Restoration Workshops' Home Page.

In the Restoration Volunteers' Workshop.

We are presently involved in restoring the past for the future in our workshops and invite you to visit the Friends' volunteers working behind the scenes here at at Beamish. This section of the Website shows you restoration projects, both past and present, that The Friends have carried out for the Museum.

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Winter 2011/Spring 2012

Hodbarrow side tipper: Work continues on the chassis. All of the original fixing bolts and tie bars had to be remade and this has been laboriously executed to exactly match the original fittings. The metal work which was salvageable has been shot blasted and is now painted. The Museum's Transport Curator has been closely involved as the chassis has been subjected to many alterations and patching to keep the waggon in service during its working life. It will be necessary to repair and remake most of the coupling equipment and to repair the latches which prevent the body tipping of its own accord. As the wheels are now repaired they will require painting before they can be reunited with the chassis. When completed the waggon will provide an extra attraction at the colliery acting as a useful receptacle for the ashes created by the fires of Pithill. The ashes can then be tipped along the tracks recreating the ash ballast much loved by collieries and indeed by the North Eastern Railway.

Adams Patent Elevator: The large pile of rotten metal, rust and broken castings which has occupied a corner of our workshop for over a year now has gone! Don't worry, before you all get worried we haven't thrown it all away. The pile of bits still exists but it now consists of repaired castings, the rust has been removed and much new metal work is on display. All of the bearing surfaces have had to be reclaimed or remade and the wear caused by the original seizure has been made good. The team will shortly drill the ramps and start attaching the myriad of fittings. This item will hopefully grace the Town garage in the near future.

Cobble Rammer: We are often asked to produced strange items in the Friends' workshop, but this is certainly one of the most unusual. The device, as its name suggests, is used to assist the laying of cobbles and will be used by the volunteers whose work graces the entrance to Rowley station from the level crossing. It consists of a large piece of elm bound by metal bands and fitted with a very stout handle. An air hammer has also been cleaned and painted for display at the colliery.

Coal Box: I mentioned last time that work was about to commence on a coal container for the gallopers. This has been completed and is having its final lettering added. It has been finished in the livery of the Tyne Tees Shipping Co to match the previous container, which is used as a spares and oil store.

Rowley Station: The last of the repaired benches is ready to be returned which will allow us to repaint the other serpent seat. The doors which allow access to the "business end "of the earth closets have also been refitted.

Duke of Sutherland's Carriage: Work has started on the remaking of the lower footboards.

Fairground Attractions: Recent arrivals outside the workshop doors are several items of Fairground equipment which require repair. When complete they will make up a mobile catering stall and a Hall of Mirrors. Due to the scale of these projects they will take some time to complete and we are also manufacturing fencing to act as period barriers at the Fairground.

Trilox "Invalid Carriage": Manufactured by Trilox of Trowbridge the Deluxe No 1 dates from circa World War 2 and is powered by the occupant's arms and steered by their back. It has a coaster hub in the left hand wheel combining a free-wheel and a brake. When descending hills the left hand crank does not revolve and the brake can be applied by a gentle backward movement with the handle. An additional brake is fitted. Research is on-going at the moment to enable restoration.

Street Watering Cart: The cart manufactured by H. Bushell & Sons, York has now been completely dismantled and the tank will be repaired by an external contractor as it is in a poor condition. The rest of the vehicle will be overhauled in house, which will include the repair of the cast foot board. If you know anything about this maker please let us know.

Signs: The sign writing of the warning signs is on going and has recommenced now that the Christmas Events are over.

Workshop Restructuring: The Museum are in the process of rearranging the workshop facilities at Foulbridge and this will of course include the Friends' facilities. The aim is to improve the utilisation of workshop space and increase the throughput of work to cope with the increased work load caused by greater visitor numbers and more restoration projects.

Events: The Friends have been active at the Halloween and Christmas events and we also had our own very enjoyable Chair's Christmas Treat. We enjoyed seasonal refreshments following entertainment provided by a wind quintet of the Cobweb Orchestra .

Future Projects: Lined up for the future are an Iron Horse, a rack saw, a wooden harrow and the repair of a straw chopper along with the rebuild of a Telephone and an RAC box.

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Autumn 2011

SOS Bus - Almost There! The overhauled magneto returned in time for the Power from the Past event but didn’t give us a chance to fine tune settings. However, despite a reluctance to start easily on the handle, once going it ran very well and allowed us to make several trips around the
site over the event weekend. Everyone commented on how stunning it looked and this was justly deserved praise for the amount of effort the Friends’ team has put into this mammoth project. It only remains to get the timing spot on, double check the chassis and put the final finishing touches to the interior paintwork by adding the numerous warning notices.

