliery 0-4-0. If your're not aware, the Tanfield Railway is very close, and when operating you can sometimes hear the train from Beamish, and takes about five-ten minutes to drive to from Beamish, no NER locos but an ex-NER line with some NER four wheel carriages and an NER birdcage brake van
Author of 'The North Eastern Railway in the First World War' - now available in paperback!
Also, if the NER goods shed is open then there's a nice display with a couple of NER wagons as you can see part of from my peek through the slightly open doors, although I only recall visiting once when it's been open
Author of 'The North Eastern Railway in the First World War' - now available in paperback!
Thanks - so a good chance for things being visible and perhaps running.
Tentatively making a list at the moment. Shildon and Darlington as well of course. Perhaps Stanhope, Tanfield, and Bowes (if it has much these days?)
MrsRichard won't be with me - so a good chance to do a tour like this. However it seems Tanfield might be better for a walk along the old trackbed to Causey Arch - i.e. something that might be more her type of thing.
Bowes have just been able to relay the level crossing at Springwell......and are planning for events this year. I assume details will be available on their website, but not checked (yet)
Beamish are planning events in first half of April - Tramway's 40th followed by Great North Steam Fair....but most weekends something will be happening, in addition to the usual daily operations. The Forcett Coach, (S&D 179) belongs to Beamish........Paul J's blog has information......
Not sure about events elsewhere, but I expect most other places will have updated their websites for 2013 events and operations......I really should have a look around.
I've never made it to Bowes or Stanhope yet despite being fairly close to them - also yet to make it to Monkwearmouth and the Stephenson Railway Museum, which is top of the list owing to the NER electric parcels van and the Harton Electric.
I only visited the Tanfield for the first time this year and have been back several times, it's a really special little line, with an atmosphere only matched by that at the Bluebell - ie locomotives, stock and stations all match each other and an interesting line, too. The walk to Causey Arch is only about thirty seconds from the Causey Arch station on the Tanfield, i'm not sure how much further the trackbed goes past Causey Arch, but i'd reccommend the Tanfield for taking another half to - fairly short so not too boring, nice views (especially along the valley which Causey Arch is in) nice atmosphere, cafe, walk at Causey Arch etc
Author of 'The North Eastern Railway in the First World War' - now available in paperback!
Love the old street tram pics. It's a shame such vehicles have to be confined to a museum. Wouldn't it be great if a UK city did what San Francisco does? I was down there recently and the city transit department has a regularly scheduled service running right through the heart of the city. Vintage streetcars from all over the US can be seen and ridden on on any day of the week. http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/histcars.php
I believe that's what they do at Birkenhead. Apart from that I can't think of many places where you could do it - Blackpool is the obvious one and they do run old trams there on occasion. I can only think of other tramway systems in Nottingham and south London around Croydon (does the Manchester metro count?), but I don't know if these, as modern new build systems, would be able to have old trams work on them
Author of 'The North Eastern Railway in the First World War' - now available in paperback!
re. San Francisco: Dallas has something similar: McKinney Avenue Transit Authority http://www.mata.org/
The closest thing to a preserved line within about 2 hours drive of Dallas/Fort Worth!
Run by volunteers. Free to travel - funded by donations, tips (I tip heavily when I use it, considering it as a voluntary ticket), and city subsidy. They run a range of trolleys from around the world. And they actually have a useful route that is a part of the public transport system.
There's talk of an extension, but I don't know the current status of it.
