MCRUA trip to Beamish

The Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association run an annual 'day out by train'. Today it was to Newcastle, with an option to leave the train at Durham and visit Beamish open air industrial museum, by coach.

The train started at Chester and picked up at stations along the mid Cheshire line then at Stockport, Reddish South, and Stalybridge. It then ran via Leeds and York to Newcastle, with stops at Darlington and Durham for those who wised to alight there. From Durham coaches were provided to take those who'd booked the option to Beamish Museum.

Our class 67 loco at the head of the train arrives at Mobberley at 07:30 this morning, as the early jets out of Manchester scream overhead on their way to destinations more distant than ours.


The museum site at Beamish is a square mile or more in area with widely scattered exhibits, such as a town of the early 20th century, a pit village, a railway, a waggon way etc. A tram system runs around the site as do vintage buses, to help visitors get around.


The main street of the 'town' at Beamish

0-4-0 locomotive and coach giving trips on the short stretch of railway line at the site

The view from the coach into the loco's cab


'Puffing Billy' replica locomotive and train on the waggon way


'Puffing Billy' and her 'waggon man' driver


The engine shed for the waggon locomotives. The 'Steam Elephant' and 'Locomotion' replicas were resident within.


Back aboard our train, heading home to Cheshire as passengers open bottles and spread out picnics. This was our coach, an ex-Virgin Mk2 1st class vehicle,
and very comfortable it was!

Finally, here is a video I took of 'Puffing Billy' and train:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkCvGwNKYY

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