Hopper Arrival continues West Side Story

Following the arrival nearly April of a NER P7 hopper wagon from Beamish, the second of the two transferred to the LCLT from them arrived at Kirkby Stephen East on 6 May. The team have wasted no time in making an initial assessment for restoration on top of the work they’ve already done to have the wagon in NER Central Division livery to run behind No.876.

The exact cost is yet to be ascertained; the team are still working on this ahead of grant funding applications to a number of bodies. Restoration of the P7 not only adds an important wagon to the growing NER fleet at Kirkby Stephen but also helps tell the important story of the coal and coke traffic from east to west as explained in the Heritage Fund supported ‘Westside Story’ project to mark the bicentennial of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

While the focus of the LCLT absolutely remains on the locomotive, the SRC will be working with them to make sure that the railway can suitably mark the 175th anniversary of the NER in 2029. The other P7 that arrived last month is in very poor condition but the plan is to rebuild it as a coke wagon. That will mean representation of the coal trains to the east and the coke trains to the west; the raison d’etre for the Stainmore line.

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An Illuminating Find!

Firstly, for those who are new to what we do at Kirkby Stephen East, North Eastern Railway stores van No.2 is an important part of the collection at KSE. It is owned by the Locomotive Conservation and Learning Trust (LCLT). The van was rescued by Beamish Museum in 1973. A decision was taken by Beamish Museum to de-accession the vehicle from its collection and dispose of it. This was in 2013. The van was offered to the LCLT. After inspection of the van the LCLT agreed to assume ownership. It was transported to KSE in 2014. It restoration, helped with funds from a National Lottery Heritage Fund award, began in late autumn 2018 and is now largely complete. Completion of some minor interior jobs is in hand. Externally there is a roof job to complete that will be tackled when scaffolding has been erected in the shed. One feature of the van that had been proving difficult to deal with was the reproduction of the fitted sidelights. The van carried sidelights because in addition to the deliver...

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Rolling Stock Roundup - NER Passenger Vehicles

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