15th June 2009

Just a few hours ago we were basking in hot sunshine! About an hour ago the clouds released a downpour like Beamish hasn’t seen for many years. Staff were quickly deployed to sand-bag doorways in know trouble spots and attend to leaking gutters, windows and doorways.
Transport wise there is little we can do in normal circumstances, but by and large this collection was built to work outside! One problem area today though was the tram shed and depot entrance, with water pouring down the walls – inside! Clearly the guttering struggled to cope with the mass of water falling out of the sky. All we can do is leave it to dry out, but as I write the rain is still falling hard…

Below: The approach to the depot entrance – well underwater and at the height of the rain.

Below: The depot flooding – this is water coming from inside!

Below: 10 approaches the pointwork with caution. One problem (typically!) was that the points needed changing – not easy to achieve when they are under 6 inches of muddy water! Once changed (for which I was thoroughly soaked), they had to be set back to allow 196 back into the centre road – another soaking but the trams are back inside. Needless to say the last runs were packed with the visitors who had remained on site!

Below: You don’t often see a tram creating a bow-wave! 10 splashes through towards high ground. What you don’t see here is the amazing downfall of rain and exciting flashes of forked lightning across the sky…