
2024 – End of year review (and a look ahead to 2025)
It has become customary on this blog to look back at the past year, and also look ahead to some of the projects and developments that we anticipate in the next – so to follow this trend, here we shall look back at 2024, and ahead to 2025… Looking back, I feel we’ve had another vibrant year as part of the national heritage transport story, with a great deal to celebrate and for our visitors to enjoy. It is only when looking back through the year’s posts that I realise just how much has been done, and it really is to the credit of all of those who have contributed to this. Often when the process is underway, it feels as if progress is slow or things are proving to be more challenging than they should be, so it is quite a reassuring process to compile a post like this!
The blog has largely kept up with progress – with at least one post per month plus extras as and when I’ve been able to fit them in. I know Jonathan has a post or two up his sleeve on wider site maintenance too. We also now see the blog actively promoted through the museum’s social media, so if that has been your route through to it, welcome to the site and do take a look back through 15 years or so of posts! Earlier ones are starting to degrade with images not loading, but we have hopes of attending to this in due course. I’m also working on some stocklists, that will be linked through this site, which are long overdue, the last one being quite out of date now.
Looking back at 2024
January
Lisbon 730 was something of an unexpected opportunity. The reasons for its sudden availability were well documented elsewhere, but its arrival at Beamish created an opportunity to expand the fleet and try something a bit different! It is still undergoing commissioning as I write, as rather than treat it as a visiting tram, it is being fully integrated into the fleet and therefore the systems that we employ for the other tramcars at the museum.
February
Rotherham 220 – one of our best buys! After coming on loan initially, it as purchased by the museum as the basis of the 1950s bus fleet – and we’ve never looked back! It was placed into service long before there was a 1950s bus route, and it has been a reliable stalwart of the transport fleet. As it as looking a little dull, and with work to do on various panel flaws, it was decided that it would be attended to and then fully repainted – making its debut after the completion of this work in February. It must be one of the most-photographed 1950s buses in service anywhere and it is usually the case that if it is available for service, it will be in service, such is its popularity.
March
As the winter turned to spring, progress on Dunrobin noticeably accelerated, with the construction of a replacement cab agreed and sub-contracted the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway. Work at the Severn Valley Railway had slowed down, but painting of components was progressing and, as we shall see later on, work on the overhaul picked up the pace in the autumn. here is the unusual sight of the old cab and new – the former having yielded various components to be incorporated into the newly constructed cab, seen on the right.
April
April has traditionally seen us hold some form of steam/transport gala and 2024 was no different. One of the stars of the show was the visit of Manning Wardle ‘Sir Berkeley’ from the Vintage Carriage Trust/Middleton Railway. The loco looked superb in the Colliery and was featured in many photos that were published after the event. Unfortunately a fault was identified that caused it to return to Middleton prematurely – but we certainly hope this won’t have been its last visit…
May
Sunderland Corporation No.2 could have fitted into a number of the months, but this view shows it before the current programme of conservation and restoration was started and which offers a glimpse of what it will look like when that work is complete – largely the same! But we’ll be able to use it occasionally, and it will be a stable and safe vehicle and for me, one of the star exhibits within the collection on account of this originality. It is seen here in High Street, looking very much at home at Beamish.
June
Loans and partnerships are a very important part of museum life. One example is the loan of the NER coach No.818 to the Stainmore Railway at Kirby Stephen East. On a six-year agreement, it enabled them to restore the coach back to an exhibition-quality finish and the result is this stunning appearance during the early summer. We have several other agreements, and a discussion of this took place on the blog in June.
July
Fares Please! has grown into a large event in its own right – and also seems to have developed a tradition for an assembly of buses in the Town Street to enable photographs to be taken by the various owners and participants. Here is 2024’s effort… We’re planning to make the most of the contacts and relationships we’ve built through this event, and 2025 will see something a little different, but hopefully even better, in this growing area of the museum’s event themes. We must now have one of the most regular heritage bus operations in the UK, so perhaps we should make more of this and shout about it a bit more…
August
Throughout the year runs the thread of engineering, joinery, painting and maintenance. So to represent the strides made by the team in this area, I’m using this photo – but it isn’t just about this lathe, but also all of the improvements to tooling across the workshop areas, as well as the work that the team have carried out and which has been recorded, in some detail, in the blog throughout the year.
