70s Industrial steam

[65179]

14 hours ago, Jeremy Cumberland said:

I didn't think any of the NCB Yorkshire areas had any working steam locomotives that late. In my Industrial Locomotives 1976, HE 3168/1944 is shown OOU at Allerton Bywater Colliery.

 

"Zone of high vehicular activity" indeed.

 

I think we've had views of No.7 in this thread before. It was certainly well photographed on its trips between Wheldale and the washer at Fryston.

 

For instance this Steve Banks image on Flickr:

 

Simon

 

[Michael Edge]

Hunslet were still experimenting with underfeed stokers as late as 1983 in Yorkshire collieries.

[doilum]

22 hours ago, Jeremy Cumberland said:

I didn't think any of the NCB Yorkshire areas had any working steam locomotives that late. In my Industrial Locomotives 1976, HE 3168/1944 is shown OOU at Allerton Bywater Colliery.

 

"Zone of high vehicular activity" indeed.

S134 He 3168 was rebuilt at Allerton Bywater workshops circa 1970. It was then moved across the road to the colliery where it was stored in the wagon workshop. The paintwork was not quite finished lacking the lining and gloss lacquer. Sometime circa 1979 it was put into steam to appear in a BBC children's TV film The Hills of Heaven. Repainted green with an Awdry style "7" in yellow on the bunker it was sent via BR metals to the stump of the Methley Joint which ran up to Newmarket colliery. Most of the film had already been  shot at Bickershaw using He 3776 which was also given the green makeover despite being recently resplendent in lined out blue. If anyone knows why they had to go to all the expense of creating a Yorkshire doppelganger I would love to know more.

When the couple of days filming were done,S134 was returned to Allerton Bywater Colliery where it was left outside until mid 1981 when Hunslet approached the NCB with a view to undertaking some research.  This was agreed on the condition that Hunslet sent their own engineers to recommission the loco. Originally it was planned to undertake the research at Allerton Bywater but the austerity was too tall to work beneath the screens, so it was transfered across the river to Wheldale where it could work the mile of internal track that linked it to the washers at Fryston. 

The test work was completed in late '81 but this was a very long cold winter that saw several diesel failures and S134 was in use until the following September.  During this time it gained celebrity status and is probably the most photographed and filmed Industrial Locomotive this side of the pennines. It was then retired to Embsay whee it was repainted red and named  " Wheldale".

[doilum]

On 12/04/2024 at 17:53, montyburns56 said:

Fryston 1982 with some interesting signage..

 

 

Somehow I have not come across this fabulous image before. My late father was head teacher of the village school 1966 -73. Prior to his appointment, two small children had been killed playing between the wagons down near the river basin. The release of another batch of loose wagons under gravity caused the parked wagons to compress with fatal consequences for the children stood between them. 

In an almost bizarre twist of coincidence,  the consequences of playing with colliery wagons is at the heart of the plot of "The Hills of Heaven" which would see S134 repainted as the#"7" in the photo.

[Ben B]

On 13/04/2024 at 19:16, doilum said:

Somehow I have not come across this fabulous image before. My late father was head teacher of the village school 1966 -73. Prior to his appointment, two small children had been killed playing between the wagons down near the river basin. The release of another batch of loose wagons under gravity caused the parked wagons to compress with fatal consequences for the children stood between them. 

In an almost bizarre twist of coincidence,  the consequences of playing with colliery wagons is at the heart of the plot of "The Hills of Heaven" which would see S134 repainted as the#"7" in the photo.

 

A little thread drift, but reminds me of a story told by my old Scout Leader when I was a kid. His Grandad lost a foot as a child, when crawling under wagons on the Earl of Dudley's railway; his foot got caught in the gap with a check-rail and the train was shunted, amputating his foot. He luckily recieved medical attention before he bled out.

[doilum]

Another small detail in the photo. The "emergency winder" was mounted on a large road vehicle and operated by the Mines Rescue team. There was probably just the one to cover all the areas of the South and North Yorkshire coalfields.

[Jeremy Cumberland]

12 minutes ago, doilum said:

Another small detail in the photo. The "emergency winder" was mounted on a large road vehicle and operated by the Mines Rescue team. There was probably just the one to cover all the areas of the South and North Yorkshire coalfields.

Thanks, I didn't know exactly what it was, but I couldn't help thinking of the escape route at the back of a bus in the event of an accident.

[montyburns56]

Bold Colliery 1982