Sunday Around Marley Hill

Shunting stock & locos into place for some of today's work

Saturday

The photos below are courtesy of Euan Sharp:

Fishplate greasing

Thursday

Malcolm getting ready to shot blast lamps after Brian fixes the nozzles

Some of Today's Work

Ian cutting panes of glass .....

Water Tower

Rob clearing the work area .....

Monday

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Mick setting up to pressure test the new safety valve stand for Renishaw No.6

Sunday

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering: 

Steve fuelling the Fowler

TR Today

The photos below are courtesy of Geoff Lowe:

Martin & Steve checking the door frame at AH water tower

Tranent - Cockenzie Waggonway

BBC iPlayer has a recent archaeology programme with a section on Scotland's first railway, a 1722 waggonway which carried coal from Tranent to salt pans at Cockenzie.    View Digging for Britain series 9 episode 3, from about 28 mins in.   (Stills below are from this episode.)

On the route of the waggonway

UK City of Culture 2025

County Durham is one of 8 areas / cities shortlisted for the accolade of UK City of Culture in 2025 - the same year in which TR celebrates its 300th birthday (& S&DR its 200th).   Everything that we do for our tercentenary can go forward to support the Durham bid, to mutual benefit.   The "City of Culture" can call on its history, environment, attractions, people & potential to show how deserving it is. 

A turbine blade being erected in the commercial / maritime centre of Hull.
Hull's fortunes surged following it being the 2017 UK City of Culture.
Coventry has benefitted from being the 2021 UK City of Culture
Can we help make County Durham the 2025 UK City of Culture?

Science Museum Group Journal

The Science Museum Group publishes an online biannual journal.   The articles are lengthy, but quite interesting.   Click View more for 3 articles in the most recent Autumn 2021 journal which have some relevance to TR.   You may find other articles of personal interest.

The Weaver - art at the Whitworth

Some Sunday Shots

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Kyle watching Richard breaking brickwork from No.2's smokebox

Railways are much older than trains

An interesting YouTube video focussing on Tanfield, link submitted by Luke Griffiths.

Still from the YouTube video "Railways are much older than trains" by Lindybeige

A Cold Day

Mick making gaskets for No.6's safety valves, which he is assembling

AH Water Tower

Colin working on a door for Andrews House water tower
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Some from Today

Ian making an engine oil filler pipe for the forklift
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)

HCC Tickets

Viewing the tickets below is courtesy of George Nairn & Colin Fish:

The Harton Coal Company (HCC) ran a public passenger service on the South Shields, Marsden & Whitburn Colliery Railway as part of miners' trains, alongside coal trains to HCC drops on the Tyne & to NER exchange sidings .

Some of Today's Work

Mick removing studs & marking centres on No.6's safety valve mount .....

A Door

Jonny & Richard replacing 49's smokebox door

Chris Killip - Photographer

Chris Killip (1946-2020) was a commercial photographer who switched to documentary photography in the 1970s, just in time to record the demise of heavy industry in NE England, with its affects on people & the region.   He published several celebrated books of iconic photos, but his son was instrumental in getting him to publish early work recording the end of Tyneside shipbuilding.   There is a Laing Art Gallery exhibition of this work - two of my rough snaps of this are below:

Looking down a Wallsend back lane, over the NER riverside branch, into Swan Hunters yard

Horden Bank Holiday Extra

The photos below were taken yesterday, & are courtesy of Neville Whaler:

Horden raising steam outside Marley Hill shed

Bank Holiday Mince Pie Specials

Matthew drawing No.3 from MH carriage shed; Horden waiting for its train

Boxing Day Mince Pie Specials

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

The frosty morning view from the signalbox

Tommy's Cuttings #6

The date of this article is uncertain.   However, from adverts on the reverse for a fair on Sunday 16 July & PYO strawberries, plus detail in the text, it seems to be from an Evening Chronicle of June 1978.

TR no longer runs England's most northerly steam train

Messages

Merry Christmas everyone

NPE Day #12, the Finale

Dan the guard directing the shunting of No.3

NPE Day #11

Horden fetching its train from the carriage shed
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

NPE Day #10

Peter working on a drain cock on Horden

NPE Day #9

Jonny shunting No.3 onto the other 4 carriages under Euan's direction

NPE Day #8

Chris coaling HL No.2

NPE Day #7

Horden blowing off outside Marley Hill shed, ready to go
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Northumberland Line Wayleaves

The Duke of Northumberland has come under fire for demanding 'archaic' wayleave rents for the Northumberland Line (Chronicle report).  

Bedlington Station on the proposed Northumberland Line has seen freight since closure by Beeching
(P3 / J27 65834 on coal hoppers photographed by Ben Brooksbank in 1965)

Wayleaves were the norm in the Great North Coalfield right up until the demise of collieries.   For example, our Tanfield route always operated under wayleaves - it was never owned by railway companies or BR.

A Few Jobs

Ian investigating a contactor issue on AW No.2

Windows

Terry undercoating cills

Concrete Progress

Ian weighing No.6's safety valve casting

A Quiet Day

Dennis trying his new tungsten-tipped rotary rubber disc
to remove rust from HC 38's bunker

NPE Day #6

Steve delivering coal .....

NPE Day #5

The photos below are courtesy of Angela Pickering:

Alfie spreading salt to melt ice at the North Pole

Redheugh Incline

From the booklet The Changing Face of Gateshead, Gateshead Libraries & Arts, Portcullis Press 1992:

The Redheugh Incline connected two arms of the Brandling Junction Railway c1840: the
Tanfield Branch & Gateshead to South Shields / Monkwearmouth (Sunderland North Dock)

Several Jobs

Malcolm, Dennis & Colin shovelling material for filling holes

A Door & More

A demonstration section of render on MH shed

Work Continues

Dave & Steve measuring & cutting old tent material .....

A Couple of Today's Jobs

Ian working on a shed door

Horden's NPE Day #4

Mick & Jim working on HC 38

Tanfield Tree

Angela installed a Christmas tree on behalf of Tanfield Railway in St Margaret's Church at Tanfield Village this afternoon:

Merry Christmas from Tanfield Railway
(photo courtesy of Angela Pickering)

Tomorrow's Trains

The photos below are of last Sunday's North Pole Express.   Horden will again haul fully-booked trains this weekend.

Richard driving Horden south over Causey car park road bridge
(photo courtesy of Dave Hewitt)

Derwentcote Steelworks

Derwentcote Steel Furnace is a neighbour, interrelated industry & contemporary of the Tanfield Waggonway.

Derwentcote Steel Furnace

English Heritage, custodian of Derwentcote, have published a half hour podcast describing the history, processes, products & importance of the works.

A Cooler Day, Spent Inside

Colin assembling an elliptical top trim for a door
(photo courtesy of Geoff Lowe)

Dave's Views

Dennis fitting a window cill
(photo courtesy of Dave Dixon)