Andrew Barclays Unite! Tanfield Railway - 'Legends Of Industry' 2025

Описание: The Tanfield Waggonway was built by a group of entrepreneurial families to transport coal more cheaply and reliably from the collieries of County Durham to the docks at Tyneside. Originally constructed out of wood, horses drew the primitive trucks up from Causey to Sunniside as early as 1725, before being converted into a steel-lined railway in 1837 and extending south to East Tanfield in 1839. Since the introduction of steam engines in 1881, the route carried coal and passengers until the closure of the last pit in 1964. Shortly thereafter, the Tanfield Railway Trust took over the line and began restoration of the world’s oldest railway.

2025 celebrates three hundred years of the original waggonway, with a multitude of events planned over the course of the year, central to which was the annual ‘Legends Of Industry’ steam gala. Having previously hosted examples from Hawthorn Leslie and Bagnall, this year’s event would focus on engines from Andrew Barclay & Sons in Kilmarnock, reflected in the guest locomotive: National Coal Board No.54. Having worked at the collieries of East Hetton, Blackhall and Fishburn, the saddle tank was rescued by the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway in Yorkshire but can currently be found with the Appleby Frodingham Railway in Scunthorpe. Complementing her would be two of Tanfield’s own Barclays ‘Stanley’ and ‘Horden’.

Also turning heads over the weekend was Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn No.3 ‘Twizell’, appearing at her first gala since her return to traffic in Autumn. Owned by the nearby Beamish Museum and on long-term loan to the line, ‘Twizell’ is a stalwart of the railway and very popular amongst visitors and volunteers. ‘Sir Cecil A. Cochrane’, Keighley Gasworks No.2 and ‘Austerity’ No.49 would also be in steam on a variety of combinations, including some unusual double-headers. Three passengers sets were in action across the line, as well as a demonstration freight rake. The highlight of the event came on Sunday evening when all three Barclays teamed-up for the final service of the gala (although sadly, this wasn’t to be). In total, a fantastic lineup of seven engines saw service over the weekend of 20th to 22nd June.

I visited on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, when things didn’t exactly go according to plan. ’Twizell’ failed with faulty gauge glasses in the morning, so John Fowler & Co. 0-6-0DH Ribblesdale Cement No.6 was called in to substitute. Furthermore, the first train of the day set off a significant lineside fire in the woods just outside East Tanfield, calling out the fire brigade and halting trains for half-an-hour. By the time the blaze was under control, trains were running up to an hour behind schedule. On Sunday, ‘Twizell’ was thankfully back up and running and services were back on time, but if the previous day’s misfortune wasn’t enough, ‘Horden’ then failed with suspected leaking tubes. The weather saw bright skies off the back of the recent heatwave, giving way to cloudy showers and muggy temperatures as the weekend went on. The full lineup consisted of:

Visiting:
Andrew Barclay 14’’ 0-4-0ST National Coal Board No.54 (from Aaron Boyce and Pete Burke and the Appleby Frodingham Railway - Scunthorpe)

Home Fleet:
Andrew Barclay 14’’ 0-4-0ST 1659 'Stanley'
Andrew Barclay 0-6-0ST 1015 'Hordon' (ran on Friday and Saturday only. Failed on Sunday)
Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST Keighley Gasworks No.2
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-4-0ST 7409 'Sir Cecil A. Cochrane'
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No.49
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T No.3 ‘Twizell’ (first gala appearance since overhaul. Ran on Friday and Sunday only. Failed on Saturday)
John Fowler & Co. 0-6-0DM Ribblesdale Cement No.6 (ran in place of ‘Twizell’ on Saturday and ‘Horden’ on Sunday)*

*does not feature.

I hope you all enjoy the video. Thanks to the volunteers of the Tanfield Railway for a very good gala despite some serious challenges throughout the event. This did scupper my filming plans somewhat, and several shots have had to be left on the cutting room floor, but seeing the various Barclays together was a real treat. If you like what you’re seeing on the channel, why not visit our Facebook and Instagram pages at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... and   / secondvalvesteam  . Feel free to leave a comment and don’t forget to subscribe!