BRILLIANT BEAMISH

For anybody looking for a suitable period location to photograph traction engines and early commercials, Beamish has to be the place. This worldfamous open-air museum, which is situated near Stanley in County Durham, just south of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, hosted its first Steam Gala for a couple of years, where visiting engines and commercials complemented the museum’s other attractions. It was a slightly smaller show than those held before the lockdowns, with the original four-day event now taking place over two days. Around 20 steam vehicles were on site and another 25 that were powered by the internal combustion engine on view.

This was not a static show, with exhibits running around the museum’s 1½ mile road system, competing for space with the trams in the impressive town street, all adding to the historic atmosphere. But of course it is the period settings that bring the museum alive, with the steam engines rumbling down the main street, passing shops and other business along the way. It was an impressive sight indeed.

As well as the steam vehicles, the cars, motorbikes and commercials were getting lots of attention too.

Resident commercials included YG 5825, a 1933 Morris Commercial 30cwt fitted with a box body. This vehicle was used by J H Jerry of South Shields from new although it was stored for many years before being restored by the family and allowed to join the Beamish collection. A recent Beamish acquisition was JTC 893, a 1948 Albion Chieftain flatbed, while BV 1673 is a 1932 Leyland Cub KG2 tipper that was supplied new to Blackburn Corporation Transport and ended up at Leighton Buzzard from where it was donated to the museum in 2020.

OPP 16 is an Austin K8 dropside that was first registered in 1951 in Buckinghamshire, to greengrocer Ralph Eames of Bletchley, and used to collect produce from the old Covent Garden market in London. It seemed that