Looking back – Trolleybus operation at Beamish!
As part of the reasearch that is being conducted into the future expansion, viability and direction of the transport system at Beamish I have been looking at the trolleybus route in increasing detail. Whilst very much at a feasibility study stage, it is interesting to look at the potential route and also consider what vehicles might be appropriate or available to operate over it. When looking forwards it is often worth a glance backwards. Our current trolleybus route extends from the tram depot via Foulbridge and up to the Main Entrance. Newcastle 501 has been a reasonably well known past user of this route (as would be expected from a resident vehicle) but it is not alone, for ex Teesside Sunbeam/Roe (chassis and body) trolleybus GAJ 15 has also operated over the route, as Peter Barlow’s collection of photographs below show.
GAJ 15 was initially preserved at Preston Park Museum in Stockton, but after fire damage caused by vagrants living inside the bus (!) it was taken on by a private individual who made arrangements to move it to Beamish where he could conveniently work on it. At Beamish it was overhauled and re-wired as well as being repainted into TRTB (Teesside Railless Traction Board) green livery. It was able to venture out and carry out test and demonstration runs, as seen in these photographs. GAJ 15 was always privately owned and was eventually moved away to Kirkleatham Hall near Redcar where a purpose made building has been erected for it. There have been some comments online that the intention was to scrap it to provide parts for Keighley 12 but as far as I can determine, or any of the longstanding volunteers can recall, this was never the case – it was not Beamish’s to so use! Hopefully these photographs are of interest as I doubt such scenes have appeared in public before, and that they also show that GAJ 15’s owner did lavish some care on the vehicle in order to bring it back into working condition. Being stored outside clearly had a very rapid effect on the paintwork. Note that it arrived in the later livery carried in its last days of service. A service photo of the TRTB operation, in the snow, is also included.
Maybe one day it can stretch its legs over an extended circuit at Beamish…??? Thanks to Peter Barlow for use of these photographs from his collection.
Very interestig photos. It would be good to see regular trolleybus operation at Beamsish, which I expect would require at least two vehicles and additional depot capacity – perhaps within the proposed 1950s town? The preferred choice for the second vehicle would be South Shields or Teesside, but I suppose it would be down to whatever could be attracted from elsewhere. Good luck with this projet. Garry
Great to see the trolleybus photo’s .It would be fantastic if trolleybuses could be run at Beamish, that would be a great step forward to further enhance the transport system.
Paul, v interesting. When I visited last year, I noticed how close the Town railway and the Colliery railway siding alignments were to the tramway circuit. Were they ever connected, and did they ever link up together? It looked like the kind of project someone would want to do, but I suppose ever-decreasing funding means that’s unlikely in the future.
Hi Tim, the Colliery and NER railway were indeed once linked, via a formation not far from teh current tramway in this location, though the levels have been much altered since. The line was very steeply graded and had a very sharp curve so passenger trains were never permitted beyond the current extent of running, though in the early years some rides were offered in chaldron waggons! The need to develop the tramway in the 90s and the state of the then dormant railway meant that the corridor was reprofiled for use as a tramway. There are no plans to link them – operationally is is desirable to have each completely separate and there would be little compatibility between stock – the colliery remains industrial. This also obviates the need for signalling etc. and the very occasional need to move rolling stock is adequately met using road haulage.
Hopefully this explains the situation?!
Best wishes
Paul
Paul – thanks for taking the time to reply. Interesting, thank you. Tim
I think it was a great shame that the railway was not allowed to run alongside the new tramway section as this could have given a great photographic location. However I understand the thinking at that time.
I think I might have had a ride in a chaldoen wagon.
John Carlson
Was this Teesside 2 or 5?
Several years ago it was loaned to Sandtoft with a view to its being put on display and possibly put into running order. However after an inspection the Sandtoft powers that be considered it to be in such poor condition that restoring it to opearaional status wasn’t viable.