Rowley Station - The repaired and repainted serpent seat looks fantastic and it complements the other refurbished bench on the platform. We have one more station bench in the workshop at the moment and hope to complete this shortly.

Coal Box - The work of building a coal storage box for the Gallopers is about to commence following the arrival of materials.

Horse Drawn Sweeper - The brush for the sweep arrived the day before Power from the Past (spot the none deliberate theme appearing) but the workshop team once more rose to the challenge and had it fitted by mid-morning on day one of the event. The staff from the Town stables, who were as keen as us to see it operate, came as soon as horse power was available
and it made a successful first sweep (excuse the pun) of the Museum with Lion happily
harnessed between the shafts. The trail of dust following in its wake demonstrated how well it was working.

 

Child’s Pram - The pram has been completed and has had its first outing with the Youth Group and proved very popular. We also exhibited it with the Friends’ display throughout the PftP event where
once again it became a talking point with the visitors.

 

Adams Elevator - Painting and reassembly is under way.

Scuffler - The Scuffler made by Teasdale Bros Ltd of Darlington is complete and was on display at the Beamish Agricultural Show before being put to work keeping the weeds at bay.

Tipper Waggon - The oak frame is complete with much of its new metal work fitted and the Museum have commenced the work of repairing the wheels and tipping body.

Bench Seats - These general use benches are now finished and await distribution to their final locations around site.

Happy Days Charabanc - Work continues, albeit slowly and subject to other commitments but steady progress is taking place.

Slate Sorting - A small, but hardy, team have spent several days sorting and stacking slates which will be used on the roof of the rebuilt Eston church. The Museum staff have expressed their gratitude for this vital work which will enable the use of these reclaimed slates and thereby
reduce the cost of the reconstruction.

Events - The Reliability Run was a success with the Museum entrants winning a trophy. Power from the Past was at the beginning of September and the Friends had a large input helping the Museum put on a spectacular show (not our words but those of visitors). We were also able to make and fit two Circular Tour boards which were used to adorn Blackpool 31 during the PftP tram procession and provided period costumed volunteers to help at the evening photo shoot. The Agricultural Event was next and as usual we operated the threshing demonstration and had volunteer cyclists adding to the atmosphere around the Show field. This year we were also able to help with the Industry classes.
Next was Halloween and we are looking forward to the Christmas events. Without the work of many volunteers, the Friends’ would not be able to contribute to these events and they deserve our thanks.

Future Projects - The water cart which matches the road sweeper is waiting to come into the
workshop and we have been asked to repair the footboard brackets for the Duke of Sutherland’s railway carriage and to assist in the restoration of the N.E.R. birdcage brake van.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summer 2011

SOS Bus - As mentioned previously work continues on the reproduction of the numerous transfers which were fitted to the bus body. The bus exterior is now fully lined out and proudly carries its Northern trademarks. Unfortunately, the bus was unable to make an appearance at The Great North Steam Fair due to a problem with its magneto - no sparks! The original specification magneto has now been dispatched for a rebuild. Work still continues on the final finishing. We are hoping to produce the internal transfers ourselves and wish to thank the Museum for assistance in this task.

Ruston Hornsby Barn Engine - The engine ran successfully during the GNSF and we hope to demonstrate it again at both Power From The Past and the Agricultural Event.

Rowley Station - The damaged running in board and warning sign in the goods yard were repaired and re-erected ready for the start of the Season. The work of repairing and repainting the station platform furniture continues. We are removing and repairing one seat at a time having repaired a spare so seating capacity remains constant for visitors. The N.E.R serpent seats are very difficult to repaint, but the finished product is well worth the effort made by the dedicated volunteers in the workshop. We have been asked to repair the night soil doors at the rear of the station as they are suffering from the effects of age and weather.

Coal Box - To compliment the container box Paul Jarman has asked us to produce a smaller container to act as a coal bunker for the Gallopers. This is being made from a drawing supplied by Paul. The other container is now full of the equipment used to maintain the ride.

Horse Drawn Sweeper - The sweeper is now resplendent in Blue and Red. We are awaiting delivery of the brush and the chain drive has been repaired. Each individual chain link has been built up with weld and then dressed back to shape.

