Below: We have quietly aimed for having enhanced activity for the Transport & Industry department on the first weekend of the month through 2011 and this has, by and large, worked well. This weekend is the last of them for 2011 so to mark the event we had no less than eight engines in steam plus other vintage vehicles from the Beamish collection. I took Coffee Pot out for a ‘play’ – it being nice to not be shunting as part of a delivery or departure! Whilst cold, the early part of the day was bright, as seen below.

Below: An opportunity was taken to use the new extension and run-round loop. Here Mike Holden and Coffee Pot contemplate the future route eastwards…

Below: Heading west along the loop, much of which has been relaid but not yet used!

Below: A chance to pose some of the engines in the Pit Yard – from left to right we have Fowler ‘Rambler’ (Beamish), Coffee Pot (Beamish), Marshall ‘Mary Margaret’ (Michael Davison), the Sentinel (Guy Rutter) and Clayton ‘Rambler’ (Yes there are two with the same name! Owned by Trevor Wrench and joining us for the next season). Not shown is the Wallis 6ton Advance, the Y7 and the Savage Centre engine. Various cycles performed as well as the Matchless motorcycle and sidecar combination.

Below: A close up of the Clayton with the Sentinel behind.

So – for 2012 we intend to make every first weekend of the month (from February) something special in terms of exercising the resident vehicles and collections, something I hope will grow and grow! This doesn’t preclude operation of any of these at other times and in time I hope we will also add horse performance using some of the superb collections of horse vehicles we have in the collections here.