Shields, On the River Tyne

The Tate's JMW Turner's paintings are on country-wide tour, with "The Fighting Temeraire" recently on display at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.   In support of this, JMW Turner's "Shields, on the River Tyne" is featured at TWAM's South Shields Museum.   The painting is interesting in showing coal handling & its transition from shovelling from keels to using waggons with bottom doors on drops (lowering waggons out over the hold) or spouts (chutes to aim coal around the hold).

Shields, on the Ri²ver Tyne
This painting from the mid 1820s belongs to & is fully described by the Tate 

Thursday

Ian grinding rag from footboard brackets removed from the 6-wheel chassis

Wednesday

Sarah varnishing Twizell's wheels

Tuesday

Ian sorting out long-stored spare parts for the crane

Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Paul sorting out our collection of valva seat cutters.

Sunday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Arthur and John making Christmas hockey sticks

Blog Top of Page Updates

Fixed faulty buttons
Started 300 page for tercentenary
Added 300 button
Removed puzzle corner
Updated stock lists
Updated other fixed pages
Highlighted search box
Please let me know of any errors or omissions .....

The Last Ships

A blog post at the end of 2021 featured photos by Chris Killip, in particular the exhibition The Last Ships at the Laing Art Gallery.   I'd recommend visiting this free exhibition of photos of the final tankers being built at Swan Hunter, showing Tyneside heavy industry & its workers 50 years ago.

Propellor being fitted to the Everett F Wells c1976 at Swans.
with Hawthorn Leslie on the far bank 

Thursday

Geoff painting inside the crossing cabin
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Wednesday

Richard measuring components of 49's clack valve, while under inspection & repair

Tuesday

Steve cleaning the burnt out brake van

Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Crane set up for repairs to control gear, with Ian and Barry

Sunday

Mick milling a brake block for TIC No.35

Lemington Gut

Compound map of waggonways leading to staiths at Lemington
(map courtesy of Les Turnbull)

Note that this map predates TIC improvements to navigability of the Tyne, which included piers at Shields, removal of sandbars & islands, straightening of the lower reaches, ongoing dredging, & notably for Lemington a cut which removed the meander past its staiths & industry, which were left on a spur or gut   At the same time, Armstrong's swing bridge replaced the low Georgian Bridge at Newcastle.   These improvements together enabled sea going ships to travel nearly as far as Wylam regardless of most tides, although large ships had more limited access to the upper reaches.

So what happened to waggonways, staiths & industry at Lemington?   Read on ......

Thursday

Richard asking Peter (in Horden's firebox) about leaking stays

Wednesday

Jim making a pin for No.35's brake blocks

Tuesday

Ian. Barry & Steve erecting the access tower

Sunday

Today's greeting at Andrews House .....
(photo courtesy of Colin Craig-Gilby)

Scotswood Walk

Walking Tour of Scotswood station site - 1pm Wed 30 Oct 2024
from St Margaret's Church on Heighley Street NE15 6AR

Scotswood is an area of the west end of Newcastle where the population grew rapidly with industrial expansion, notably Armstrong's factory on the riverside at Elswick.   This coincided with railway development. including the first cross country main line between Newcastle & Carlisle.

The Tyne was the main thoroughfare, with heavy industry along its banks, for which workers' housing packed the steep valley sides.   Railways in the area evolved to meet demand within these constraints, leading to condensed, impressive & expensive civil engineering, including the remarkable layout around Scotswood.

Thursday

Barry adjusting guttering, supported by Ian

Wednesday

Roger installing a spur in MH shed

Tuesday

Steve preparing the cab front of the forklift ......

Monday

Barry on bin duty .....
(photo courtesy of Peter Weightman)

ITV Feature of Saturday

An ITV news feature of Saturday's Run It

Sunday Running

At the start of the day, a guard's view of Marley Hill carriage shed .....
(photo courtesy of Steve Easton)

Saturday Running

Callum preparing Stanley in Marley Hill shed
(photo courtesy of Barry Duncan)

Thursday

Ian & Steve discussing removal of a mudguard .....

A Wet Wednesday

Ian cutting plate with which to make a lamp bracket

Alex Tyson's Day Off

Ian sorting scrap materials

Monday

Eric making a collar

Others' Sunday

The 11am from ET seen at Causey Level Crossing
(photo courtesy of John Turnock)

Geoff's Sunday

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Oliver coupling Horden to the train at East Tanfield ......

William Thomas

William Thomas, from the only known portrait
(artwork courtesy of Yasmin Turnbull)

This post follows today's talk by Les Turnbull at the Lit & Phil.

William Thomas (17xx - 1824) was the steward of Elizabeth Montague's northern estates & the viewer of her East Denton Colliery.   He was consulting engineer at Blackett's Wylam Colliery and a founding member of both the Lit & Phil and the Society of Antiquaries.

As a visionary, William was notable for his views on railways, which in his time were usually single purpose non-passenger unidirectional pit to port waggonways.   His ideas for the development of railways became evident in 1800 when he gave a talk at the Lit & Phil espousing a steam double track inter city railway between Newcastle & Carlisle, not only for bulk  materials such as coal, but also to carry general goods & passengers.   I wonder how many of his contemporaries thought similarly in NE England, a quarter century before the S&DR?

Thursday

Geoff painting the crane

Wednesday

Barry fitting guttering .....
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

Tuesday

Jeff & Barry erecting the access tower
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Paul working on Twizell's injector steam valves

Sunday

Andy preparing No.2 inside Marley Hill shed
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Thursday

Peter aligning Cochrane's blower pipe & bracket while Richard solders them together

Wednesday

Barry drilling the shed wall for gutter brackets
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

Tuesday

Ian receiving guidance from Richard on remounting No.2's LH crosshead lubricator pot

Monday

Richard discussing skimming of a vaccum brake application valve with Jim

Sunday at ET

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Horden waiting at East Tanfield .....

Sunday at MH & AH

JIm & Mick making a special spanner for HC 38

Bing Saturday

The photos below are courtesy of Barry Duncan:

A family photo with Bing bunny in MH carriage shed

A Wet Thursday

Jim making lock nuts for a driving stud on HC 38's lubrication system

Wednesday

Barry clearing saplings at the side of the woodwork shop

Tuesday

The photos below are courtesy of Richard Charlton:

Tom burning through the remaining stays securing HC 38's firebox

Monday

Paul making a threaded plug .....

Sunday

John & Ian fitting one of the double doors on 456

Diesel Saturday

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Ben preparing the BR diesel for the day