September
A great deal of time and effort is expended on what might at first be considered to be quite ordinary vehicles – but the results can be rather striking! Having all but given up on the Landrover 2A, an opportunity came to re-engine it with a diesel unit, and carry out lots of other work that has transformed it from a rather unpopular workhorse into something rather special! It is allocated to the gardens team.
October
The month of Sunderland Trams – it being 70 years on from the closure of that system, and also the start of the timely cosmetic refurbishment of Sunderland tram No.16. The first phase of this was completed in time for the 70th anniversary, whilst the rest will be completed in the spring of 2025. This represents the great amount of work being carried out on the tramcar fleet, in particular Gateshead 10 and Lisbon 730, the latter in the hands of the Beamsih Tramway Group, without whom we really would struggle to operate the trams and tramway, such is their breadth of skill and knowledge.
November
Buses have become a vital component of the Beamish operation, and whilst we already have quite a few, the opportunity to acquire a local vehicle was not one to be missed. The Science Museum Group transferred this Leyland Titan PD2/1 to Beamish, and following many years in storage, it arrived at the museum and was rapidly assessed for a return to service. It has some cosmetic work, a little mechanical attention needed and quite a bit of internal refurbishment (seats) to carry out before it enters service, but it will hopefully see operation in 2025 as a new and rather smart addition to the fleet of buses here.
December
With an eye on operation at Rowley Station in 2025, we were finally able to start some refurbishment work on the passenger train that we will be using there. The Duke of Sutherland’s Saloon, No.58A, has received an overhaul of its roof which has included structural repair, new canvas, refurbished beading and oil lamp rings and now a roof repaint. The coach will also be revarnished as part of this work. The Furness Railway Trust’s North London Railway Coach, that we have on hire for the medium-term, will be repainted into Highland Railway green, as part of this programme too – to make an appropriate matching train for Dunrobin when it commences operation in 2025 (I hope!).
Looking ahead – 2025
Events – the year of Railway 200
I know a lot of people have been talking about our transport events for 2025, and also that there has been some speculation online too! It is a subject I have quite a lot to say here about as well…
In summary, for the event plans for 2025 we have considered a number of factors in putting together the programme, and this will centre on the May half-term holiday (Whit week). There will not be a steam fair in the traditional sense, and we discovered that Easter is busy enough without a large event placed in that period, with little chance of getting a return on the substantial investment that it takes. There will be a nine day programme across that week, with different themes, so for instance, the Fares Please! event will take place on the first and last weekends, with pre-war buses for the first, and post-war for the second. We’ll have Rowley running at the weekends and bank holiday, we’ll have some road steam in there, vintage and veteran ‘traffic’ and other activities on days throughout the week. A full programme will be published in the new year.
I know there will be questions relating to this change of approach, so I’ve tried to answer what I think will be the main ones, below:
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2025 is the Railway 200 anniversary year and we are focussed on events that contribute to the national programme
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Road steam is a component of the new Transport Festival in May but the numbers will be fewer as we focus in on the operation being better aligned with the now-busier museum operation. Railways, buses, vintage and veteran vehicles, trams and cycles all form part of our thinking when setting out our programme for 2025 and beyond.
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We are not able to offer camping on site, for exhibitors, from Jan 2025 until further notice
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We have had to assess where we get the best return on our investment in terms of events, and have concluded that moving to a programme of smaller themes, grouped together in the May half-term holiday, offers us the flexibility we need as well as hedging the museum’s investment against inclement weather (and diminished income) over nine days, rather than being exposed over just one weekend.
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There are ever-greater pressures on the museum in terms of operating additional exhibits/guest exhibits in a manner which complies with both our own Health & Safety requirements, but also those prescribed by our insurance policy and reviewed by both internal and external audit processes
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We want to change things to create variety and interest – and make better use of the resources (finance and people) that are available to the museum for the delivery of the events programme
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Smaller events within a programme enables us to try different things with a lower exposure to risk (financial) or operational disruption.
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The museum has grown out of all recognition to the entity it was when we started the transport events (GNSF etc.) and we need to recognise that in our planning, and that an overcrowded site is not necessarily in anyone’s best interests, no matter how impressive the spectacle.But – we are still planning to run exciting events, with a variety of transport heritage forming part of this. It might look a bit different, but we didn’t set the past events in stone, and nor will we the future ones – and it is by doing what we are doing, that we are able to respond and change the programme each year to best effect.
