Gateshead Tram 10 to regain its British Railways identity!
Some exciting news concerning Gateshead tram No.10…
Appeal for funds launched to recreate British Railways tram No.26 as operating on the Grismby & Immingham Electric Railway.
As many readers of this blog will know, Gateshead tram No.10’s career extended beyond its withdrawal from service in Gateshead in 1951, with a new working life owned by British Railways and working on the Grimsby & Immingham Electric Railway. The transfer of ownership brought about a marked change in appearance with the tram (renumbered ’26’ by BR) loosing its distinctive roof adverts and gaining an all over green livery complete with white fenders and BR crest (in this case a Mk 1 coach style roundel).
For many years enthusiasts have asked us if we would ever consider a repaint into green and so, with a full repaint looming, the opportunity has presented itself and the intention is to return 10 to its old guise as No.26, sans adverts and in BR green in time for the 30th August – 2nd September Power from the Past event. It will then operate through the autumn and winter in this guise, being withdrawn in the early spring for full restoration (and some overhaul work) as Gateshead 10 once again – in time for the Beamish Tramway’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
To help cover the costs of the repaint we are therefore launching an appeal via the Just Giving website (there is a link to the right of this post) and I would urge anyone wanting to support this endevour to help us by contibuting to the appeal, which aims to cover a percentage of the cost of this work.
The tram will also be booked to appear at our Saturday 1st September evening photographers evening and will also be available for private charter work upon request. This is the last opportunity for some time that this livery can be carried as the next repaint of the car will not be due for (hopefully!) at least 15 years.
Below: A selection of images, seen on this blog previously, showing a former Gateshead tram on the G&I system in green as well as two views of No.26 when stored at Clay Cross after being selected by the British Transport COmmission for preservation. This is the appearance we can look forward to seeing this tram recreating once again, if sufficient funds can be raised via our Just Giving appeal.
I’m not sure if 26 ever ran in service with the coach roundel. It may have been changed after withdrawal. It appears that the transfer is too deep for the waist panel. The only photo I have seen of 26 in service show it with the lion & wheel insignia located under the extreme left saloon window.
Certainly the ex Great Central cars (no.s 1 – 16) had crests at the left hand side of each side, but I haven’t seen any photographs showing the ex Gateshead trams in this guise. The ex Gateshead trams carried crests (the lion over the wheel) in the open format, at the centre of the waist panels. 26, for whatever reason (and perhaps at the discretion of York carriage works who overhauled and prepared it for use on the G&I) carried a roundel, MK1 coach style, on the centre of the waist panels – something clearly visible in photogrpahs taken of the tram on the G&I and well demonstrated in Geoff Lumb’s colour photo of the tram in 1960 and also in teh October 1998 issue of ‘Railway Bylines’ (Page 366). It would also seem highly unlikely to change the crest after withdrawal, and we know, from the photos taken of 26 in storage at Clay Cross, that it was stored in out-of-service condition until it was restored and re-liveried in Consett, prior to comeing to Beamish in 1973.
The green carried is ‘Southern Electric Green’, which BR introduced in 1951. The white fenders will also feature on our repaint of 10.
Thanks for the information
Following your comments I have done a little more digging. The photograph I referred to is on the internet at http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/lincsrailwayworkers/lincolnshirerailwayworkers.htm
It is the 11th photo down.
As you state 26 was initially overhauled at York. According to ‘The Tramways of Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes’ by J H Price the ex Gateshead cars entered service between 1951 and 1954. As far as I can establish, the roundel only appeared from 1956 onwards. J H Price states that 26 was the last car to be repainted (by implication sometime after 28/9/1959). Presumably Pyewipe applied the roundels at this repaint.
Incidentally the only reason I am posting this as anonymous is because I do not know how to post any other way. Hope this sheds some light on the subject.
Sure enough, there it is. Many thanks for the link – not a photo I had seen before. I wonder if anyone can find a photo of that crest, but located in the centre of the waist panel?
Maybe we should put the alternative crests on each side of the tram, for photographic variety? Do any other blog readers have a view on this at all? Crests cost just under £60 each if anyone fancies sponsoring one…!!!
Excellent idea