Friday 19/6 - a Signalman's Gala Views of Green 4-Wheelers & Crews

An arc of photographers capture Stanley leaving MH engine shed

Thursday 18/6

Dennis making lugs for fire-beater stands

Wednesday 17/6

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Oliver & Oliver fitting Dora's spark arrestor

Tuesday 16/6

Logan removing gardening waste from a waggon

Monday 15/6

Eric altering a coupling shackle for Stanley

Sunday 14/6

Andy & Richard checking Horden's smokebox plugs

Thursday 11/6

Geoff developing drawings & a copy of a vacuum brake application valve

Wednesday 10/6

Colin at work on the band saw

Tuesday 9/6

Colin & Steve making noticeboards

A Signalman's Views from Sunday

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Volunteers preparing Horden for the day's work

Sunday 7/6

Horden leaving with today's first train from East Tanfield

British Trains of Yesteryear

I was recommended the Ian Allan 1960s book British Trains of Yesteryear by C Hamilton Ellis.      While the focus is UK mainline pre-grouping (pre-1923) railways, there is much of interest, as exemplified below:

SECR New Cross shed in the early 1900s - brimming with Twizell's peers
(Twizell was a large loco for 1891, needed for lengthy NE colliery railways)

Thursday 4/6

Walter sorting out nuts & bolts for the stores

Wednesday 3/6

The wooden wall gang excitedly waiting for work

Tuesday 2/6

Richard shunting stock to prepare for contractor's access to the storage shed site
(The steam loco is Cyclops, built by Hawtorn Leslie, rebuilt by Barclay)

Monday 1/6

The photos below are courtesy of Peter Weightman:

Eric carefully fitting a special split key on one of Twizell's eccentric shelves

Sunday 31/5

Jim making bolts .....

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

Wednesday Wall

The photos below are courtesy of Dave Dixon:

Martin & Barry fetching a sleeper for the wall by MH box

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 .....