Friday 29/5

Traffic on Beamish new road, ready for the transport festival at Beamish Museum this weekend

Thursday 28/5

Neil drilling buffer spacers for engineers' saloon 1173

Tuesday 26/5

Richard using No.2 to empty the Andrews House Colliery branch to clear space in MH yard

BH Monday 25/5

Jonny dismantling valve gear on Twizell to get at a loose key under an eccentric
(photo courtesy of Peter Weightman)

BH Sunday 24/5

Oliver on Stanley heading for MH carriage shed .....

Thursday 21/5

Dennis & Jim in discussion about fabrication

Wednesday 20/5

Elaine cleaning AH toilets again

Tuesday 19/5

Colin & Steve cutting replacements ......

Springwell Colliery Railway Bicentenary

The Bowes Railway section from Jarrow staiths to Springwell Colliery became 200 years old in January 2026.   An interesting article about this bicentenary has appeared on North East Bylines.

The kip at the head of the balanced incline from Springwell towards Jarrow
Click Ray Casey's photo for the article

The Springwell Railway was extended past Mount Moor, Kibblesworth, Marley Hill, Byermoor & Hobson to Dipton by the 1850s.   It became known as the Pontop & Jarrow Railway, & was renamed the Bowes Railway in the 1930s.   Marley Hill shed was built by 1854 to serve the loco-worked westernmost 6 miles from Birkheads to Dipton.

Sunday 17/5

49 heading for MH carriage shed .....

Thursday 14/5

David painting signboards
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Wednesday 13/5

Julian, Roger, Martin, David & Terry keen to move ET firewood store in the rain
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Tuesday 12/5

Dave heading to mow after more rain

Monday 11/5 with Eric

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Eric filling a gap under Cochrane's new spark arrestor

Saturday Spring Gala

Ben Taking Horden out from Marley Hill this morning
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Thursday 7/5

Peter photographing Cochrane's new spark arrestor

Wednesday 6/5

Colin & Steve making another signboard frame

Tuesday 5/5

Dave strimming in rain on the slippery slopes of AH cutting

May BH Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

James cutting a gasket for No.2 .....

Sunday 3/5

Oliver watching Twizell safely exit Marley Hill shed

Thursday 30/4

Dennis cutting & cleaning components .....

Wednesday 29/4

Colin cleaning the planer
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Tuesday 28/4

Dave mowing the field

Monday 27/4

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Eric cutting steel for Cochrane's spark arrestor .....

Sunday 26/4

Irene & Pauline preparing to serve teas
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Thursday 23/4

Geoff setting up his lathe work

Wednesday 22/4

Dave triimming Andrews House east platform

Tuesday 21/4

Steve & Colin making a rack for storing logs at ET

Monday 20/4

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Eric recording a successful test on a pressure gauge which was checked this morning .....

Sunday 19/4

49 propelling the empty stock onto the branch to start passenger train operation
(photo courtesy of John Turnock)

Thursday 16/4

A hired digger being used as a weight .....

HRA Conference @ Gateshead

This afternoon's keynote speech at the HRA Conference at Gateshead .....

Wednesday 15/4

The photos below are courtesy of Dave Dixon:

Terry painting at the Welcome Hut

Monday 13/4

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Eric in Twizell's cab, finishing re-tapping plug holes to take new washout plugs

Sunday 12/4

Neil working on the control system for the Matterson jacks

Thursday 9/4

Alan replacing soil pipes .....
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Wednesday 8/4

Martin & Alex digging to plant a new sign at AH

Tuesday 7/4

Note the spade on the side of the waggon, often seen in waggonway paintings

Easter Monday 6/4

Cochrane & No.2 being prepared for the day .....
(photo courtesy of Peter Weightman)

Easter Sunday 5/4

HL No.2 with the empty stock passing Cochrane waiting in MH shed yard .....
(photo courtesy pf Neville Whaler)

Saturday 4/4

Cochrane being readied at MH shed as Euan flags his train being propelled onto the branch
(photo courtesy of Steve Easton)

Thursday 2/4

Jim cleaning a rotary table to use on the miller

Wednesday 1/4

Terry fitting a sign at Causey Crossing
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Tuesday 31/3

Dave mowing over the Bowes Railway route to Birkheads & beyond

Monday 30/3

Eric making a pipe bracket for 38's lubrication system

Sunday 29/3

Susan completing a report
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

New Book & Talk

Coxlodge Waggonway viaduct over the Ouse at Gosforth (by TH Hair)

His latest book  Doon the Waggonway  will be the subject of a free talk by Tyneside historian Les Turnbull at the Mining Institute on Thursday 23 April.

This early 19th century waggonway traversed the whole of Newcastle from Coxlodge across Gosforth, past the RVI,, through Heaton to the Tyne at Wallsend.   It is also linked to people behind much of the mining & railway development on Tyneside - Blenkinsop, Brandling, Brunton, Buddle, Stephenson, etc.

Thursday 26/3

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman except as shown:

Mick setting up new machine guards for welding

Wednesday 25/3

Dismantling a bullhead section of MH 'loop' for plant access to sheet the new shed

Tuesday 24/3

Lewis continuing to repair the drive cover for No.13 point