This post is a bit of an update on activities here ahead of re-starting the passenger trains at Rowley Station and welcoming several visiting muses to the museum over the weekend.  We hit a snag with Sir Berkeley, in the form of a sticking clack valve, and whilst this has received some attention my the engineering staff, the imminent arrival of Keighley Gas Works No.2 gave our Transport Ops Manager Matthew a chance to divert it to Rowley (instead of the Colliery), in order to provide some assurance that the passenger service would go ahead.

Today we completed three-days of driver/stoker/guard assessments to update everyone’s competence in this area, and also took the opportunity to test the repaired Sir Berkeley and familiarise ourselves with No.2.  It also presented the opportunity to see two steam locos at Rowley, in steam, a very rare occurrence (I’ll try and work when/how often this has occurred at some point).  As a result, the programme will now include the two at Rowley, taking it in turns to operate the shuttle, as well as swap during the day and potentially double-head on the final weekend.

Here are some photos taken today showing the station during the assessments.  I have very much fallen for the Manning Wardle pedigree myself – and had a very enjoyable day on Sir Berkeley, plotting just how soon we’d be able to bring Newcastle into the programme for restoration!

We are very grateful to the Tanfield Railway for enabling us to add No.2 to the passenger lineup at Rowley, and at such short notice.

Below: I haven’t had a chance to get many photos of the buses, but here are two that you can enjoy at the event – WMS Leyland Titan PD2/1 (our own) and visiting from the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, an earlier ex Glasgow Leyland Titan TD1.  The PD2/1 has now had its partial repaint completed and the newly re-upholstered seats have been installed.  It looks stunning – more details to appear on the usual Transport & Engineering diary posts over the weekend.

Below: The second fire engine has arrived (along with a trailer pump) and we hope to display this on the Tuesday/Wednesday of the event, along with other vintage vehicles from the collection and a number of visiting examples too (including the very fine National Albion tanker seen in the third image below).