
General Transport News – Mid November 2013…
Plenty to report this week and more to come, so we’ll kick off with a review of a few of the ongoing activities on and around the site…
Below: Some unusual tramway workings have been taking place over this week and last (weekends excluded). This was the result of work to install communications wiring on the tram poles between Foulbridge and the Town, for which a total possession was required by the staff and conntractors involved. As a result, a Foulbridge to Town (via Entrance and Pockerley) service has operated, using the Town cross-over in the process. Here is 26 after arrival from Foulbridge.
Below: Here 26 crosses over to the clockwise direction, ready to pick up passengers at the Bank tram stop.
Below: Staff and volunteers made short work of dismantling Sunderland 16’s truck earlier in the week, with Brian, Mel, Tom and Hughie seen here. The wheelsets were delivered to Blackpool Transport Services where they will be re-tyred and the axleboxes inspected for us.
Below: To make space for the Christmas grottos at the Waggonway, the Forcett coach has been moved across to Rowley Station for storage in the RMS. It is seen here glowing in the sunshine on Tuesday before being shunted away. It still requires a mechanical overhaul, fitting of continuous brakes and the lettering to be applied, but as can be seen here, the finished coach will be quite spectacular.
Below: A sequence of shots showing installation of the drainage pipes and cess on the narrow gauge extension, which shows some sign of removing the large volume of water that collects in this area.
Below: Darren and Mark have completed the preparation for the new Colliery engine, including setting out the levels and installing the steel reinforcing structure. The concrete was poured yesterday – photos to follow. The steelwork is on order for a traditional corrugated building with the lower walls in brick.
Below: Beamish is a member of a number of professional groups, one of which is UK Tram. Within this is the Light Rail Engineering Group, which meets every six months or so at a different tramway in the UK. Today’s meeting was at the Gosforth depot of the Tyne & Wear Metro, hosted by Nexus/DB. Here are a couple of views taken inside the car sheds and showing a newly refurbished metro-set, plus tour of the improvements made during the refurbishment.
The car sheds at South Gosforth are quite historic in their own right. The roof trusses came from WW! submarine pens and wool sheds from Hull.