Exploring an abandoned steam train graveyard in the north east
BRIEF HISTORY OF LOACTION:
Tanfield Railway claims to be the oldest working railway in the UK. The line runs for approximately three miles, between East Tanfield in County Durham, and Sunniside in Gateshead. It is difficult to pinpoint an exact date, but it is estimated that the first section of track was laid in the early 1600s, when a businessman named Huntingdon Beaumont commissioned the construction of a line from collieries near Blyth to a shipping point on the coast. The first line, however, did not last very long since it was built entirely out of wood; although the primitive railway was effective over short distances it soon became a costly affair as the wooden rails needed to be regularly replaced due to the harsh and boggy conditions that area often experiences. The Tanfield railway (which was originally known as a waggonway) that continues to exist to this day was built in 1725; it emerged one hundred years earlier than the first public line between Darlington and Stockton. Railways took the greatest hold in the North East of England, rather than canal ways, due to the deep valleys and hills in the region.
Over the years Tanfield has become home to a growing collection of industrial steam engines and carriages; most of the stock dates from the 19th Century. The Marley Hill engine shed, built in 1854, is still used to store restored engines. There are currently three fully functioning machines at the site. Although the line to the shed closed in 1962, it continued to service other collieries railway locomotives in the North East. Part of the reason Tanfield Railway was preserved is attributable to the Marley Hill shed remaining open up until 1970. The vintage tools and machinery stored inside it are still capable of restoring an entire locomotive. A turntable also still exists at the site; this is long enough for most of the locomotives being stockpiled or restored. This turntable is known for being easy to turn by hand, if the load is evenly balanced. Presently, alongside operating the public railway, Tanfield works closely with Beamish Open-Air Museum; one of the locomotives restored at Marley Hill shed is displayed at Beamish Colliery.
If you’re a fan of Urbex and you like what you see please like the video and subscribe to the channel to stay tuned in!
REMINDER: We do not force entry into any of these places. We only use access points available to us on the day and if there is none, we leave the site how it was to conserve it. If we get in, we do not vandalise anything.
Instagram: @northern_decay_
TikTok: @northern.decay
Негізгі бет EXPLORING AN ABANDONED STEAM TRAIN GRAVEYARD
Пікірлер: 11