Middle Engine Lane

Middle Engine Lane is now just another road at the edge of the Cobalt business park. But the road has a long history, but its current name comes from the Middle Engine and its associated cottages. This was used to haul coal waggons up from the Tyne using ropes, the engine was used on the Seaton Burn Waggonway in 1826. The line closed in around 1920 and the cottages, engine house and ponds survived into the 1970's.

 

Bank Holiday Trains

We are open this Thursday & Friday for the Queens Platinum Jubilee, we are running our heritage trains on both days. With both steam and diesel locomotives in service (Bagnall 401 & 08915). And our Waggonway tearoom will be open on Friday too!

Our timetable:

11.15am (steam), 12.10pm (steam), 1.10pm (diesel), 2pm (steam) & 3pm (diesel)

 

401 in service

401 in service today

 

Meaford No.1 at Percy Main, 1996

A little throwback today, here RSH Meaford No.1 is seen at a then-newly completed Percy Main station in 1996.

 

J27 in 1961

Another view from the under overhaul NTSRA archive, with an unidentified J27 making a spirited start from near the sheds in 1961.

 

Woodland Walk Project

The NTSRA is not just about running and restoring a railway!

We have various projects ongoing, including the overhaul of our archives and wagon restoration, but another project currently underway is our Woodland Walk

Under construction by volunteers Rob & Jean, the Woodland Walk will allow visitors to see a currently underused part of our site be completely transformed, it will also provide a greenspace in urban North Tyneside by enhancing and increasing our biodiversity.

 

401 in service

Photos of 401 in service today

Trainee fireman Cameron firing and Richard driving

 

Grass cutting at Percy Main

Aarvind and Jordan cutting the grass and vegetation at Percy Main station this morning

 

More from the archive

Look at what we found in our archive!

Looking through a scrapbook collated by ‘Stan’ Hadaway, we unraveled his career from cleaner to steam driver.

Starting as a cleaner at Percy Main in 1942 he ended his career working along the Blyth and Tyne railway as a steam driver.

He was saddened to see the closure of depots and shortening of the Blyth and Tyne and Wansbeck Valley lines as his career with steam slowly came to an end in the 1960s and diesel took over.

Pictured are Hadaway on the J27 with Fireman Raywoods - once a familiar sight at our railway. Also pictured are photos from Hadaway’s scrapbook of J27’s being cleaned and his identification card from 1942 as well as a number of unidentified photos which will take some research to string together his full story.

 

Incident at Monkseaton in 1956

The NTSRA is currently upgrading our archives. This has led to a 'rediscovery' of a number of items.

Part of the Stan Hadaway collection (more on him later) was this newspaper cutting. Showing an accident at Monkseaton in 1956. Sadly no more details than what you can see here...

 

03078 at Embsay

03078 has safely arrived at the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway today

Photos courtesy of Matthew Anderson

 

LNER Steam Rail Car

LNER Steam Rail Car 'Hero' pictured at Monkseaton Railway Station

 

Todays trains

Some photos of 401 in service today