LSGs Going Local
A Day at the Tanfield Steam Railway
The Run it Finale
This will be very picture heavy, I will do an intro before blabbing on a bit.. I can't say all the captions beneath will be right and I have no problem being corrected either. So if owts wrong, gan easy on me.
Its certainly not something I usually do, in fact, despite Tanfield Railway only being being only 15mins from my house, in the car. I'd never ever been before, we've been past it many a time but never felt the urge to go. Steam really isn't my thing really, I don't think I'd be too ashamed to admit Im quite ignorant on types of steam locos. Ducks, Austerity, J's, Q's, it really means very little to me. I duly apologise to those romantanticists of steam too. Ok I'm a little more knowledgable about the wheel thing, 2-6-0 etc and have seen Pacifics, Black 5s, Castles, Manors and Streamliners among other ones, however if you were to paint them all the same colour and take their nameplates off, being truly honest, I would be snookered, telling a Black 5 from a Peppercorn or a Pacific. I'm sorry if you think thats sad but I'm a Diesel era guy. Still I do understand, the romance of steam though. The noise, the smell, the billowing smoke and bacon n egg cooked on a shovel n all that.
When we arrived, we were quite surprised, there was a bit of a bus thing going on, as well as them big and small, steam traction engines there. Im not a bus fan at all but seeing these two was a real hark back to both our youths.
The other half loves a 37, a Deltic and a 56 as good as the most ardent of Diesel fans but she loves steam too and has wanted to do a steam gala. We looked at the NYMR Steam Gala but at a 108 quid between us, I thought I'm not that keen at the minute, the other half, swore
before saying, nah thats a bit beyond our means, Im paraphrasing rhere too.
Then i read a piece online about the Tanfield having a final hurrah before the Santa Specials start Now as much as we can't wait to send our lists off to the rotund bringer of gifts, we thought Santa might be a bit busier with the kids, to sit us on his lap and ask which new fragrance by Old Spice or Tweed he should leave under our Christmas Tree this year. Plus for only 20 quid a pop, I thought well lets start there and see if we like it or not.
The big story of the gala was the reincarnation of a steam loco that had been a bit more than a passing local hero. Today long term scrapped.(Now bear with me here) Austerity J94, No. 68067 was to be renumbered to what was that local star, 68029. It seemed a big thing, to the Tanfield Railway and if I heard right, 68029 was based at the Bowes Railway back in the day, which is about 20mins East of where we were stood today. I heard it was steaming up near the shed, so i took a short walk down the hill to go get a pic.
68029 Tanfield's Star of the Show
After which, I walked back up the hill to meet the other half, where we walked down onto Andrew's House Station and went for a coffee n a sarnie to be met by No.3 Twizell
on a freight. After a well needed coffee and a sarnie, we crossed over the bridge and awaited the first passenger of the day..
7409 Sir Cecil A Cochrane took us down to East Tanfield and rear gunner 68029 ran us all the way back up the line to Sunniside
and Sir Cecil took us back to Andrew's House. On the train, we got talking to a lovely gent from Cardiff named Donald, he was a massive help trying to educate me on these Steam locos and where to find them in my ICRS book. A man who, since his retirement, travels round the country in his camper van to various preserved railways, photographing various steam locos. He predominantly photographs in black n white and some of the pics he showed me, almost looked like, you'd been transported back into the hey day of the steam era.
At Andrew's House we bailed off and left Donald to do his thing, while we went up to go for a classic bus ride. Not before talking to some of the bus lads and the guys driving the steam traction engines.
Anyone get A Fish called Wanda vibes?
The bus ride to East Tanfield was in with the day ticket and we got a guy giving us a brief talk of the buses history and the preservation group it was associated with. As buses go, its alongside any of the ones you can travel on at Beamish, if any of have been there. It wasnt an unpleasant journey just a classic old bus ride.
A Bury Dart Indian Bus, I'm led to believe
I had a look round East Tanfield Station, whilst madamoiselle stayed on the bus, I had a quick butchers in the gift shop, seeing what they could fleece me for, before I walked onto the platform to get a shot of No.32 Stanley.
I got back on the bus and we tootled back to whence we came, I said I was gonna have a look round the Depot Yard and the Carriage shed, when we got back. I had good ole traipse round, too I did ask if the other half fancied it too, she said, no I will just take a seat, Im not too comfortable walking on the ballast or tracks either. You just go n have a good mooch around.
I will complete the rest later today and put the thumbnails up of the stuff in and around the shed and yard.
Thanks for your time.......
my flabber had never been so gasted. He also said, the locos are expensive, however if you had the time and patience, you can buy kits for around 3 grand !! Oh what a bargain that is