Beamish Museum transport collection facts for kids

Beamish Museum is a fantastic place where you can step back in time! It's so big that it needs lots of different ways to get people around, just like in the old days. You can see all sorts of cool vehicles that used to travel on roads and railways.

Trains and Railway Stuff

At the railway station, you'll find different kinds of old wagons on display. For a while, steam trains didn't run regularly here, but now they often have special visits from other old locomotives.

One of the museum's own trains, a North Eastern Railway coach, was moved away for a bit but came back in 2012 to be fixed up and used again.

LNER 68088 at Beamish, 2011

Some of the trains that live at Beamish include No. 876, a freight engine built in 1889. It's been out of action for a while and is being restored. Another old engine, No. 14, used to run here too.

In 2011, the museum got a 1923 LNER Y7 Class engine on loan. This engine used to carry passengers at Rowley Station on weekends during the summer.

Currently, a train called Dunrobin is being restored. Beamish bought it in 2010 to use on the Rowley Station line. In 2012, they also bought a train called Newcastle, which they plan to restore.

Beamish often brings in other old steam trains for visitors to see and ride. For example, John Howe visited in 2014, Portbury in 2015, and Bon Accord in 2017. Right now, May is often used to pull trains on weekends.

Builder	Number and name	Wheel arrangement	Build date	Current status	Image
Head Wrightson	No. 1.	0-4-0VBGT	1871	Operational
Head Wrightson	No. 17	0-4-0VB	1873	On display
Stephen Lewin	No. 18	0-4-0ST	1877	Operational
Black, Hawthorn & Co	No. 1	2-4-0CT	1887	Awaiting restoration
Sharp, Stewart and Company	No. 4085 Dunrobin	0-4-4T	1895	Undergoing restoration at the Severn Valley Railway
South Durham I&S Co.	No. 5 Malleable	0-4-0ST	1900	Static Display
Manning Wardle	No. 1532 Newcastle	0-6-0ST	1901	Awaiting restoration
Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns	No. 7006 Roker	0-4-0CT	1940	Static Display

Waggonway Locomotives

On the Pockerley Waggonway, Beamish has three amazing copies of very early steam trains: Locomotion No. 1, Steam Elephant, and Puffing Billy. All of them can be steamed up, but usually only one runs each day. There was also an original train from the 1850s called Hetton Lyon, which was on display.

Name	Wheel arrangement	Original build date	Replica build date	Original builder	Original operator	Current status	Image
Puffing Billy	0-4-0	1813	2006	William Hedley	Wylam Colliery	Operational
Steam Elephant	0-6-0	1814	2002	William Chapman	Wallsend Colliery	Under Overhaul
Locomotion No. 1	0-4-0	1825	1975	George Stephenson	Stockton and Darlington Railway	Awaiting overhaul
Hetton Lyon	0-4-0	1851	N/A	Young	Hetton colliery railway	Static Display, National Railway Museum Shildon

Puffing Billy

Beamish has a copy of Puffing Billy, built in 2006. The original Puffing Billy was built in 1813/14 and is the oldest surviving steam train in the world! It was designed to pull coal wagons. It was the first train that moved just by its wheels gripping the tracks.

The original train was so heavy that it broke the tracks, so it was rebuilt with more wheels to spread out its weight. Later, when better tracks were made, it went back to its original four-wheel design. Puffing Billy worked until 1862 and is now on display in the Science Museum in London.

Steam Elephant

The museum's copy of Steam Elephant was built in 2001. The original train was built in 1814/14, but people didn't know about it until 1931! It was designed to be used in coal mines. The copy was built using old paintings as a guide.

Locomotion No. 1

Locomotion No. 1 is a copy of a famous train designed by George Stephenson and built in 1825. This original train was the first steam locomotive to carry passengers on a public railway line! The Beamish copy was finished in 1975 for the 150th birthday of the railway. The original is now on display at another museum. The Beamish copy is currently waiting for repairs.

Hetton Lyon

Hetton Lyon was built around 1851/52 for use in a coal mine railway. It was an old-fashioned design even then. This train survived for a long time by being used as a stationary engine at a sawmill. It was even put back into service for a special celebration in 1925! The original Hetton Lyon is now on display at the National Railway Museum in Shildon.

Waggonway Carriages

The carriages used on the waggonway are copies of early passenger carriages. One is like the "Experiment" carriage used on the very first day of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. There's also a copy of a slightly newer open carriage.

