BMEG is the  Beamish Model Engineering Group within

Beamish Museum.
 

BMEG was started by Ken Swan in 1991 encouraged by John Gall (Deputy director) and Robert Atkinson (Friends Organizer).Membership was drawn from the Wallsend Technical Institute ( as was) and the Chester-le Street Model engineering Club.

  Initially the group was closely associated with the Friends of Beamish in building of embankments and other infra- structure. There has been considerable interchange of members between the two groups depending on interests. BMEG is now a separate group within the Beamish Volunteers. Throughout successive directors (Peter Lewis ,Miriam Harte) have taken a benign interest. Our current director Richard Evans has kindly involved us in a number of successful steam events. Curators Jim Rees and Paul Jarman in charge of the museum’s full size  locomotives have given much help and advice. We are grateful to the museum’s full time staff who show considerable tolerance of our mildly eccentric group.

Many BMEG members are building locomotives to Ken Swan’s design including various versions of Koppel, Wren, Jessie, six wheeled versions of Bridget, and Neptune. The latter developed from a Neptune shipyard engine. However we are chiefly building railway buildings and structures such as a carriage shed, water tower, ticket office etc.