Below: And he has dismantled, overhauled and refitted the brake hear, with new blocks and a better alignment with the wheels – i.e. they now touch them!

Below: Meanwhile in the garage… Chris Scott, Keeper of Industry at Beamish, is installing a Blackstone stationary engine at the rear of the garage to drive the line shafting as a working display. As part of this, some reshuffling has taken place in the main display, and the opportunity has been taken to group the remains of an Amanco (Associated Manufacturing Company – the primary American manufacturer of cheap stationary engines pre and indeed post WW1) stationary engine together. It is seen here with the cylinder/water hopper casting suspended above the base. It is readily appreciated when handling these parts why they could be so much cheaper than the UK manufacturers could manage – the castings are rough, of less mass and the engine is altogether cruder. But they were effective and perhaps pointed the way to manufacturing more attuned with the needs of the machinery, its durability and affordability rather than the creation of engineering masterpieces at great cost in labour.

Below: Chris has has had the concrete foundation for the engine cast, and this can be seen to the right of this view, the Blackstone oil engine being to the left. This engine is still in its original paintwork and I for one am very much looking forward to seeing the display up and running – a significant step to bringing the garage to life. The garage display is beyond the doors to the right of this picture.