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We do not take the support that we have had in the past for granted, and there will be continue to be opportunities to take part in the events programme, as has been the case for the last decade and a half.
There are some exciting plans in the offing for this event, for 2025 and beyond, so I’m sure people will find elements across the programme that will appeal.
As well as the May event, for 2025 only, we’ll focus on transport again in the October half-term, perhaps with Dunrobin making its debut, and maybe some interesting things going on at the Waggonway…
Dunrobin
Could 2025 be the year when the next annual round-up reports that it’s finished?! It is looking fairly likely, so without wanting to jinx things, I think there is a very good chance the project to restore Dunrobin will culminate in its steaming in 2025, and debut at Beamish. Recent progress has seen the motion being assembled, the boiler tubeplate riveted to the barrel and tubes fitted – so this is very close to being presented for a hydraulic test. There is still some way to go in terms of reversing some of the modifications to the brake system carried out in Canada, as well as replacing much of the copper pipework – but as I type these notes, it is looking very promising…
As of the end of December, the boiler was largely complete with the exception of the new dome, whilst all of the motion had been fitted and the new slide valves were being machined and fitted. Design work for the new ashpan, based on the original (it came fitted with a Canadian version designed for side access, as no pit was available at Fort Steele) is also underway.
Below: The following photos are right up to date, and appear courtesy of Duncan Ballard, the SVR’s Head of Steam Engineering. The first shows the boiler, which is now largely complete except for the manufacture of new components for the dome (hiding beneath the original dome cover here).
Below: Two views of the rolling chassis, the assembly of which is now at an advanced stage including the fitting of the motion and a great deal of attention to the valves and their set up. On another note, just look at that working environment! Something to aspire to and at Beamish there are plans being developed (yet to be funded however) for significantly enhancing our workshops and maintenance capacity – a huge part of making the operation sustainable in the future.
Below: The new cab and bunker, which will accompany the new tanks and front cab structure, is seen awaiting fitting to the chassis. Painting has started – the interior will be scumbled with a wood-grain effect to the upper half of the cab interior. The bunker also has a water tank at the base of the coal bunker, and notable here is the stepped arrangement on the footplate side, which accommodates the passenger bench, with clearance below for the coal bunker doors. Without a doubt, the looming completion of this project is very exciting – not least for me at Beamish, and Duncan at Bridgnorth, for which it represents quite a large percentage of our professional lives to date!
Gateshead 10
A year highlight should be Gateshead 10’s return to service. I feel that I’ve been promising that for a while now, so I suppose it isn’t impossible that this feels rather an ambitious statement, but without a bit of ambition, it probably won’t ever be complete! It’s return to service will be a great relief to the operating team too, though Sheffield 264 is likely to be out of service for a (shorter!) period, as it receives a mechanical overhaul once the space and capacity becomes available.
Below: Here is what we’ve been waiting to see for some years now! Though the paintwork isn’t complete, this view, sans the tent around the tram, gives a good impression of what 10’s final appearance once the rebuild is complete, will look like… Smart isn’t it! The tram’s bodywork is now largely complete, with the focus on the bogies restarting, especially since the installation of the new workshop lighting and arrival of the replacement spring hangers. The air brake system and all of the mechanical brake linkages will be the next instalment of the programme, some time in the spring – but as with Dunrobin, this project is now looking much closer to completion than has been the case for some time now.
Rowley Station
I chose not to illustrate this section – as I think the sight of Dunrobin with its train at Rowley will be something really quite special (and I didn’t want to ask AI to try and create something!). Reopening Rowley after its suspension of passenger trains in February 2020 will mark one of the last steps of restoring pre-COVID-19 engagement to the museum, whilst also opening a new chapter on the area, with new motive power to come and hopefully the start of other developments that will serve to further improve this area.
We aim to start off at Easter, with hired motive power, and have at least two if not three locos in mind before Dunrobin arrives – as to what these will be, watch this space…
Buses and Road Vehicles
A number of vehicles are undergoing gentle and progressive improvement. We will also see progress on Sunderland No.2 and Weardale No.909 (as this is earmarked for commissioning into service before the summer). Rotherham 220 and Darlington 4 are both scheduled for quite a lot of workshop time this winter and next spring, and we also hope to see some work start on some of the lesser-seen vehicles, including the Daimler lorry and potentially the Armstrong car (the original, not replica). These will fit around other work though, so have no set schedule or priority for the work to be carried out.
