Unlike a lot of the locations on the line, if you know what you are looking at, there is quite a bit still to see at Beamish some of which has just remained dumped since the removal of the rails.
Beamish is also one of the places on the line where, if you look closely enough, and despite the recent work done to resurface the cycle path, you can still find iron ore pellets dropped by the trains that stopped running over thirty years ago, a number of which I’ve found where the signal box used to stand…
The photographs below show the site of Beamish Station as it is today (March/April 2014) Despite having visited the site on a number of occasions, a visit on 5 April 2014 turned up something that I’ve never noticed before, part of the base of the signal box.
Overall view of what was the goods yard:
Two views of the tunnel at the Consett end of the station.
A view through the tunnel looking back towards the station site:
I’ve only just (April 2014) discovered that, until what appears to be very recently, the post for the Beamish ‘home’ signal was still in situ. Compare the image below with the one above:
The platforms (or at least the edgings) were removed shortly after the station closed to passenger traffic but, if you know where to look the raised bases are still there as shown in the two pictures below. Whilst clearly overgrown, the undergrowth can be seen following a straight line that would have been the top of the platforms:
On the approach to Beamish Station from Pelton is this bridge. Whilst the original buttresses remain intact, like a lot of the bridges on the line, the bridge deck itself has been replaced in recent years:
There are a number of these posts to the side of the track in the Newcastle direction. Having originally thought it was a fence post, I’ve subsequently been informed that it is a ‘Pitfall Post’ used, in conjunction with others up and down the line, to measure mining subsidence.
For many years, I’ve been aware of a sign rusting away in the undergrowth at the site of the station so, rather than let it rust to nothing, I’ve ‘rescued’ it and it is shown below:
Despite the rust, I’d figured out that the wording is as follows:
DANGER OVERHEAD POWERLINE CRANES JIB HEIGHT FROM RAIL LEVEL NOT TO EXCEED 26FT EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NEWCASTLE *7 (or possibly 3) 52*
My original assumption was that the sign related to the goods yard crane but the position of the sign at the site meant that this could not have been possible. I posted a request for help on the LNER Encyclopedia forum (www.lner.info) and got the following response:
“That is definitely an Overhead powerline sign. Normally placed at both sides of the track where the Overhead powerlines cross the tracks. Not normally to be found where yard cranes are to be found unless the powerline actually went over the yard crane concerned and the jib was capable of varying its height. They detail who to contact in an emergency. The maximum crane jib height allowable and still maintain a safe clearance. This is required detail for any Crane working for whatever reason in the area and must be noted by Crane planners and supervisors. They are very common throughout the country. It appears that they are gradually being updated as recently 4 separate powerline crossing notices on the NYMR have just been replaced with new ones with revised contact details.”
Whilst I’ve still not come across a photo that shows the sign in situ, based on it’s position in the undergrowth, it must have been a warning for the cables that can clearly be seen crossing the line in the two photographs of the railtour further up the page.
Beyond the tunnel at the end of the station, is another, shorter, tunnel where one of the artworks on the line can be found, a set of cows made from parts of JCBs.
Beyond the second tunnel we come to the site of the accident mentioned earlier and a number of pieces of cable trunking can be seen.
