Veterans of the road, both drivers and vehicles, face an annual testing run around mainly rural roads of the North East and North Yorkshire, tomorrow (Sunday, June 16).

The 51st Beamish Reliability Run will, as ever, see lovingly preserved cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, all registered before 1956, trundling uphill and down dale in a challenge of not only their reliability and roadworthiness, but also of the driver’s ability at the wheel, and knowledge of the rules of the highway.

A cavalcade of 139 entrants will leave Beamish Museum’s event field in half-minute and minute intervals from 8.15 to 10am.

All being well, they will return to Beamish via the Foulbridge gates from approximately 3.30pm onwards, turning right at the tram tracks and driving in an anti-clockwise loop of the museum site, before finishing back on the events field.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

To enable spectators and friends and family of competitors to view the start and finish the museum will open early, at 8.30am, and remain open until 6pm.

But the museum asks visitors to note that museum transport and exhibits will only operate during the usual opening times, of 10am to 5pm.

As with all daytime events, Unlimited Passes or Friends of Beamish membership can be used to gain entry to the site.

Marshalls and stewards will operate around the 150-mile route during the day, with checkpoints staffed for the usual test of drivers’ knowledge of the Highway Code.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

But one of the organising team, Sarah Jolley, has asked drivers and spectators to note that for this year only the usual checkpoint three, in the grounds of Bowes Museum, will not be in use due to engineering works, while there will also not be a checkpoint stop (nine) at The Moorcock Inn, at Waskerley.

Drivers will pass Bowes Museum and have the usual hour-long lunch-time stop on Bainbridge Village Green, from anywhere between 11.30am and 1.30pm, depending on arrival times.

(Image: Beamish Reliability Run)

Other good vantage points along the way are in Wolsingham, Brough and at the Rose and Crown and Romaldkirk and the CB Hotel at Langthwaite.

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The run is a recreation of the safety and reliability trials staged around dales roads in the inter-war years.

It began in 1971 and has only been cancelled in the year of the Covid outbreak and the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

Further information is available on the Beamish Reliability Run Facebook site and on Beamish Museum’s Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) sites.

See list of 'runners and riders' below.

51st Beamish Reliability Trail 2024

 

 

