After a brief suspension at the end of November, trams are running again at Beamish although the overhead issues at Pockerley mean that they are currently unable to operate on the full circuit.
As we reported last week, trams were suspended from Thursday 28th November until Sunday 1st December owing to the issue with the overhead at Pockerley. With the museum closed on Mondays and Tuesdays at this time of the year, when it reopened on Wednesday 4th December the trams were back out but until repairs can be completed they will only be running between the Entrance and the Town via Foulbridge/Home Farm.
This revised service does mean that visitors will get to see trolleys being turned on the trams on a regular basis – something which doesn’t happen all that regularly at Beamish with them usually running either clockwise or anti-clockwise on the circular route. When two trams are being used they pass at Foulbridge/Home Farm (the only passing point on the open section, expect in the Town and at the Entrance which are the current termini of course).
- The latest named storm – Storm Darragh this time – which is arriving in the UK this weekend will see Beamish closed on Saturday 7th December. The weather gods aren’t playing ball with Beamish’s pre-Christmas events with snow having previously led to the museum’s closure last month for a day as well.
The trolley on Blackpool 31 is turned at the Entrance. The tram has terminated on the clockwise side of the loop.
Meanwhile, at the Town end of the line after letting passengers off at the usual stop, trams are running through to opposite The Grand Cinema to do the trolley and seat turning. Blackpool 31 again demonstrates for us.
Sunderland 16 was also in service on this day and is seen here alongside 31 at Foulbridge/Home Farm. (All Photographs by Trevor Hall, 5th December 2024)