I had never been before and I did not know what to expect, but seeing as the visit was included as an excursion in a holiday package, I had nothing to lose.
My main interest, as might be expected, were the transport exhibits but it must be said that there is much more of interest that is worth looking at and, experiencing.
I found myself using the public transport exhibits to access what else is available.
After arriving and entering the complex, there are trams running both clockwise and anti clockwise together with buses running anti clockwise.
One of the buses is fitted with a tail lift for wheelchair based passengers.
They carry you to the various locations where activities; such as the village, the farm, the mine, the railway station the tram and bus depots plus others are located.
I did several circuits of the site on the trams and buses before deciding where I wanted to go.
I found it best to be selective because there is so much to see and do.
It would be difficult to get everything done in any depth on one day.
The Museum has a wide range of trams and buses available to them so on any given day the lineup may vary from the day I visited.
I was talking to a friend recently who follows the blog and he did not realise that by double clicking on the image here it comes up on my flickr page in a larger form.
31 ‘Blackpool Transport’.
Midland Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd. /1
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Built in 1901 and rebuilt in 1934 incorporating English Electric bogies.
As with all these exhibits, further and fuller details can be found by Googling ‘BEAMISH TRANSPORT ONLINE’.
31 ‘Blackpool Transport’.
Midland Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd. /3
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
114 ’Newcastle Corporation Tramways’.
Hurst Nelson & Co. Ltd. Motherwell
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Eventually rebuilt with a roof and eventually sold to ‘Sheffield Corporation Tramways’ to replace war damaged stock.
Surviving until 1951 in my home city.
264 ‘Sheffield Transport Department’.
United Electric Car Company’, Preston
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
The initials on the front of the balcony read STD whereas the lettering on the side panel would seem to read ‘Sheffield Corporation Tramways’.
The gentleman who is walking alongside the tram was telling me that he was at that moment fitting a new motor to the tram which, after months of inactivity, would restore it to the service fleet.
196 ‘South Shields’.
Companhia Carris de Ferro do Porto, Boavista, Portugal
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Built in 1935 for the ‘Oporto Tramways Company’, Portugal.
It was withdrawn from Portuguese service coming to Beamish in 1989.
16 ‘Sunderland Corporation Tramways’.
Dick Kerr & Co. Preston
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
New in 1900 as an open topper but given a roof following the end of World War 1.
Like many other restoration projects, it was rescued for preservation after ‘agricultural’ use, entering service at Beamish in 2003.