Child’s Pram - Ray Mankin has made a new set of wheels and a complete under frame for this small but interesting item. The pram had lost its “works” before getting to Beamish so after discussion with the curatorial team it was decided to repair the pram as though it was a hand-me-down rescued by a pitman for his daughter. It looks splendid being exercised by a member of the Beamish Youth Group.

Adams Elevator - Work has commenced on painting and re-assembly.

Scuffler - The Scuffler made by Teasdale Bros Ltd of Darlington (named by the makers as a Steel Scruffler) is almost complete with final adjustments being made and the green paint work (matched to the remains found on dismantling) looks very smart.

Solid Tyred Safety Bicycle - Now complete and back in action.

Tipper Waggon - The oak frame is almost finished and the tedious and difficult work of making the new fixing bolts is well advanced.

Cannon Base - Re-construction is now advanced with the oak cut ready for the new metalwork. The original fittings have wasted from being in contact with wood and water for many years.

Chippers - These have been refurbished and are now fitted in the Chip Shop and we have cleaned and repaired two toilet cisterns for use in the building.

Bench Seats - In addition to the benches for Rowley Station the workshop has remade five bench seats for general use around the site.

Happy Days Charabanc - The repainting is proceeding steadily.

Road Signs - We have produced six trestles to act as road works markers and have another six to produce. We are also making five “road closed” signs to go with the trestles. These items will have a practical use as barriers whilst maintaining the correct visual appearance of the period areas.

Events - The Great North Steam Fair was very successful thanks to the large number of people who gave freely of their time and the many exhibitors that joined us for four very sunny days. An evening photo shoot was a new departure for Beamish. This took place on the Saturday evening and proved very popular. We hope to be able to support the forthcoming events in a similar manner. Having assisted with the Reliability Run, we are committed to the Power from the Past Event, the Agricultural Event and as usual will join in the fun at Halloween and Christmas.

Future Projects - The water cart which matches the road sweeper is waiting to come into the workshop as soon as space becomes available. We are also about to make a false floor to protect the load space on the Morris Commercial truck recently donated to the Museum.

New Volunteering Opportunities - Two new volunteer groups have now been established. These are based on Rowley Station and the allotments and Engine Wright’s shed at the rear of Francis Street. The groups will adopt these areas and bring an extra sparkle to the already highly evocative surroundings. It is hoped this will widen the volunteering opportunities on offer and involve more new faces.

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Spring 2011

SOS Bus - A full set of working lights now flank the elegant radiator. We are presently looking at ways to reproduce the numerous transfers which were fitted to the bus body. Along with the Northern logos there are various notices and numbers to be applied.

Ruston Hornsby Barn Engine - The engine has had a successful test run and will hopefully take part in this year's coming events, it has already entertained the visitors to the Great North Steam Fair.

Trollies - Two railway trollies have been rebuilt for use at the Beamish Engine Works. These will be used for moving things around on rails easing the transport of heavy items.

Rowley Station - Unfortunately, the high winds of February damaged the Station name board and one of the warning signs in the goods yard. These items are being repaired and repainted and we have been asked to give the station platform furniture a general clean and spruce up ready for the main season starting.

Container Box - The container box doors had swollen due to the wet weather so we have adjusted them to allow the container to continue its work as a mobile coal bunker for the Gallopers.

Horse Drawn Sweeper - Work continues steadily and the sweeper is now back on its own wheels. The lifting shaft and brush shaft have now been repaired and the ratchet drive in the wheels (which allows the sweeper to turn corners) now revolves with a satisfying clunk. The new shafts are made which will allow the mechanism to be fitted in its final position. We are at present awaiting delivery of a suitable brush and the chain drive requires some attention.

Adams Elevator - The Adams car elevator has seen a lot of work preparing the many broken castings for welding. Each one has required a jig to be made to ensure that everything ends up in the right place. The ball races which allow the castor feet to swivel freely have been remade as the originals had corroded so badly they had eaten into the parent metal. The castor locking mechanism has also been repaired.

Scuffler - We have commenced the rebuilding of a horse drawn scuffler. This was made by Teasdale Bros Ltd of Darlington (named by the makers as a Steel Scruffler) and will be used on site when completed. Once again the team have to repair broken castings along with straightening the frames, rebushing the wheels and making a new set of handles.

Solid Tyred Safety Bicycle - This bicycle, which serves as a reminder of Tommy Thompson a much missed volunteer, has been undergoing a thorough overhaul including the re-nickeling of all its bright work in the correct dull nickel finish. The frame and forks have had a full repaint in the manner of the period of manufacture 1885-1887 and it should be back being demonstrated shortly.

