A Door

Jonny & Richard replacing 49's smokebox door

Chris Killip - Photographer

Chris Killip (1946-2020) was a commercial photographer who switched to documentary photography in the 1970s, just in time to record the demise of heavy industry in NE England, with its affects on people & the region.   He published several celebrated books of iconic photos, but his son was instrumental in getting him to publish early work recording the end of Tyneside shipbuilding.   There is a Laing Art Gallery exhibition of this work - two of my rough snaps of this are below:

Looking down a Wallsend back lane, over the NER riverside branch, into Swan Hunters yard

Horden Bank Holiday Extra

The photos below were taken yesterday, & are courtesy of Neville Whaler:

Horden raising steam outside Marley Hill shed

Bank Holiday Mince Pie Specials

Matthew drawing No.3 from MH carriage shed; Horden waiting for its train

Boxing Day Mince Pie Specials

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

The frosty morning view from the signalbox

Tommy's Cuttings #6

The date of this article is uncertain.   However, from adverts on the reverse for a fair on Sunday 16 July & PYO strawberries, plus detail in the text, it seems to be from an Evening Chronicle of June 1978.

TR no longer runs England's most northerly steam train

Messages

Merry Christmas everyone

NPE Day #12, the Finale

Dan the guard directing the shunting of No.3

NPE Day #11

Horden fetching its train from the carriage shed
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

NPE Day #10

Peter working on a drain cock on Horden

NPE Day #9

Jonny shunting No.3 onto the other 4 carriages under Euan's direction

NPE Day #8

Chris coaling HL No.2

NPE Day #7

Horden blowing off outside Marley Hill shed, ready to go
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Northumberland Line Wayleaves

The Duke of Northumberland has come under fire for demanding 'archaic' wayleave rents for the Northumberland Line (Chronicle report).  

Bedlington Station on the proposed Northumberland Line has seen freight since closure by Beeching
(P3 / J27 65834 on coal hoppers photographed by Ben Brooksbank in 1965)

Wayleaves were the norm in the Great North Coalfield right up until the demise of collieries.   For example, our Tanfield route always operated under wayleaves - it was never owned by railway companies or BR.

A Few Jobs

Ian investigating a contactor issue on AW No.2

Windows

Terry undercoating cills

Concrete Progress

Ian weighing No.6's safety valve casting

A Quiet Day

Dennis trying his new tungsten-tipped rotary rubber disc
to remove rust from HC 38's bunker

NPE Day #6

Steve delivering coal .....

NPE Day #5

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Alfie spreading salt to melt ice at the North Pole

Redheugh Incline

From the booklet The Changing Face of Gateshead, Gateshead Libraries & Arts, Portcullis Press 1992:

The Redheugh Incline connected two arms of the Brandling Junction Railway c1840: the
Tanfield Branch & Gateshead to South Shields / Monkwearmouth (Sunderland North Dock)

Several Jobs

Malcolm, Dennis & Colin shovelling material for filling holes

A Door & More

A demonstration section of render on MH shed

Work Continues

Dave & Steve measuring & cutting old tent material .....

A Couple of Today's Jobs

Ian working on a shed door

Horden's NPE Day #4

Mick & Jim working on HC 38

Tanfield Tree

Angela installed a Christmas tree on behalf of Tanfield Railway in St Margaret's Church at Tanfield Village this afternoon:

Merry Christmas from Tanfield Railway
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Tomorrow's Trains

The photos below are of last Sunday's North Pole Express.   Horden will again haul fully-booked trains this weekend.

Richard driving Horden south over Causey car park road bridge
(photo courtesy of Dave Hewitt)

Derwentcote Steelworks

Derwentcote Steel Furnace is a neighbour, interrelated industry & contemporary of the Tanfield Waggonway.

Derwentcote Steel Furnace

English Heritage, custodian of Derwentcote, have published a half hour podcast describing the history, processes, products & importance of the works.

A Cooler Day, Spent Inside

Colin assembling an elliptical top trim for a door
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Dave's Views

Dennis fitting a window cill
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

A Few from Another Day

Ian taking delivery of roof sheets for Marley Hill shed
- to be fitted next spring, together with the trusses behind

A Few from Today

Peter altering the mounting board for Horden's vacuum gauge

Saturday's 2021 NPE Day#1 in Today's Metro

NPE 2021 Day#2

Chris preparing Cochrane on standby, Kyle cleaning Horden

Tommy's Cuttings #5

From a 1980s local newspaper:

Tanfield's Thursday Team

Steve screwing window cills in position

Wednesday Daytime

Terry & Ian sanding window cills
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Some Work

Ian cutting window cills to shape (see other end)

Marley Hill Monday

Malcolm removing parts from Cochrane. for polishing

A Few from Today

Mick & Jim locating some thick walled tube from which to make collars

An Award for TR

Today (Saturday), Angela & Martin attended an award ceremony on behalf of TR following an invitation from Liz Twist, MP for Blaydon (which includes Marley Hill & Sunniside).   Liz made the award  to Tanfield Railway  In recognition of your outstanding contribution to our community.

Martin showing the framed certificate, on which Liz also writes:
Thank you for all you have done.   You have made a real difference.
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Tommy's Cuttings #4

North Pole Express from 34 years ago
Chester-le-Street Advertiser 19/11/1987

Thursday's Stuff

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

ITMA - preserving

Today's Work

Some time today, someone made the 2 millionth view of a page on this blog.   Thank you for your interest, but sorry no prize - I don't know who it was!

Dave preparing sockets

Today's Tuesday

Rob removing a broken pane

Monday at Marley Hill

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Peter cutting a gauge glass

Heaton History Group

Googling for info about WP Collier, a well-known photographer of Northumberland based in Bellingham, I stumbled upon the Heaton History Group.   This contains some fascinating details of people, industry & invention in Heaton, as in the page where I'd unknowingly searched for Grubb Parsons.

Try skipping over the photographers Thompson, Hart & Collier, then past Armstrong, Parsons &Arup to find out about the theoretical & very practical engineer Gerald Stoney, then read on to find the optical engineers David Brown & David Sinden.

To find articles of interest to you, either click on a word such as Ouseburn in the tag cloud on the right, or use the search box;  eg searching for corn or "Grand Allies" (NB use quotes to surround a phrase) reveals the part played by the Grand Allies in the Newcastle corn riots of 1740.   I'll leave you to find your way around the Heaton History Group.

NPE Preparation

Rod & helper decorating the North Pole