More on Gateshead Trams…
12th May 2011
Further to the previous posting regarding Gateshead trams, Julian has delved deeper into the files and turned up these fascinating views…
Below: This is Gateshead 10, seen in this rare colour view as British Railways No.26, and parked outside the store at Clay Cross (then used by the British Transport Commission for storage of the national collection, long before the NRM at York was built). The photo was taken in 1964, three years after the G&I had closed. 19 Gateshead trams were sold to BR in 1951 upon closure of the system, one being damaged beyond repair during unloading. These joined three Newcastle trams that had been bought by BR in 1948. The BTC collection was later rationalised and the two trams that came to Beamish were transferred to the Museum’s ownership. The other tram was Sheffield 264/342 (which ran as Beamish 1 for many years!). Clay Cross is now used by the National Tramway Museum as an off site store.
Below: By 1968 No.26 had moved to Consett Ironworks (Templetown locomtive sheds) through the support of the Northern Tramway Sponsors and George Cowell, works manager. A group, consisting of many of those who would go on to build and support the Beamish Tramway, carried out an overhaul and even ran 26, now returned to Gateshead livery and bearing its original number 10, under power at the works.
I have read with interest the various comments on the Gateshead trams.
My father drove the Gateshead trams both before and during the second world war, he started with the Gateshead Tram company as a points boy at Dunston and worked as a tram driver until the company closed.
Of particular interest is the photo of number 10 at Consett after restoration.
My father and myself were at Consett sometime around 1968 during the final stages of restoration of the tram and he drove it out of the workshop, and back into the shed,I think the length of operational track was very short.
We got a look around the tram.
Its funny how the years blur the memory but I remembered the shed as being at Beamish and the tram being yellow, I also thought the brakes were sand boxes but that may have been the emergency brake, I remember my father talking about the brakes when touring the tram before the quick ride.
I was most impressed.
I now live in the North of Scotland and have visited Beamish a couple of times, we are coming down again on the weekend of the 19th May and hope to find time for another visit on the Sunday and a ride on No. 10.
My father was Cyril Craik, sadly he died in 1982 aged 74.
Cheers
Bob
Enclosed single-decker built by Gateshead & District Tramways Co., Sunderland Road Works, 1925. Controllers are EE DB1, motors are Dick Kerr DK31A 2 x 35hp and bogies are Brill 39E. To British Railways as Grimsby & Immingham 26, 1951; withdrawn/P.7/1961; to Clay Cross 3/1962; to Consett 2/1968 for restoration as Gateshead 10 to operate at Beamish; temporarily repainted in BR green as G&I 26 8/2012; being overhauled as Gateshead 10 1/2016