In 1896 150ft of the seaward wall of the North Pier fell outwards and by June 1898 it had extended to 300ft. The Commissioners asked Sir John Wolfe Barry to produce a Report and he advised that a new Straight Pier should be Built with a length of 1500ft. In 1898 a contract was awarded to Sir John Jackson for £404,950 and work started with staging of lattice iron girders supported on 16" square oregon pine piles to provide a 65ft span track for the Goliath Crane and a Standard Guage Railway. Work was still delayed by heavy seas and it took Eight Years to complete the work.

Information and pictures from "The Tyne Pier Works Railways" by D. G. Charlton. Tanfield Railway News, December 2000.

Some examples of the Tyne General Ferry Co fleet can be seen at:

http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/C-Ships ... d1881.html

http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/I-Ships/isabel1889.html

http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/E-Ships ... r1891.html

and another:

http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/audrey1897.html