Final NPE Prep at ET

The photos below are courtesy of Richard Downs:

Geoff & Barry seen sawing near the entrance to the experience .....

Thursday

Jim making connectors for Twizell's pipework

Wednesday

Colin pegging joints on the signalbox stairs

Tuesday

Dave & Ian clearing a branch which has become wedged in a point nose

Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Shunting stock on the P&JR up to the former Tanfield Branch crossing

Sunday Before NPE

Jim & Jonny making 2 new fusible plugs for Twizell

Learning & Enlightenment

Appendix 1 of the 1996 book Northumbrian Panorama indicates how learning spread in northern England in the 1800s:

The table shows Mechanics Institutes springing up across towns & cities. 

The general population of NE England had very limited formal education before the late 1940s, but from the 1600s basic literacy spread through chapbooks, broadsheets & political pamphlets - Newcastle could be seen as second only to London.   Lit & Phils were subscription-based private clubs & libraries for the up & coming merchant class and their leading engineers - expanding scientific & engineering knowledge alongside classics, languages, literature, etc.   From the early 1800s self-funded Mechanics Institutes brought interchange of theoretical & practical learning to many developing engineers.

The earliest Institutes would have been established to spread knowledge of geology, mining, chemistry & metals, later railways, shipbuilding & shipping.   It's easy to see that Middlesbrough (Ironopolis) developed massively alongside its Institute; South Shields' Marine School followed its Institute (while its public library took over the Institute building), Gateshead developed railway knowledge, while Newcastle covered every aspect of commerce & industry.   I imagine that the other towns listed developed similarly, although I'm unsure why the Carlisle Institute was established so early compared to its railway centre (canals?).

Further reading:

Blaydon Mechanics' Hall & Institute 

North Shields' Mechanics' Institute 

Scottish Mechanics' Institutes 

Shildon Railway Institute 

The Mechanics' Institute Movement (Wiki)

Thursday

Dennis starting to refit a mudguard on the forklift

Wednesday

Colin discussing his steps for the signalman's podium with Brian

Tuesday

Dave cleaning carriage footstep brackets for further use

Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Jim setting up one of 38's con rods ready for remachining the big end buckle.

Sunday

Jim making large spacing washers for TIC No.35's brake blocks

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 River 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 ......