Other Carriages and Wagons

Railway	Number	Type	Image	Current status
Stockton & Darlington		Semi-open third replica		Built in 1995. Used on Pockerley Waggonway.
Stockton & Darlington		Semi-open and saloon		Built in 2017. Used on the Pockerley Tramway.
North London Railway	Unknown	4w Second		Moved to Beamish in 2018.
Highland Railway	58A	4w Saloon		Built in 1909. Restored to how it looked before World War 1.
Stockton & Darlington	179	Four-wheel third		One of the oldest railway carriages still on its original base. Being restored at Beamish.
North Eastern Railway	1972	Bogie Third		Currently stored and waiting for restoration.
North Eastern Railway	3071	Clerestory Bogie Composite		Built in 1903. Restored. Planning for an overhaul and repaint.

Trams

A tram and a bus transporting passengers to various parts of the museum

Beamish has several electric trams, and some of them run every day! There's even a horse-drawn tram in the collection.

Tram List

Original operator	Number	Year built	Current livery	Seats	Current status	Image
Sunderland Corporation Tramways	16	1900	Crimson and cream	66	Operational
Grimsby & Immingham Electric Railway	26	1925	British Railways green.	48	Undergoing overhaul
Blackpool tramway	31	1901	Red, white and teak	86	Operational
Newcastle and Gosforth Tramways and Carriage Company	49	1880	N/A	N/A	Undergoing restoration
Gateshead and District Tramways Company	51	1900	N/A	32	Awaiting restoration
Gateshead and District Tramways Company	52	1901	N/A	32	Awaiting restoration
Oporto Tramways Company	65	1933	Chevrons	0	Undergoing restoration
Newcastle Corporation Tramways	114	1901	Brown, yellow and white	53	Operational
Oporto Tramways Company	196	1935	Blue and primrose yellow	28	Operational
Sheffield Tramway	264	1907	Blue and cream	54	Operational
Sheffield Tramway	513	1950	Blue and cream	62	Operational, on loan to the East Anglia Transport Museum

Gateshead 10 (Grimsby 26)

Gateshead 10 was built in 1925. It was a single-deck tram that worked routes in Gateshead and across the River Tyne. When the tram system closed in 1952, this tram was sold to British Railways for use on another line, where it was called No. 26.

Instead of being scrapped, it was saved for preservation. In 1968, it was bought by a group who wanted to use it at Beamish. It was the first tram to arrive at the museum and was used for the very first passenger rides in 1973. It was rebuilt between 1983 and 1985 to look like it did in the 1920s. In 2012, it was repainted to look like its Grimsby days. It's currently being overhauled and will soon look like Gateshead 10 again.

Sunderland 16

Sunderland 16 was built in 1900. It's the only original Sunderland tram left! It started as an open-top double-decker, but its top was later covered. After the Sunderland tram system closed in 1954, this tram was saved from being destroyed and was even used as a tool shed for a while!

The museum rescued the body of the tram in 1989. They rebuilt it to look like it did in the 1920s, with a new upper deck. The restored tram started carrying passengers in 2003. After another overhaul, it returned to service in 2014.

Blackpool 31

Blackpool 31 was built in 1901. It started as a four-wheel open-top double-decker. It was rebuilt in 1918 with a longer body and new parts. It ran as an open-top tram until 1928 when a top cover was added.

In 1934, it was changed to be an engineering tram, used for maintenance work, and was renumbered 4 (and later 754). In 1984, it was loaned to Beamish, where it was restored to look like a 1920s open-top double-decker. It started service in 1988. It was withdrawn for an overhaul in 2016, which was finished in 2018.

Newcastle and Gosforth Tramways and Carriage Company 49

Newcastle and Gosforth Tramways and Carriage Company 49 was built in 1880. It's an open-top tram pulled by horses. This tram is being completely restored, using parts from another old horse-tram. The restoration has been going on since 2013, and when it's finished, the tram will be used for special events.

Gateshead 51

The remains of Gateshead 51 were brought to Beamish in 2006. The plan is to restore it as a fully enclosed single-decker tram.

Gateshead 52

Gateshead 52 was originally a "California" style tram, meaning it had open ends. These open parts were covered around 1903. In 1916, it was in an accident where it rolled down a steep hill with passengers! After that, it was rebuilt. It was saved from being scrapped and eventually came to Beamish in 2014. A full restoration is planned.

Oporto 65

Oporto 65 was built in 1933. It's a coal car, meaning it was used to carry coal on the Oporto Tramway system in Portugal. Beamish got this vehicle in 2016. The goal is to restore it so it can be used again as a works and maintenance vehicle, and for driving experience courses.