Tipper Waggon - Much energy has been expended on the dismantling of the metal work for the wagon as decades of corrosion are overcome. Virtually all of the fixings will require new nuts and bolts to be made. We will soon have the oak timber required for the remaking of the chassis and work will commence on re-assembly.

Cannon Base - Oak will also be needed for the base of an "ornamental" cannon being readied for display at Pockerley. Careful dismantling has given us details of the original construction and we will follow this in the rebuild.

Events - The Friends have been asked to help with this year's special events on site and we are more than happy to be able to add to the wonderful displays planned for this coming year.

Chippers - Our latest job is underway now and involves the cleaning and refurbishing of some hand chip making machines for use in the Chip Shop.

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Winter 2010

SOS Bus - Painting continues on the body and the chassis will also receive a check over to repair any damage sustained during the fitting of the body. The body is now having the beading fitted
that covers the edges of the wooden panelling. This had been removed to allow it and the body panels to be painted. The destination boards are being signwritten and we will have boards to
cover all of the routes originally served by UP 551. The refurbished horn has also been finally fitted making the entry and exit from the cab an even more intricate operation!

Horse Drawn Road Sweeper - Work continues on the main frame and works. The worm and wheel arrangement which allows the brush to be raised and lowered has now been repaired and functions very smoothly. Soon we will order wood to make a new pair of shafts which will be fitted to the restored chassis frame.

Ruston Hornsby “Barn Engine” - The Friends have for many years operated several stationary engines for the entertainment and education of the museum’s visitors. Unfortunately, one of
these has been sidelined for some time as it was thought to have sprung a leak in its water jacket. One of our latest recruits took on the task of dismantling the engine so that we could inspect the damage. The problem turned out to be no more than a corroded oil pipe which runs from the glass oil reservoir through the water space and into the cylinder bore lubricating the piston and rings. This has now been replaced and the engine has received attention to its valvegear as well. Once it is up and running again we hope to demonstrate it driving a suitable piece of agricultural machinery.

Adams Patent Elevator - We have taken delivery of the new ramps and jigs have been made to hold the broken castings in the correct position for welding. New bearing tracks are being made to allow the castor feet to swivel in the correct manner.

Bicycles - The bicycles for use as staff transport are gradually being serviced and prepared for use. This has involved checking brakes, bearings, new saddles, tyres and tubes where necessary and fitting items such as skirt guards to keep
Edwardian dresses out of the spokes.

Wood work - The woodwork team is busy with many jobs at the moment. A cycle rack has been made to hold the staff transport bicycles to be held at the Regional Resource Centre. There are
several maintenance jobs on farm carts and two railway maintenance trolleys are being repaired. We have a selection of bench ends to clean and paint and these will require new bases and backs to be fitted. On top of these previously mentioned jobs the rebuilding of the side tipper waggon
chassis will commence as soon as the oak timber has arrived.

Events - The Friends have taken part in the Halloween Events at the end of October and in the Christmas Evening openings which took place during a very cold December.

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Autumn 2010

SOS bus - The SOS has a horn fitted now and the window seals are almost complete. The lights are being assembled ready for fitting. The seat cushions are also almost all complete and work has commenced on the preparation work prior to the final paint finish being applied. This will be a slow and tedious process, but the end result will be worth it. Minor adjustments are being made to the fuel system and we are also checking the engine timing following a change of magneto.

Container Box - The shot blasting of the metal strapping and lifting attachments is now complete and these are now being painted ready for fitting. The roof covering will then be finished and the box will be ready to to take on its new role acting as a coal bunker and store for the newly refurbished gallopers.

Horse Drawn Roadsweeper - The Horse Drawn Roadsweeper is now being rebuilt. A new main shaft has been acquired and the various gears and bearings have been carefully reamed, by hand, to ensure a perfect fit.

Adams Patent Elevator - The Adams Patent Elevator is awaiting welding on
some broken castings and we are investigating suppliers to replace the main ramps which are very badly corroded. Samples of the original ramps will be retained for future reference.

Solid Tyred Safety - The solid tyred safety bicycle has been reassembled to make sure everything fits before we have the bright parts re-nickled and complete the painting and lining. Everything does fit, so we will be able to have the plating done as soon as we have polished it. There are several items
from the newly acquired cycles which also require plating at the same time.
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Street Furniture - The workshop team are continuing to clean and repaint the road signs and seats at the front of the Friends' workshop. We are also rebuilding a bench which has been out of use for some time due to the wooden seat rails giving way.

