The inevitable focus this week is on the arrival of Box 40 from Blackpool, and its subsequent commissioning prior to entering service at Beamish.  I’ve also added a few other interesting/relevant snippets for readers too…  A lot of time is currently being invested in preparations for the Great North Steam Fair and forthcoming partial erection of the steam gallopers.

Blackpool & Fleetwood Box 40 Arrives

Below: Blackpool & Fleetwood Box Car No.40 arrived at Beamish on Monday March 4th.  It was unloaded at the Entrance then towed to the depot by Blackpool 31 – making a nice ‘double-header’ of former Blackpool tramcar history.  David Watchman recorded the occasion in photograph and film…

Below: On Tuesday Box 40 was prepared for commissioning by a team from the National Tramway Museum at Crich (its owners), the Beamish Tramway Group and the Beamish staff, which then led to a series of trial runs around the circuit.  These proved successful and whilst there are a couple more tests to complete (to ensure sufficient clearance when passing other trams in operation here), the tram looks set to enter traffic at Beamish shortly…

Below: The commissioning team from the NTM and Beamish.

Below: With a Blackpool & Fleetwood theme here, it is appropriate to perhaps remember a number of other relevant items in the collection at Beamish.  I have posted previously on the wooden derrick crane in the Pit Yard, which came to Beamish from Blackpool Transport following use in the Thornton Gate permanent way yard (located on the former Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramroad).  It is seen here after restoration in 2007 by the Friends group of volunteers.

Below: Seldom seen by museum visitors (for now) is another B&F related artefact, the former Blackpool & Fleetwood tower waggon, No.749.  This was built in 1909 using a Milnes plate frame bogie (from one of the short-lived B&F trailer cars, numbers 11 – 13).  It was used for many years with our own Blackpool 31 (in engineering guise as No.4) and also with former B&F Box car 114 – which was actually Box 40 in a later guise and used by the engineering department.  Some years ago we held a ‘Corporations & Contractors’ themed steam fair, where Blackpool31 made an appearance in green livery to, in part, recreate its life in engineering service at Blackpool.  I had wanted to run it with 749, but for various reasons I was unable to arrange this.  However, some conservation work was undertaken by Peter Barlow to clean and stabilse the tower wagon, pending the day it could be displayed inside our tram depot (I also acquired a hand-cart tower wagon to accompany it in this display).  With the bus depot construction now underway, thoughts turn to moving 749 to the depot – and perhaps the presence of it’s two former companions – 31 and 40 – may provide some incentive to investigate this possibility later this year…

Below: Some close up views following conservation work – note the very faded lettering, just visible and which reads ‘Blackpool and Fleetwood’ beneath later lettering for Blackpool Corporation.  Matt and I are keen to make the most of the opportunity to bring 749 out into public view whilst Box 40 is visiting – would anyone like to sponsor the extraction and work needed that might enable 749 to appear with 31 and 40 once again?

Below: A nicely full tram depot!

Samson goes on show…

Below: As mentioned previously, Samson has moved to go on temporary display at the headquarters of Pearson Engineering/Reece Foundation on Scotswood Road, Newcastle.  We have strong ties with the Reece Foundation, who’s past generosity paid for the RHEC at Beamish (Regional Heritage Engineering Centre), the Fowler steam roller Rambler and also a substantial element of the new bus depot and workshops.  They have had numerous engineering items on display in their reception, including a Sentinel steam waggon and the Marshall traction engine Mary Margaret.  Samson has been placed on display until April, whereupon it will return to Beamish in time for the Great North Steam Fair.  Here it is seen on display, along with some images showing how it got there…

Below: The HIAB is not actually lifting the nearby Scotswood Road Bridge as this photo suggests!  Rather, it is unloading the panel of track, tender and lead mine tub.  The BRIMEC tilting deck function was then used to lower Samson onto the track panel within the reception area.

Below: David Watchman made this time-lapse film showing the operation to place Samson on display.

Bus Depot

Below: The main focus of attention regarding the bus depot has been the diversion of the main tramway feeder electrical cable from the site of the depot.  This took place on Thursday the 7th March and power was reinstated by 16:00 that afternoon.  The opportunity was also taken to accurately record the location of the cabling for future reference – we have scant details of the early installations at Beamish and part of the Remaking Beamish exercise has been the mapping of underground services to improve our understanding (and greatly help in maintaining) of the spaghetti-like water, gas, electricity, sewage and communications network that criss-crosses the site.

15″ Gauge Siding

Below: The siding has now been more or less completed (the siding will be ballasted in ash, arising from the adjacent cottages) in readiness for the steam fair.  A shelter for the chaldrons is being manufactured in the RHEC, which will also serve to stable the visiting 15″ gauge stock and provide winter housing for some of our precious chaldron waggons.  This will be located at the far end of this siding.  Work to extend the two-foot gauge headshunt will now commence, which will enable photographers to capture standard gauge, two-foot gauge and 15″ gauge trains running together…

Glyder

Below: Work on Glyder’s boiler has been progressing well, with Chris Lee and colleagues from the Friends volunteer team adding fittings each weekend.  A steam test is now in the offing…

RHEC

Below: Following the rebuild of the B-Type’s rear platform, the D-Type has now entered the RHEC for attention to the damaged panels (caused when it was side-swiped by the visiting Coronation Tram some years ago).  Whilst repairs were made at the time, they were always somewhat temporary.  A new panel is to be fitted and then repainted.  Some other tidying up is also taking place on the bus.  The solid tyres have been sent away to a different contractor than previously, the last set having had a disappointingly short life in service.  A harder compound for the rubber is to be used and we would like the solid tyred wheels re-fitted when it enters service again this spring.