The other one of the pair was owned by Peter Price and was based at Sandtoft. I imagine this had a better chance of being brought back into running order; Peter took it out of Sandtoft when he ceased his involvment with them. I would imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult to track it down.
Sandtoft do have South Shields 204 and the ex South Shields/Reading Sunbeam which no doubt woukd be candidates for loans.
Very interesting article and pictures. It would be great to have another transport option in Beamish and trolleybuses would be an interesting alternative to the tram system.
It is great to see the article and pictures of TRTB number 5 running at Beamish. I would dearly like to see this vehicle have Beamish as its permenent home.
Number 5 has the claim to be the last UK trolleybus system vehicle to receive a new body in April 1965; only the experimental SYPTE trolleybus is newer, and never operated in a normal working environment.
This vehicle has a particular soft spot for me, having memories of it with its Bridlington built original body, it being stripped at Cargo Fleet, followed the chassis being towed to Leeds for its new body, able to ride on the new bus under test before entering service, and having hired this vehicle at Teesside to operate 3 enthusiast tours.
It is arguably the most historic surviving TRTB trolleybuses, or should we call it “Trackless” as they were locally known.
I do hope its future will be at Beamish reepresenting the Tees area within the North East of England
Hi Paul,
With Regards to new developments,
Is there any plans for the NER railway to be extended to a station serving the 1950’s town?
Cheers
I think that would be a good idea. Is there a site earmarked for the 1950’s town. Behind the the existing town perhaps?
Paul Jarman, there is a photo on ebay of no14 with the coach at the colliery sidings
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NORTH-EASTERN-RAILWAY-PHOTO-BEAMISH-MUSEUM-NO-14-STEAM-TRAIN-/221179520855?pt=UK_Collectables_Bus_CoachCollectables_SM&hash=item337f53a757&autorefresh=true
30.12.16.
I was a transport and trolley enthusiast from the 1960’s onwards.
I visited Beamish about five years ago expecting to see trolley operation, but alas they had gone. The official line was they were too modern for the theme of the museum,and trams were more appropriate. Whether there has been a re-think on this I don’t know?
Regards, Lewis Esposito Salem Chapel B&B Snowdonia North Wales
Hi Lewis – Per your comment on the post ‘Looking Back – Trolleybus operation at Beamish’ it might be useful for me to clarify that we never have had a trolleybus operation at Beamish. A section of overhead wiring was installed to allow testing of Newcastle 501 and GAJ 15 in the 90s, but this was purely for that purpose and not pubic operation. The Museum was then focussed on the 1913 and 1825 dates, which in recent years have been broadened, and with the 1950s development now planned, will see us develop a trolleybus (and motorbus) route around the site, incorporating the test route already extant (though in practice this will need substantial re-working for regular use).
So you didn’t miss them as they had gone, as they had never operated for the public (and haven’t to date) – but as you might see from our plans online that this will be change as we develop the 1950s theme. It’s also worth making the point that our development plan takes place over a number of years and the 1950s bus route (which will feature trolleybuses) is not expected to commence until the final phase of the project is completed and opened to the public, though elements will be available sooner (such as the bus depot and workshop) and also enable some additional capacity to be created for events etc.
Design work for the new route is at an advanced stage so please do check back on this site for announcements and news on the developments. Obviously the first 18 months or so of the project itself will be building the roads to run everything on – so that is what we hope to start this spring…
Kind regards, Paul Jarman, Assistant Director – Transport & Industry
Does anyone know what the Tram is in photo 1? Thanks
THe tram seen with RTRB trolleybus number 5 @ Preston Park Museum, Stockton, is Imperial Tramways Work/water tram. This body was found in 1965 in Middlesbrough near to the Greyhound Stadium. It was built new as a works tram by MIlnes, it passed to Middlesbrough Corporation Tramways, and in 1934 became a shed in an allotment. I am unsure whether it survives today at Preston Park. 2 Miles open topped tram bodies survived at Thirkleby Hall near Thirsk into the nineteen seventies; a style of tram not dissimilar to the restored LUT tram at Crich Tramway Museum.