Newcastle 114

Newcastle 114 was built in 1901. It's the only one of its kind left! It started as an open-top tram. While in Newcastle, it was rebuilt several times, including getting a top cover for the upper deck. In 1941, it was sold to Sheffield to replace trams damaged in the war, where it was called No. 317.

The tram's body was later found on a farm and arrived at Beamish in 1987. The museum restored it to look like it did in 1901. It started museum service in 1996 and had a major overhaul in 2011.

South Shields 196 (Oporto 196)

South Shields 196 was built in 1935 in Portugal. It's a small, four-wheel single-decker tram. It was brought to the UK by the museum in 1989, originally for spare parts. But it was in such good condition that they decided to repair it and restore it as a complete tram!

To make it suitable for winter, the open ends were enclosed with folding doors. It started museum service in 1992. In 2012, it was overhauled and repainted in a blue and yellow livery.

Sheffield 264

Sheffield 264 was built in 1907. It was a double-decker tram with open balconies. In 1926, it was rebuilt with a fully enclosed upper deck. It was renumbered 342 in the 1930s.

It was acquired by a transport museum and later moved to Beamish in 1973. It ran until 1985, when it was completely rebuilt to look like its 1920s open balcony form, and its original number 264 was put back. It ran for 14 years before another major overhaul began in 2013 and finished in 2016.

Sheffield 513

Sheffield 513 was built in 1950. It was a comfortable double-decker tram with upholstered seats. It only ran in Sheffield for eight years because they stopped using trams in 1960.

It was bought by a private owner and later given to a museum in York. It arrived at Beamish in 1976, but it was in bad shape after being stored outside. It took five years to restore it, from 1978 to 1983. It has been on loan to other museums, including the East Anglia Transport Museum since 2012.

Trolleybuses

The museum also has a few trolleybuses, which are like buses that get their power from overhead electric wires.

• A single-decker No. 12 from Keighley, built in 1924. It's currently in storage.
• A double-decker No. 501 from Newcastle, built in 1948. It was taken out of service between 1963 and 1965.

Motor Buses

Replica B-Type bus B1349 (DET 720D)

The buses at Beamish are used to take visitors around the museum site regularly.

• A copy of a 1913 Daimler Company open-top double-decker J 2503. It's in service.
• A copy of a 1910 London General Omnibus Company open-top double-decker DET 720D. It's in service.
• An old single-decker UP 551 from 1928. It's fully restored and used for special events.
• A Dodge bus VK 5401 from 1931. It's in storage.
• A copy of a Northern General Transport Company bus J 2007 from the First World War era. It has a wheelchair lift for easy access and is in service.
• A Rotherham Corporation Daimler bus KET 220 from 1954. It's in service.
• A Darlington Transport Daimler bus 304 VHN from 1964. It's in service.
• A Leyland Cub bus FM 7443 (716) from 1933. It's being restored offsite and will have a wheelchair lift.
• A West Riding Leyland Cub HL 9621. It's in storage.

Other Road Vehicles

A traction engine on the town's streets at the museum

Beamish also has many other interesting road vehicles:

• A copy of an Armstrong Whitworth limousine. Used occasionally.
• A brewery refreshment van NBA 517. In service.
• A copy of a Hoults Removals pantechnicon van (a large moving van). Used when horses are available.
• A Ford Model T 1914 tourer CF-1593. It's back in working order after being on display for many years.
• A Ford Model T 1925 Ton truck BF 4477. Being restored.
• A Ford Model T Crewe Tractor 45288 (No. 39). In service. Built in 2017 from a 1922 Model T Van.
• An Austin 10 Cambridge 1937 saloon 659 UXW. Being rebuilt.
• An Austin 20 1928 hearse YM 5032. Being rebuilt.
• A Commer 8cwt 1933 van BTB 634. Having bodywork repairs.
• A SHEW 1907 pick-up car BR 211. Waiting for restoration.
• A Daimler CK22 1923 Drop-side lorry BK 8794. On display.
• A Leyland Cub 1934 KG3 Drop-side truck VV 2708. Waiting for restoration.
• A Leyland Cub 1932 KG3 Tipper Lorry BV 1673. In service.
• A Morris Commercial 1933 33 cwt lorry YG 5825. In service. Rebuilt in 2018.
• An Albion Motors 1947 Kirkcaldy Furniture Removal van. In service.
• A Ford Thames 1956 Tip truck RYX 170. In service.
• A Bedford CA van. In service.
• A Land Rover Series 2A Pick-up. In service.

The museum also has other motor and steam vehicles, more than twenty pedal bikes, and several motorcycles. You can also see many horse-drawn vehicles, like charabancs (old open-top buses pulled by horses), in public service during the summer.

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