Entry

Name

Year

Vehicle

1

Kevin Howe

1936

MG TA

2

Alan Beaty

1956

Matchless 99

3

Christine Raw

1931

Rudge Sports

4

Mick Seward

1926

Rudge Sports

5

David Airey

1930

Indian Scout

6

Andrew Grabham

1935

Austin 7 Pearl Mk 1

7

Shaun Wade

1943

Willys MB

8

Peter Thompson

1926

BSA S26

9

Stephen Lidgate

1949

MG TC

10

Ian Graham

1946

MG TC

11

Ian Pawson

1950

Lea Francis 14 HP Special

12

Henry Curry

1939

Rover 10

14

Brian Barnfather

1952

MG TD

15

Christopher Reay

1934

Bentley 3.5Ltr Derby

16

Douglas Whittlestone

1933

Austin 7 PD 2 Seat Tourer

17

Jeff Sams

1955

Sunbeam 58

18

Jeremy White

1928

Alvis 14/75

19

Julian Taylor

1934

Riley 9 Lynx

20

Peter Baillie

1939

Autovia V8 Special

21

Thomas Simpson

1950

Ford V8 Pilot

22

David Simpson

1929

Ford Model A Tudor

23

Mick Brelsford

1959

AJS M16

24

Johnathan Green

1953

Morris Minor Saloon

25

Mark Forster

1943

Willys Jeep

26

Adam Forster

1929

Austin 7 RK

27

Johnathan Black

1949

MG TC

28

Andrew Jarmin

1935

Austin 7 Van

29

Peter Swallow

1948

MG TC

30

Alan Ramsey

1947

SpeedTwin/Motorcycle

31

Colin Hodgson

1955

AJS 16M/ Motorcycle

32

Geoff Mansfield

1954

Triumph TR2

33

Paul Sleeman

1937

Austin 7 Pearl

34

Mike Tonks

1946

MG TC

35

Graham Walker

1947

MG TC

36

John Dawes

1949

Citroen Traction Avant

37

Robin Wills

1933

Riley Lynx

38

James O'Neil

1951

Bentley Mark VI

39

Deborah Drake

1936

Austin 7 AAL Tourer

40

John Miller

1954

Austin Healey 100

41

Alexander Liddle

1960

Matchless G3L

42

Mike Thompson

1925

Bentley Super Sports

43

Stuart Edwards

1955

Land Rover Series 1

44

Adam Mason

1929

Austin 7 RK Saloon

45

Tim Hallam

1924

AC Empire

46

Johnathan Privett

1955

Austin A30

47

Howell Clauge

1930

Ford A Tudor

48

Paul Heritage

1954

Triumph TR2

49

Peter Robinson

1934

Austin Chrome RAD

50

Thomas Robinson

1934

Austin 7 Pearl

51

Richard Derrick

1930

Austin 7 Chummy

52

Tom Jobling

1951

Humber Hawk MK4

53

David Bond

1937

Morris 8 Tourer

54

George Lee

1935

Morris 8 Saloon

55

Mark Boldry

1932

MG M Type Sports

56

Ged Watson

1954

BSA Bantam D1

57

David Armstrong

1924

BSA 350L

58

Don Best

1931

Austin 7

59

Neil Jackson

1948

Allard K1

60

Michael Morton

1914

Talbot CB4

61

Paul Richardson

1958

Lambretta TV175

62

Robert Miller

1953

Ducati Cruiser

63

Dave Armstrong

1938

Austin 7 Opal

64

Ben Jobling

1937

Riley 12/4 Kestrel

65

Michael Glendinning

1951

Alvis TD21

66

Nigel Chapman

1958

Ariel Huntmaster

67

Peter Westwood

1956

BMW R50

68

Gerald Breedon

1947

MG TC

69

Andy Robinson

1949

Matchless G3L

70

Terence Walton

1955

Rover P4 75

71

Paul Walton

1951

Land Rover S1 8oin

72

Martin Raine

1951

BSA ZB32 Goldstar

73

Curtis Raine

1939

AJS Model 26

74

John Mervyn Lennox

1949

Land Rover Tickford Station Wagon

75

Keith Bell

1960

Norton ES2 Featherbed

76

John Soady

1949

AJS Model 18

77

Justin Snowdon

1952

MG YB

78

Andrew Roberston

1931

Riley Nine

79

David Knotts

1927

Austin 7 Chummy

80

Dawn Hill

1947

Morris 8 series E

81

John Newham

1960

Royal Enfield Meteor Minor

82

Brian Jobling

1935

Vauxhall 14/6 DX

83

Jack Jobling

1938

Vauxhall 10/4

84

Simon Weightman

1954

Aston Martin DB2/4

85

Brian Ward

1959

Norton Dominator

86

Alan Bee

1926

Austin 7 Chummy

87

Emily Sehmar-Bee

1933

Austin 7 Tourer

88

Jim Clark

1936

MG TA

89

David Stephenson

1955

Royal Enfield Bullet

90

Nathan Hadwin

1933

Austin Seven

91

Philip Smith

1930

Armstrong Siddley Tourer

92

Simon Robinson

1953

Matchless G3LS

93

Raymond Gowling

1927

Ariel Model A

94

Geoffrey Elster

1935

Armstrong Siddley 17 Sports Foursome

95

Michael Clark

1936

Lanica Augusta

96

Charles Dodd

1946

Ford Anglia

97

Alan Coe

1951

Singer 4AB Roadster

98

Richard Bell

1951

Sunbeam S8

99

Brian Metcalfe

1955

BSA Goldstar

100

Bryan Tweddall

1954

Austin A4d Country man

101

Michael Leatherland

1953

Austin Healey Protoype BN4

102

Peter John Hewitson

1960

BSA A10

103

Christopher Mace

1926

Austin Seven Chummy

104

Peter Bates

1929

Sunbeam Model 8

105

John Richard Davison

1936

Riley Merlin

106

Ian Tigwell

1949

BSA Bantam

107

Geoffrey Grigg

1955

BSA C11G

108

Ian Bean

1927

AJS K5

109

Geoffrey Maskell

1943

Ford GPW Jeep

110

Dennis Gardiner

1960

Triumph 6T

111

William McCall

1949

Standard Triumph Roadster TRA

112

Steven Graham

1958

Ariel Red Hunter

113

Douglas Howard Masters

1936

Scott Squirell

114

Daniel England

1928

Austin Heavy 12/4

115

Peter Baglee

1950

MG TD

116

Thomas Cummings

1952

Austin Champ

117

Paul Reid

1936

Rover P1

118

Hunter Wilson

1935

Morgan Super Sports

119

Arthur Plumpton

1954

Matchless G3LS

120

Paul Bennett

1952

Vespa Faro Basso

121

Raymond Cook

1949

Bentley MKVI Mulliner

122

Russell Storey

1929

Humber 16/50

123

Mike Lee

1942

WW2 Jeep MB/GPW

124

George Astbury

1932

Alvis 12/60 Tourer

125

Trevor Craggs

1953

Vincent Comet

126

Richard Ingelson

1953

BSA Bantam 01

127

Peter Golding

1936

Langonda LG 45R

128

Geoffery Henderson

1951

Bentley MK6 Special

129

Steve Errington

1943

Ford Jeep GPW

130

Malcolm Cutherburtson

1953

MG TD2

131

Roy Kingan

1938

MG TA

132

Tony Mather

1937

Delehaye 135LM

133

David Hardy

1955

Norton Dominator 88

134

John Kavanagh

1948

MG/TC

135

Keith Wickham

1937

Bentley 4.5 Roadster

136

Adrian Peacock

1953

BSA B33

137

Alec Bruce

1934

Austin 7

138

Mark Plumpton

1956

Matchless G3LS

139

Charles Holborn

1955

Matchless G9 500C