Below: The Leyland Cub tipper, being so useful, will also receive a programme of attention and improvement and we may take a look at one or two other road vehicles, with a view to putting these into the operational pool for high days and holidays. With the engine being partially dismantled for replacement of the head gasket, the process of making the tipper more suited to the increased use that it is seeing has started. Some of the Cub engines allowed for two spark plugs per cylinder – fed from either coil ignition or magneto. These tended to be for the fire engines I believe, where a high degree of reliability was sought.
With the tipper standing a lot of the time, the magneto can suffer degradation, so as we had a spare head, the team has decided to overhaul this and adapt the ignition circuit to use either/both sources of spark and improve the reliability of the lorry, especially when cold/damp starting. Other work is planned through 2025, all of which will be done in such a way as to ensure it is generally available for use, but at the same time has its condition improved. This will culminate in it being repainted into its original Blackburn Corporation livery.
I’m also looking at options to create some more undercover storage space – we are so short of space that it does have an impact on what we can focus on, or consider collecting in the future.
The steam fleet
Coffee Pot No.1 is earmarked for rapid return to steam, hopefully by May. Steam Elephant is booked for at least two appearances away from Beamish, between which its mechanical overhaul will be progressed. Puffing Billy, Glyder and Samson will all be operational. In the autumn, Dunrobin will join the fleet, all being well. With Rowley joining the running lines again, we will have the Waggonway, Rowley and Colliery lines available for operation, along with the narrow gauge railway slotting into days when staffing allows us to have Glyder out. We’ll return to the subject of what runs on what days in early 2025.
The Tramway
During the year we can look forward to substantial progress on Gateshead 10 (as described above), the entry into service of Lisbon 730 in the second half of the year, the probably withdrawal of Sheffield 264 for mechanical overhaul and the carrying out of repairs on Newcastle 114, including cosmetic attention. Sunderland 16’s paintwork should also be completed in the spring.
The tramway will have had substantial attention during the winter closure period, so the focus will move to the overhead line during 2025, and be followed by further infrastructure work in the winter of 2025/26. We also hope to install the restored Darlington Corporation shelter next year – plans for this are underway at the moment. It will add rather a lot to the tramway/road landscape, and is a nice, original feature to restore and put back to use.
As ever, we reach the point where we can see a great deal of work carried out, and much to look forward to in the next 12 months. The challenges of operating in the heritage sector increase year on year, and the ageing equipment is certainly one that we face and must embrace. We’ve probably seen the golden era behind us in terms of sheer number of projects and activities, but I hope we are now looking forward to better managed assets (rolling stock and infrastructure, vehicles and buses etc.) that can provide a consistent and exciting element of the museum’s engagement, and which we know are something that visitors greatly appreciate and very much miss when they are not in operation. There are also some projects that we’ll simply be glad to see completed, so we can free up some headspace to move onto the next ones!
At this point, I wish all of the readers best wishes for 2025 and we very much hope you will be able to see some of the work in person, during the year ahead…
Hi Paul, Thanks for taking the time to regularly keep this blog updated. It provides a great insight into the work that you and the team have undertaken in 2024, well done! Thanks for sharing the detailed histories of the items in the collection; they are always so interesting to read. Happy New Year to you all and good luck with this year’s projects.
Regards,
Jon
Hi Paul
Nice to read your summary of 2024 & looking forward to 2025.
We wanted to visit & see ‘Glyder’ in steam & wondered what the best dates to do this might be. Can you help?
Thanks.
Hi Joe
I’m looking at putting an operating schedule onto the blog, that shows what is running and when (subject to the usual caveats etc.) that will assist with this. Glyder is scheduled to operate on most Mondays/Tuesdays from the 28th Apruil however (through to the end of October). You can email me if you have a specific visit in mind, so that I can check the date for you, however. Best wishes, Paul
I just like to express my disappointment at the news that the Spring steam festival has been cancelled. For many of us it was a highlight of the traction engine scene.
Hi Dave. It hasn’t been cancelled – we’ve moved our event to May half-term, which includes traction engines as part of that programme.
Best wishes
Paul
Sorry the event on the scale it was has been much reduced. Cancelled might have been too strong a word but it’s still very disappointing.
Good luck with the new event…..I hope it pays off.
Replying to your reply.