Under Construction

With the opening of The 1950s Town, an additional bus service is to be introduced at the museum, following a circular route around the museum and diverting into the 1950s area before regaining the circular route via a link road – opening up new route mileage and enabling visitors to access The 1950s Town directly from the Entrance. A new bus stop, with space for three buses, is to be constructed as part of the project.

Motorbuses will operate the route initially, but it is hoped to introduce trolleybuses to the fleet, entailing the construction of 1.5 miles of trolleybus overhead line to facilitate this.

Trolleybuses were an interim step between tramcars and motorbuses, offering the cleanliness of the former and the flexibility of the latter. Whilst the technology did not endure (as motorbuses became more reliable, more efficient and faster), they left an indelible mark on towns and cities across the UK, including Newcastle, South Shields and Teesside.

The museum owns two trolleybuses, both restored and requiring only minimal work to make them suitable for operation alongside the motorbus fleet.

Newcastle trolleybus 501 is part of the museum’s collection.

Design work is currently underway for the trolleybus overhead line equipment (OLE) needed to allow them to run. Equipment needed has been obtained, including a consignment from the recently-closed trolleybus system in Wellington, New Zealand.

Beamish currently operates a circular tram route, with a branch service (operated by replica buses from the Edwardian period) to The 1900s Pit Village. In addition to this, a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) is available for visitors who require assistance in accessing the museum by wheelchair.