Beamish prepare to install new depot wiring

The long-awaited completion of Road 4 in the tram & bus depot at Beamish Museum has moved a step closer to completion this week, following the erection of new brackets and hangers to the overhead poles on the track fan leading up to the most recently installed track. Since being laid, Road 4 has not been served by overhead wires but this latest work indicates that soon, this will be resolved.

The lack of wiring over depot track 4 has made this part of the depot rather difficult to access, and therefore the trams placed there have generally been considered as ‘out of service’ as they were much harder to move outside. Obviously during winter this is not much of an issue – the track has been recently occupied by Sheffield 264 & Sunderland 16, neither of which are roadworthy at present, as well as open-topper Blackpool 31 which was unlikely to run over winter anyway. However, in the summer this would be a problem, especially in light of the several visiting trams expected for the ‘Our Friends Electric’ tram event in early April.

The hangers installed thus far are to the familiar Beamish practice, set up for positive and return wires, to make shunting of the resident Newcastle trolleybus easier. The museum hopes to develop further with plans for operating trolleybuses in the not too distant future, and so this work is clearly being done with one eye on the current requirements, and the other on what is likely to happen in the years ahead.

Unfortunately, a search for sources of additional wire has so far proved fruitless, but it is thought that enough wire exists in stock to complete this project. It is also intended to erect additional wire over ‘Road 5’, where no track yet exists, but this also reflects the plans for trolleybuses and a long-held desire to accomodate even more trams within the existing buildings. All of this is of course excellent news for transport enthusiasts, and shows how far Beamish has come over the last few years!

As an aside, some of the recent work required the LTT-owned Blackpool ‘Coronation’ 304 to be moved to allow the workmen to access the overhead poles outside the depot. This tram has been languishing in front of the shed for about two months now after its operating loan period came to an end, but the Lancastrian Transport Trust have now confirmed that 304 will shortly be transported back to Blackpool. No indication has yet been given as to whether the tram will move to covered accomodation, but it is sincerly hoped that this will be the case as 304 is undoubtedly one of the most valuable vehicles owned by the Trust, and should not be exposed to the elements for longer than is absolutely necessary.

A rather forlorn looking Blackpool 304 stands in the open alongside the overhead poles for Road 4, showing the recent fittings. (Photo courtesy of Peter Barlow/Beamish Transport & Industry Blog)

 

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