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 lowered 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