North Eastern Railway Clerestory Coach No.818

By the 1890's the North Eastern Railway had become a very successful and profitable railway concern with a virtual regional monopoly of rail traffic within North and East Yorkshire, Country Durham and Northumberland. Under the direction of the Company's Carriage and Wagon Superintendent David Bain a new fleet of comfortable standard 52' bogie coaches were constructed for use on secondary train services. There were several 'Diagrams' (types) built within this programme but they shared a common look and feel and many were constructed as 'clerestory' designs with a gallery of low windows set above the main roof to provide extra daylight for passengers. Bain went on to construct very similar coaches for the Midland Railway after moving to Derby to pursue in 1902.

No.818 is a 'composite' clerestory coach (having compartments for both passengers and the train's guard) absolutely typical of the kind of vehicle used for passenger trains over Stainmore between 1900 and 1945. It was built at York in 1902. The vehicle was sold by British Railways to the National Coal Board in 1949 for use by miners commuting to work at Ashington Colliery. It was rescued and restored by the Beamish Living Museum of the North and has been loaned to the Stainmore Railway Company for display during the 'Stainmore 150' celebrations.