Industrial Delight

Industrial Delight

One of County Durham’s leading heritage attractions, The Tanfield Railway is hosting its annual “Legends of Industry” Gala from June 21st to 23rd. The three day event is a celebration of the North of England’s long and rich industrial history. Locomotives which spent their entire lives working in the coal, iron and gas industries including some built by famous Tyneside companies Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn and Hawthorn Leslie will be hauling recreations of coal and goods trains, alongside regular passenger trains services, between East Tanfield and Sunniside.

There will be locomotives which once worked on the colliery lines at Horden and East Tanfield and in Gateshead’s Redheugh Gas works. Appearing alongside the Tanfield Railway’s ‘home fleet’ will be Bagnall 0-4-0ST “Harwarden”, the guest locomotive for the event, which was built, during WWII, in Stoke-on-Trent and worked at the huge Steel Plant at Shotton, on Deeside until 1972.

Tanfield Railway’s use of a number of faithfully restored Victorian era four and six wheeled carriages for their passenger trains harks back to the splendidly named “Marsden Rattler” which carried passengers between South Shields and Whitburn on the South Shields, Marsden & Whitburn Colliery Railway from 1888 to 1953, utilising ‘shaky’ old carriages handed down from the North Eastern Railway.

At Marley Hill, the engine shed, which was built in 1854 by the Pontop & Jarrow Railway, will be open to visitors and shunting demonstrations will take place in Marley Hill Yard. On the events field, accessed from Andrews House station, the Sunderland & District Classic Car Club will be hosting a display of classic and vintage motor vehicles. The cafes at East Tanfield and Andrews House stations will be serving food and hot and cold drinks throughout the event.

Tanfield Railway

Marley Hill Engine Shed, Gateshead, NE16 5ET