Beamish passes on steam pair to Tanfield Railway

Two Victorian steam locomotives have an exciting future ahead of them at Tanfield Railway after being handed over to the new custodian by Beamish Museum.

The oldest working locomotive in Great Britain to be built by the famous Newcastle firm of Robert Stephenson, and a unique survivor of the Teesside steel industry have both been transferred to the nearby Tanfield Railway.

Twizell, built by Stephenson’s in 1891, has recently undergone a £100,000 overhaul at Tanfield and is in full working order. It was employed hauling coal trains for James Joicey’s large colliery empire in County Durham before being saved for preservation in the early 1970s. 

After spending nearly 30-years on long-term loan at Tanfield, where volunteers have cared for the veteran, ownership has been officially transferred. To celebrate the transfer, Twizell will be one of the locomotives starring in Tanfield’s end of season gala weekend on October 18/19 – alongside the railway’s other four operating steam locomotives and three diesel locomotives.

The second locomotive to be passed over to the Tanfield Railway is Malleable No. 5, which was built for the South Durham Steel and Iron Company in 1873… although exactly who built Malleable No. 5 and where is a bit of a mystery. There is a strong suspicion that it was built by the South Durham Steel and Iron Company themselves, albeit with some components bought in.

Malleable No. 5 was so named because it worked at the company’s Malleable Iron Works in Stockton-on-Tees. The four-wheeled saddle tank locomotive worked in Stockton for its whole commercial career, before being preserved by Beamish Museum in the 1970s. 

In a bizarre twist of fate, Malleable No. 5 was initially stored by Beamish at Marley Hill engine shed, which is now the headquarters of the Tanfield Railway. It was restored by volunteers at Marley Hill, becoming the first locomotive to run there since the shed was saved from demolition.

It later moved across to Beamish and hasn’t been in an operating condition for many years. Once Malleable No. 5 is back at Tanfield, it will be fully assessed and cosmetically restored in due course.

To complete the transfers, three vintage coal hoppers that have been stored at Tanfield will also be formally handed over. 

Derek Smith, Chairman of Tanfield Railway Trust, said: “The Tanfield Railway was created to showcase the history of the north east’s industrial railways. The unique history of Malleable No. 5 means it fills a major gap in the collection and Twizell has been a much loved part of our operations for several years. 

“To secure them both is a massive boost, but to do so in the year we celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Tanfield Railway is really special.

“We’re really grateful to Beamish for entrusting the future of these vehicles in us.”

Paul Jarman, Director of Development – Transport, Industry and Design at Beamish Museum, said: “Working in partnership with those who have common goals only serves to enrich our heritage and ensure that it can be enjoyed, educate and retain those established links to our past that we know are so important to the region.

“We are delighted to continue the close cooperation with the Tanfield Railway, and have enjoyed the visit by one of their locomotives to the museum this summer.  Both Twizell and Malleable have secure futures with the Tanfield Railway, and it is a recognition that it is a healthy process for museums to review and reassess its collections and those artefacts within it. 

“With Twizell having spent 30 years at Tanfield already, it makes complete sense to transfer it to the Trust and ensure that the commitment to its long-term care, and the necessary investment that this entails, can be secured for it.”

The transfers from Beamish follow asset review by the Tanfield Railway to focus more closely on items which are most relevant to north east industrial railways. A number of Tanfield-based vehicles have found new homes as part of this process.