Engineering students at Newcastle College are working on an exciting project to conserve the world’s oldest oil tanker.
The tanker, which was manufactured in 1889 and used on railways until 1961, has been sat outside resulting in its wooden chassis rotting and its bolts becoming completely immovable.
Students will work to assess the extent of these problems and develop solutions to fix them, focusing on conserving the tanker rather than restoring it to how it used to look and work.
The project is being led by engineering degree students from Newcastle College University Centre, with assistance from younger students on Levels 2 and 3.
Once complete, the conserved oil tanker will form part of a permanent display at the new exhibition hall at railway museum Locomotion in Country Durham, part of the Science Museums Group.
The conservation project is the result of a brand-new partnership between Newcastle College and Locomotion, which is the first of its kind between an educational establishment and any of the museums in the Science Museums Group. The partnership will see students supporting the museum on a number of conservation projects, something that will help them to develop their technical skills and provide them with vital work experience.
HE Engineering Curriculum Lead David Harrison explained: “This is an excellent project for our HE students because it’s well within their capabilities, but it requires them to think like engineers.
“We’re asking the students to use their basic maths and engineering principles to create practical solutions to all the problems they’re facing. It is proper, sound, practical engineering, and all methods and project plans will be approved by the conservation team at the museum at each step, before that phase of work can go ahead.
“One of the biggest problems the industry faces is finding skilled people who are ready to jump straight into work. It’s fine learning the theory and applying it to individual, small-scale projects, but what we really need are graduates who have got hands-on, large-scale engineering experience, which includes learning how to solve problems you hadn’t even considered. Projects like these are invaluable for that experience, and a great stepping stone to working in industry.”
There are benefits for the museum too, which normally relies on volunteers to work on conservation projects. Typically, conservation projects of this type can take years. By teaming up with Newcastle College, work will be completed more quickly, and students will have the chance to work on real-life projects that will massively improve their employability prospects.
Locomotion’s Engagement and Programming Manager Eileen Perrie explained: “It's important to us, as a public facing organisation, that we open up opportunities to as many people as possible, particularly around STEM subject knowledge and careers aspirations.
“We are delighted to be able to contribute to supporting students at Newcastle College through this live industry project, giving them authentic work-based experiences and an opportunity to contribute to a more unusual project.
“We chose Newcastle College because we were keen to find an opportunity to work in partnership, having been impressed by its Rail and Civil Engineering Academy and the engineering departments, and connecting with staff there. The College has a really professional and open approach to partnership working, as well as a forward-facing attitude to trying new things, which we have fully appreciated in our work with them to date.”
Louis Matthews (pictured above, working on the tanker), currently studying for a degree in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering, added: “We’re currently taking the tanker apart, with the aim of replacing parts, making it safe to display. It’s great to be involved in this project because it’s an actual engineering project and we’re doing all elements of it; from planning to solving problems on the fly.
“What I’m discovering is you can plan it all out, but a lot of the ideas don’t actually work practically, so you have to think of another way. I feel like we’re making good progress though. It’s definitely a unique challenge!”
Speaking about the future of the new partnership, Eileen said: “Hopefully this is just the start of our partnership working with Newcastle College and we would very much like to continue working with the staff and students on future projects with our collections conservation work.
“We’re also excited to work in collaboration on events and initiatives such as industry partner activity days to encourage young people into STEM education and careers, signposting to the College's excellent range of courses.”