Last Sunday's Shunting

The photos below show shunting to clear MH shed last Sunday in preparation for roof work, & are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Peter checking the Armstrong ......

Thursday Things

Jim milling

Marley Hill Shed

Work on removing roof sheets continues
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Restart on MH Shed Roof

Dennis & Steve on the scaffold, handling blocks

Today's Few

Brian & Malcolm making gaskets

Horden Works

First arrival at Andrews House from East Tanfield

TR About 1992

We recently received a letter with some photographs from Averil Fuller of Hampshire:

The letter

Fire Extinguishers

Weighing a dry powder extinguisher to determine its status
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Wednesday Work

Dennis & Ian moving roof sheeting to clear a road of MH shed
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

Today at MH

Ian going to mow
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

Geoff's Sunday People

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe, the guard:

Alex manning Causey Level Crossing

Another Sunday

George & Andy preparing Cochrane .....

TRF Darlington & Shildon

Tanfield Railway Friends today visited Darlington Loco Works to see the new build P2, followed by the works at Shildon to view the new build G5.

The P2 2-8-2 has frames, wheels, smokebox & cab

A Bit of Thursday

Ian & Malcolm checking an air-operated sand delivery valve from AW No.2

Some Wednesday Work

Geoff catching up with painting .....

Some from Today

Dave & Steve cleaning & repairing No.14's spectacles

49's Sunday

Signalman Angela operating the ground frame .....

Boiler Tubing Training

Four TR volunteers attended BESTT training for boiler tubing today at Hatch Engineering in Swindon.   The photos below are courtesy of Tom Hartley:

..... & knocking the tube out

Some of Today's Work

Steve & Ian clearing coal from in front of the skip

Wednesday Work

Drawing No.14 out of the shed for work

Tuesday

Filming in a darkened MH shed

Monday Matters

Brian fitting a final drive filler / level to AW No.2

Another Sunday

Kyle & Jonny exchanging tokens as 49 heads for Sunniside

Thursday

Ian drilling a plate for No.14

Wednesday Work

Barry & Colin shovelling coal forward in AH coal bay

Today's Tasks

Rob & Dave moving sleepers .....

Easter Sunday

Logan cleaning Horden's oil pots

Horden on Saturday

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Ben, Chris & ? preparing Horden for the day

Back to Sunniside

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Steve checking his carriages

Ryhope Engines

Ryhope Engines Museum is steaming this weekend.
The R&W Hawthorn engines here pumped water
from limestone 250' below from 1868 until 1967.

Today at Marley Hill

Ian welding a gate hinge pin, assisted by Steve

Wednesday's Work

Moving Horden ready for Easter weekend

Today's Tasks

Rob repairing the stile of a gate

Another Monday

Dennis at work in his bunker

Sunday Stuff

Alex, Matt & David preparing Cochrane

At Beamish

Graham Morris posing proudly with centenarian Kerr Stuart Peter Pan at Beamish

Beamish Steam Gala 2022 takes place today & tomorrow, featuring several visiting steam vehicles

The First Tyne Iron Steam Screw Colliers

By 1850, due to the expansion of railways, NE England began to lose its status as the key supplier of coal to London & SE England.   Rail-borne Midlands & Yorkshire coal vied by cost & speed, while collier sailing brigs made coal transport relatively expensive & slow.

As mentioned previously on this blog, Palmers at Jarrow re-established NE predominance by building iron screw colliers, which reduced costs, increased speed, and reduced dependence on weather.   (It took a few more years for the advent of the TIC to improve navigability & port facilities on the River Tyne, but that's another story.)

I had thought that Palmers built the first iron steam screw collier in 1852, but I am proven wrong by at least two previous ships .....

Today's Work

Steve & Rob completing conversion to LED lighting in the lean to

Another Quiet Day

Moving the front cover of the fireless loco .....

General Work

Ian & Steve completing work on the workshop door

A Quiet Day

Peter using feeler gauges to check for air leaks around Horden's smokebox door

Horden's Day

George on Horden taking the empty stock from Marley Hill

Tomorrow's Trains

Horden passing Causey picnic area car park last Sunday - & will again tomorrow
(photo courtesy of Henry Elliott)

HC 38's Firebox

The photos below show Tom & Chris starting to remove HC 38's inner firebox last Sunday, & are courtesy of Tom Hartley:

Chris starting to cut out part of the firebox tubeplate

Path Head Water Mill

Path Head Water Mill lies in the Blaydon Burn area.   It ground animal feed, especially for the pack horses taking lead on the adjacent route from Leadgate to the Tyne.   The mill was built around the same time as the Tanfield Waggonway, so like Tanfield this is an industrial site, but pre industrial revolution.   Where were horses fed on waggonways?   Did they each have their own mill?

The Mill

Doors

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Steve working on the workshop door .....

Cleaners

Terry cleaning the vacuum cleaner after clearing the shot blast cabinet
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Tuesday Tidy Up

The photos below are courtesy of Dave Dixon:

Colin tidying up Marley Hill shed in preparation for roof work

Mothers' Day

Luke the DO watching Matthew water Horden

Sunniside a Third of a Century Ago

Sunniside Station on TR on 26 December 1988 - photos below by Alan Clothier from Les Paul:

An unusual 6 carriage formation, with the NER 6 wheel van at the rear

Some of Today's Views

Mick & Dennis sorting & storing steel stock in the workshop