I am very pleased to announce here another rolling stock acquisition, after all of the excitement of Dunrobin and the DoS coach 58A. For some time we have been in discussion with the National Railway Museum regarding the transfer of ownership of the former Stockton & Darlington Railway Coach No.179. Museum’s must follow a very rigorous process in deaccessioning items for transfer/disposal and must demonstrate a clear benefit to the item in question in carrying out such a process. We have been able to secure funding via the now terminated Locomotion Trust (which originally owned Locomotion No.1 and enabled earnings to be safeguarded for its continued operation, it is now owned by Beamish and forms part of the cycle of our working fleet). The earnings of the trust had been ringfenced, earnings from the activities of Locomotion No.1, so it was felt these would best be used on an appropriate project – and 179 is just that project. The coach has been inspected by a number of agencies with a view to tendering for the work, and will now be restored by Stanegate Restorations and Replicas who gave us a very thorough restoration proposal that fully aknowledges the historic fabric of the coach.

The background to 179 was that it was built in c1865 by the S&DR as part of a rake of vehicles for use specifically on market days – it was found that the middle classes were enjoying the cheaper 3rd class travel available, but not the market day pandemonium, livestock and produce (in the coach compartments!) – whence a dedicated set of coaches, 4th class if you like. The coaches were basic but robust, but on the S&DR operations passing to the North Eastern Railway (in 1873), following a ten year ‘hand over’, the NER was quick to dispose of such stock, with 179 being sold to Forcett Quarry in 1884.

It was modified at Forcett to feature a guards compartment complete with handbrake and end window. It was used by quarrymen at Forcett (South Durham) until being stored at Forcett Goods Station. It was later rescued by the British Transport Commission listing system and was moved to the old railway museum at York (though I have never seen a photo of it there…). It was later stored at Clay Cross in Derbyshire and deteriorated to the extent it was to be broken up. At that point, it was taken on by Beamish (remember our Gateshead tram No.10 had been there too) in 1970, but had to wait until 1975 and the S&DR 150th celebrations for restoration – carried out by BREL at Shildon Wagon Works. After display there, it move to Beamish and was used with The J21 and Twizell in the passenger train consist for a number of years. It soon showed signs of deterioration again and was moved to Shildon Wagon Works for further attention.

This was interrupted by the closure of the works, followed by 179’s movement to the Hackworth Museum. The NRM caught up with it in 2004 when it opened ‘Locomotion’ and 179 was placed in the main building. The wheel turns full circle and we are now its owners and will carry out the restoration to running condition for use at the Beamish Waggonway – ok it is late for date, but it is real, and remember that Puffing Billy is in 1860s guise already… I also think the chance for visitors to travel on a real object is a great one, and one that contains so much original material – there are only a few older coaches in use and these are either rebuilt bodies on modern(ish) chassis or almost complete replications.

So 179 will be the oldest non-first class coach in regular service, certainly on standard gauge. According to the Vintage Carriage Trust Survey, listing all known surviving railway carriages, 179 is the 41st oldest. Of that 41, 18 are incomplete or bodies only and five are the substantially rebuilt Ffestiniog Railway quarrymans coaches. Of the operational standard gauge vehicles older than 179, there are three, all being on SR/BR chassis – one at the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester, one at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and one on the Isle of White Steam Railway – so 179 is in illustrious company with these vehicles whose owning organisations are well known for their work in the field. In terms of having an original underframe, 179 is the oldest complete coach in (to be) operational condition. Not that these things matter so much!

Having 179 will enable us to have a spare train/vehicles at the Waggonway, assisting us when requests for hires come in. We will be fitting twin line air brakes, in a reversible manner so as not to destroy any original material and which can utilise the Forcett Quarry modifications to the full.

We are obviously extremely grateful to the trustees of the Locomotion Trust who so diligently ensured that Locomotion No.1’s earnings would be used for continued heritage work and also to the National Railway Museum for making the transfer possible – 179 will regain its original Beamish specimen number – 1970-343.

Below: This photo shows 179 being overhauled at BREL Shildon in 1975.

Below: This photograph was taken in 1975 inside what is now the tram shed at Beamish and show’s newly arrived 179 in scumbled teak effect finish (which the S&DR used).

Below: 179 and the J21, though it was normally hauled by Twizell with the NER birdcage brakevan for company.

Below: A recent view, taken after extraction from the rear of the sidings at the NRM facility at Locomotion, Shildon. A number of 1980s restoration efforts are evident and these will be examined and removed as part of the restoration. It will also be a process of discovery to see how much work was carried out in 1975. This time around all of the work will be carefully recorded in the CMP for this vehicle.

Below: A close up of the lettering and number, also revealing the S&DR green ironwork and scumbled teak finish applied to the single skinned, outside framed bodywork.