Wheel barrows - The joinery shop team have made two wheelbarrows for the Beamish Engine Works and they have also repaired one of the barrows which was made several years ago for use at Pockerley.

Future Work - We are working in partnership with the full time staff on the rebuilding of a railway tipper waggon. This waggon, thought to date from the 1880s, was one of a fleet of 100 identical waggons used to take ore from
the mines at Hodbarrow in Cumbria to the shipping point at Crab Marsh Quay on the River Duddon. The jetty here closed c1940 leaving the fleet redundant, however, at least 20 waggons survived and were employed to carry scrap wood, ballast and stone for concrete making. Only six remained in use by the 1960s including number 96, our example. The waggon will require extensive work partly carried out at Beamish and partly by external contractors and will hopefully feature at next year’s Power from the Past Event.

Events - The Friends put on a display of bicycles, motorcycles and cars for the
Beamish Great North Steam Fair and we also helped with the Agricultural Event in September. Once again the Case tractor earned its keep providing power for the threshing demonstration and driving the Corn Mill. Both the Case and the “Little Grey Fergie” were kept very busy over the four days and helped to show the visitors how a crop was processed in the days before combine harvesters.

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Summer 2010

SOS Bus - The SOS bus now has all its seat frames installed and the protective wooden floor treads have been fitted. The window seals are in the process of being fitted and we have recently taken delivery of a full set of lamps (head and side lights) to complete the lighting at the front of the bus.

The lamps are being painted and readied for fitting of reflectors and bulb holders. The work of completing the cab grab handles and the mirror supports is also nearly complete. Shortly, we will start the final paint work and the sourcing of the correct transfer lettering. Once again the Friends’ membership came to the rescue following our appeal for a suitable bulb horn and this
will also be fitted in the near future.

Container Boxes - The first Container Box is nearing completion and we understand that this first box will be used to hide the electric generator used to power the lights in the fairground which is being laid out next to Rowley Station. We can then use the completed box as a pattern to make some more to be used as a period load for transportation around the museum site.

Horse Drawn Sweeper - The difficult job of dismantling the Horse Drawn Road sweeper is now complete and the work has begun replacing and repairing the many components which make up the mechanics of this fascinating machine.
During its previous working life it had been converted to be drawn by a tractor and the workshop team will also have to construct a set of shafts to allow the original power source to be used.

Adams Patent Elevator - The Adams Patent Elevator is proceeding slowly with the painstaking work required to repair/replace the numerous castings which are in very poor condition.

Solid Tyred Safety Cycle - The solid tyred safety bicycle is also progressing well. We hope to carry out a trial assembly soon which will allow us to make sure everything fits before we have the bright parts re-nickled and complete the painting and lining.

Working Cycle collection - The museum staff are keen to use the cleanest, greenest mode of transport in their everyday travels around the Beamish site. This happens to be the bicycle and we are assisting the curatorial team in the aim of having several period bicycles for use on site. We hope to commission/help to source several “mounts” for this purpose and hopefully we can help to maintain this transport asset in the future....

Workshop - If you have visited the Friends’ Workshop recently you will have noticed the newly painted road signs which once again grace the walls at the entrance and we are repainting the road sign next to the AA box as well. Please remember to call and see us if you are visiting Beamish on a Saturday.

Photograph: A job to be done. Using a stencil to paint the name and logo on a set pot.
With alternative description for non graphics or blind users.

Select a Project.

• Horse Drawn Ambulance.
• 1900 Humber Quadricycle.
• Motorcycles at Beamish.
• The J21 Locomotive.
• 1928 SOS 'QL' Type Bus.
• Hand Milk Churn.
• The Newcastle Cart.
• Horse Drawn Charabanc Happy Days.
• Sunderland Tram Number 16.
• The SHEW Car.

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Why are Online Project Reports So Valuable?

All reports used here may have been printed in previous versions of the Friends' Newsletter. Taking advantage of the Internet it is hoped to add value to these by enabling us to:

• Compile a simple chronologically record of work online for each project.
• Add historical notes and Internet links.
• Create feedback of valuable information and comments about specific projects from visitors to the website.

This is a wonderful way of showing the full extent of the restoration work carried out by the Friends at the Museum. This should be of interest to many of our visitors whether members of not.

The Friends have many restoration projects in hand and are always looking for volunteers who come from all walks of life and experience. Traditional techniques are encouraged in all the work and volunteers benefit by getting away from the stress of modern day life and enjoying the spirit and fellowship of the skilled craftsmen of the past.

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