The Friends of Beamish Museum.Cycles Made for Two.
1882 Bayliss Thomas Excelsior Tandem Tricycle.
Photograph: Two Friends' volunteers riding the 1882 Bayliss Thomas Excelsior Tandem Tricycle.
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When restoration began on this tricycle it was thought that it was a solo with the small steering wheel at the front with the rider sitting between the two large wheels.
Research proved it should face the other way and a saddle; a set of gears, and a pedal shaft were missing. These were made using the exsisting parts as patterns.
No other example of this model has been found and is probably unique now. It can be dated accurately as it was made for only one year.
Price new was twenty six pounds and although being advertised as being of light weight it weighs 122 pounds. Steering is by rack and pinion operated by turning one of the riders handles. The brand name Excelsior became another famous British motorcycle.
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Photograph: Two Friends' volunteers riding the 1882 Bayliss Thomas Excelsior Tandem Tricycle.
Two men in period costume riding a three wheeled cycle along a country road.
The tandem tricycle is facing to the right in the picture. It has two very large wheels at the front and a much smaller wheel at the rear. The large wheels have white narrow rims and lots of thin spokes and they are set on a thin axle supported by a simple frame of small guage tubing. These two wheels are set apart at a distance that just enables the body of a rider to sit between them. The single front wheel is a much smaller version of the larger ones and it is supported by a simple pivotting mechanism to enable the cycle to be steered: details of this is not clear.
In the centre of the picture a tall man sits on the vehicle facing to the right between the two front wheels. He wears a light grey deerstalker hat and sports a small black short moustache. He has a light grey sports coat over a white shirt and a dark tie and his hands are resting on a support low down at the side of the saddle. His brownish green trousers reach only to the knees and below he wears long green stockings and black shoes. His feet are resting on two cycle pedals but the driving mechanism is not clear from the picture.
Behind the first, sits a smaller man wearing a cloth cap and green sports coat and trousers. This man is partly hidden by the man in front and also by the wheels and framework of the tandem tricycle.
The vehicle stands on a light brown road surface and just below half height a horizontal parallel simple wooden fence can be seen. Beyond stands a green pasture with a small building or house in the distance at the far left edge.
Background top half of picture: a thin horizontal line of trees at mid level above which a pale blue cloudless sky. TEXT.