30th July 2010

Here are the first (in fact most of them) confirmations for the GNSF this September – 2 – 5th…

The successful format of working displays and plenty of activity will apply, with passenger rides at the railway station, three engines working on the colliery railway and a host of road steam, visiting trams and demonstrations across the museum site.

The visitors:

Below: David Buck is bringing his Aveling & Porter Traction Engine Locomotive ‘Sir Vincent’ – to operate in the colliery area.

Below: Joining Sir Vincent will be Mick Smith’s A&P Traction Engine Locomotive ‘Blue Circle’.

Below: David Viewing is bringing his ‘Steam Dinosaurs’ – the remains of two Aveling & Porter Traction Engine Locomotives (it is thought). These will be on display in the ‘Steam Dinosaurs Marquee’ which will also feature our own Clayton & Shuttleworth portable plus a few other exhibits as well as hosting various displays and activities.

Below: RSH ‘Sir Cecil Cochrane’ will be providing motive power at the station.

Below: Dave Potter will be operating his o-4-0VBGT ‘Paddy’ on the construction railway in the colliery yard.

Below: Subject to availability we hope to operate the Clapham Horse Bus.

Below: Manchester reversible horse tram L53 will be making a return visit and will operate on all four days of the event this year.

Below: Leeds 6 is staying at Beamish for the event – an extension of the previous loan which was due to end in August.

Below: The Aylciffe Bus Group will be running another of their fleet, this Bristol double decker, around the site.

Below: Some well known engines to these pages now… Michael Davison’s Marshall ‘Mary Margaret’.

Below: Neil Corner’s Burrell Showman’s engine ‘Winston Churchill’.

Below: Ian Cragg’s Fowler T3 roller ‘Whitby Jet’.

Below: Mark Sutherland’s Wallis ‘Greenwell’.

Below: Guy Rutter’s 6 ton Wallis Advance roller.

Below: Peter Corbett’s Aveling roller ‘Julia’.

Below: Alan Borthwick’s Aveling roller ‘Ayesha’.

Below: Mike Farmer returns with his Wallis Advance roller.

Below: Another chance to see working motorcycles including this visiting Sunbeam.

Below: The Model Engineers will be hosting a display of model engineering in the Collections Study Room at the Regional Resource Centre. They will also be giving rides throughout the event.

There are at least three other engines that is hoped will attend, to be confirmed or photographs obtained…

The Home Fleet…

All the museum’s own working engines that can work, will be in action over the weekend, or in the case of the Waggonway, will be on display when not on passenger turns.
Featuring Coffee Pot No.1, Rambler, The Waggonway, Steam Winder, Steam Mule and the debut of our steam gallopers…

There will also be tours ‘behind the scenes’ hopefully to include the Regional Museum Store and our new steam workshops (where Lewin No.18 and the Ruston Proctor portable engines are being restored at present). Family activities will also feature as well as all of the usual Beamish attraction!