Transport & Engineering Diary 2026 January Part 2

Weardale 909 and Scout 18 are seen quietly burbling away to themselves after start-up on a snowy morning back in November. If only you could attach sound to pictures here! These Leyland’s have plenty of fans within the department, and their sure-starting whenever it gets cold is another reason to love them. Weardale 909 stands by the jet-wash, which is incredibly useful for cleaning the grime (and salt) which accumulates at this time of year. We also try to mop interior floors, although after a few laps you might not be able to tell!

The B Bus warming through outside the depot. A chilly day lies ahead for the crew, despite the protection afforded by the windscreen. This year we have been very fortunate to train a number of new bus drivers, and have welcomed a couple of new bus-driving volunteers as well. This gives us more flexibility on days like these to rotate crews and offer extended breaks for welfare reasons. We have also upgraded our tea-boiler, and have a ready stock of Bovril!

Sheffield 264 considers poking its nose outside the depot doors on a frosty morning. The trams come with a different set of challenges when things turn fresh. We don’t have to worry about cold-starting, but we do have to consider the infrastructure. There are usually points to unfreeze, railheads to clear (especially in the depot yard) and ice to remove from the overheads. We always run a tram around the route without passengers in order to ensure everything is clear for operation before we even consider entering service.

Oporto196 is a popular choice for route proving. Loaded with extra sand and a few willing souls with shovels and bars, it is waiting here to make its way carefully around the circuit before opening-time. Sometimes multiple runs are required. Pockerley Bank is usually traversed twice, to ensure that both of the overhead wires are clear of ice and that railhead conditions allow for safe operation in each direction.

A real team effort. Last Sunday a gang onboard the B bus accompanied Sunderland 16 around the circuit, shovelling, sweeping and clearing as they went. This is a great example of tram and bus working in perfect harmony. The gulf between tram and bus people isn’t as wide as the mess room banter would have you believe!

Due to the conditions, staff are sometimes asked to park in the main visitor car park. This can mean a long walk after work, but over the last few snow days we have run a special end-of-day works bus to take staff back to the main entrance. Here Scout 18 stands on the Town Street on an evening which was decidedly warmer than the morning.   

At a recent sale of narrow gauge equipment located at the Tanfield Railway, I saw this point lever, and for a small sum, was able to purchase it for future use at Beamish.  It is of the type with an articulated lever, which makes the movement of the weight very positive and also highly unlikely to move when trains are passing over the associated pointwork.  It was collected using the Leyland Cub tipper and moved to the machine shop where Sam carried out its overhaul.

The actuating rod from the lever was bent, so the press was employed to straighten it after the lever was dismantled.

All of the holes were made circular again, and new pins made to suit.

The clevis was treated to heat to straighten it and the holes welded up to allow re-drilling centrally (and as circles again).

The overhauled lever unit after painting and assembly.  It will be stored pending purchase of further narrow gauge turnouts (I’d love to hear from anyone with spare ex Eastriggs 35M left or right turnouts that they may have spare…).

Mention was made of the proposal to fit Oporto headlights to 730 – John Marshall has very kindly manufactured some pattresses for these to be mounted on.

The ex Oporto headlamp surrounds are shown in undercoat, pending fitting to 730.

A few more photos showing progress later in the month, with undercoat flatted back, lamps surrounds fitted and ready for installation of the lamps themselves.  No painting can really take place due to the cold temperatures we are experiencing at present.  The Oporto headlamp is, to me at least, a great improvement over the commercial vehicle type (authentically) previously fitted and is a small action in helping to blend the tram into the Edwardian surroundings at the museum.

By the end of the month, some newly-received paint, matched to that on Newcastle 114, was tested on 730…  Note that the lamp and reflector has now been installed within the headlamp unit.  A more aesthetically pleasing bulb will replace this one.

Also in the paintshop are various bits of Gateshead 10, including the destination boxes.

The crankshaft for Samson has been having the flywheel end modified in order for it to take a locking nut to secure it to the crankshaft.  Here is the thread for the nut being cut.

A start on the nut – this will be made hexagonal, then split to create the pair of nuts that will act to lock the flywheel in place.

Milling the flats to create the hexagonal shape of the nuts.

With the piece split, the two components can be seen on the end of the crankshaft – the inner piece having a full-circle profile to act against the flywheel casting.

Meanwhile, in Wales, the firebox door surround has been refitted and grate installed. The firebars sit on a taper at the back, and each was checked to ensure free and easy movement and no binding, grinding the ends where necessary. Hopefully this will limit the tendency for the bars to arch. The backhead, firehole door, surround and angle ring to the boiler barrel have all been treated to a coat of high temptation black paint. The gauge glasses were also refitted after this photograph was taken.

This view shows the new position of the injector, with modified pipework. The hideous plastic-coated red valve handle will be hidden and have an extension which will come through the cover plate, with a nice bronze handle on it! Injector overflow pipe and blowdown valve extension handle still to make.

One of the volunteers has given all the cladding sheets a further clean up then prepped and painted the inside surfaces ready for refitting. They’ve also taken the oil drip trays and a small section of cladding (which needs totally repainting) away to build up coats on them. Once the cladding is refitted, they will touch up the otherwise good paintwork.

The front firebar and firebrick carrier. The groove that the front of the fire bars sit (left in this view) and hook into always filled with ash, meaning the bars couldn’t move when they expanded. This is one of the reasons the bars arched upwards over time. Some slots have been cut in the carrier in an attempt to allow the fine ash to drop through.