BEAMISH Museum in County Durham says it has invested “tens of thousands of pounds” in new grooved and flat-bottomed rail for its tramway, along with plastic sleepers and new equipment.
A programme to tackle some of the most urgent infrastructure repairs began before the New Year and will continue into the spring. Rail and sleeper replacement work has been taking place in the Town East and Pockerley areas and attention will turn to ‘Bog Bend’, between Foulbridge and the Town.
While curved sections running through the tarmac in the town can be lifted and replaced, on the cobbled section of the inner circle, welding was undertaken to restore the profile of worn rails. The museum says this is less costly and disruptive than removing them and also overcomes the difficulty in finding a specialist to relay the many cobbles which would have to be lifted in the process.
Maintenance