RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted February 9, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2021 1 hour ago, montyburns56 said: Even more OT, but wow what great pictures. British Oak Colliery Staithe 1973 I think this was the prototype for a model, the build of which was in an article in the RM or Model Trains. Those photos could well be used to show our children/grandchildren how different Britain was (only) nearly 50 years ago. People still dug coal out of the ground in huge quantities; It was still transported away from some collieries in canal barges; No-one wore high viz or hard hats around moving equipment; The general public could wander onto industrial sites and take photographs, without a security van (complete with flashing emergency lights) and men in smart uniforms arriving to accuse the photographer of industrial espionage. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mol_PMB Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Jumping on that tangent and running with it, may I offer these three photos. What could possibly go wrong? 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 2 hours ago, montyburns56 said: Even more OT, but wow what great pictures. British Oak Colliery Staithe 1973 A nice selection of wagons, two former Liverpool Corporation and one former LNER hopper! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 Happy days of long walks with dad or grandad to watch barges being loaded or muck being tipped. If, by the Friday of half term I was becoming insufferable, dad's trick was to get me out of mothers hair. We caught the train through to Goole and spent an afternoon wandering along the dockside. A constant lesson in history and geography as I learned where ships had come from and the cargoes they carried along with a potted explanation of the L&Y and A&C navigation. My favourite was watching the Tom puddings which loaded in Castleford being emptied into large ships for export. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted February 9, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2021 2 hours ago, montyburns56 said: Even more OT, but wow what great pictures. British Oak Colliery Staithe 1973 Wow, that's a blast from the past. I remember seeing them working to Thornhill and back (but never loading). Shortly after she was retired in 1975, several of us took Ethel for a trip up to York and back. After that she went to the museum at Ellesmere Port, but I think all that remains of her now is the engine. Pity we can't see the name of the one that is loading. Adrian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted February 9, 2021 Share Posted February 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Northmoor said: I think this was the prototype for a model, the build of which was in an article in the RM or Model Trains. I think it was RM, and possibly by Michael Andress, who did a lot of similar articles at the time. They were of the slightly crude yet incredibly realistic looking school of modelling that you got in those days. 2 hours ago, Northmoor said: The general public could wander onto industrial sites and take photographs, without a security van (complete with flashing emergency lights) and men in smart uniforms arriving to accuse the photographer of industrial espionage. Back then, the security guards probably lived in the next street, and their Mum knew your Mum. So you were OK. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 9 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said: I think it was RM, and possibly by Michael Andress, who did a lot of similar articles at the time. They were of the slightly crude yet incredibly realistic looking school of modelling that you got in those days. Back then, the security guards probably lived in the next street, and their Mum knew your Mum. So you were OK. Security guards? These are definitely development of the last thirty years. (I was going to say post Thatcher but that might have been misconstrued as political). You might have been challenged by an ordinary employee who wasn't afraid to clip your ear if you have a cheeky response. Mostly they might turn a blind eye if you were behaving sensibly and were not putting yourself or anyone else in danger. There were a surprising number of public rights of way that crossed colliery land not to mention unofficial ones that were tolerated by the pit owners. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 9 hours ago, figworthy said: Wow, that's a blast from the past. I remember seeing them working to Thornhill and back (but never loading). Shortly after she was retired in 1975, several of us took Ethel for a trip up to York and back. After that she went to the museum at Ellesmere Port, but I think all that remains of her now is the engine. Pity we can't see the name of the one that is loading. Adrian Another afternoon out in the early sixties. A neighbour was an independent bargeman with a very similar vessel. One afternoon my father and I were invited to join him as he collected his empty barge from Ferrybridge power station and returned it to his home mooring just above the weir at Castleford. He later sold out to Cawood Hargreaves and joined them to head up the team that developed the large pusher tugs and 170 ton pans. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 12 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said: I think it was RM, and possibly by Michael Andress, who did a lot of similar articles at the time. They were of the slightly crude yet incredibly realistic looking school of modelling that you got in those days. Back then, the security guards probably lived in the next street, and their Mum knew your Mum. So you were OK. The idea of a security guard years ago was someone to mind the place at night and open the gates for the day shift! In those days they were a bit like a receptionist and directed visitors to where they needed to go! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Corbs Posted February 10, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2021 16 hours ago, montyburns56 said: Even more OT, but wow what great pictures. British Oak Colliery Staithe 1973 Apart from the bicycle, other interesting features on the barges are the collapsible roofs, one up, one down. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted February 10, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 10, 2021 Plus Heljan are bringing out a model ETHEL very soon. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
montyburns56 Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 17 hours ago, Northmoor said: I think this was the prototype for a model, the build of which was in an article in the RM or Model Trains. Those photos could well be used to show our children/grandchildren how different Britain was (only) nearly 50 years ago. People still dug coal out of the ground in huge quantities; It was still transported away from some collieries in canal barges; No-one wore high viz or hard hats around moving equipment; The general public could wander onto industrial sites and take photographs, without a security van (complete with flashing emergency lights) and men in smart uniforms arriving to accuse the photographer of industrial espionage. I was so fascinated by the pictures that I googled the site and I found that one our very own members has built a model of it and has previously posted the prototype pictures as well. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
montyburns56 Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 Another shot of the tippler at British Oak in 1969. And a nice aerial shot showing the layout 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepyrider Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Operation at the staithe was pretty slick too 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
montyburns56 Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 I've been looking at pictures of the British Oak/Crigglestone facility and it would made for a great multi period model as it has a lot of atmosphere no matter what period you look at it. 13 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
montyburns56 Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 On 10/02/2021 at 08:00, doilum said: Another afternoon out in the early sixties. A neighbour was an independent bargeman with a very similar vessel. One afternoon my father and I were invited to join him as he collected his empty barge from Ferrybridge power station and returned it to his home mooring just above the weir at Castleford. He later sold out to Cawood Hargreaves and joined them to head up the team that developed the large pusher tugs and 170 ton pans. Funnily enough I came across this picture which was a different kind of Cawoods Coal container to the ones that I'm used to seeing! Primrose Hill Colliery 1970 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 love those British Oak pictures, so atmospheric! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted February 12, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, montyburns56 said: Funnily enough I came across this picture which was a different kind of Cawoods Coal container to the ones that I'm used to seeing! Primrose Hill Colliery 1970 The barges were almost certainly supplying Skelton Grange power station (SE corner of Leeds). IIRC when the contract finished they were sold to somewhere in West Africa (Nigeria ?). In the background is one of the pusher tugs and a set of pans, as mentioned by Dolium. Adrian Edited February 12, 2021 by figworthy 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
montyburns56 Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 21 hours ago, figworthy said: The barges were almost certainly supplying Skelton Grange power station (SE corner of Leeds). IIRC when the contract finished they were sold to somewhere in West Africa (Nigeria ?). In the background is one of the pusher tugs and a set of pans, as mentioned by Dolium. Adrian Yeah, there's actually some better pictures of it by the same photographer. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepyrider Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 So I'm guessing that this is on its way down to the Primrose Hill staithe shown above? Looking at the OS map, the "Iron Bridge"? 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepyrider Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Here's another view, same day 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 1 hour ago, sleepyrider said: So I'm guessing that this is on its way down to the Primrose Hill staithe shown above? Looking at the OS map, the "Iron Bridge"? Yes. Just to add confusion in the local area the "iron bridge" is also used to describe the railway bridge over the river Aire just east of Castleford. It is interesting to compare this map to the present one and see how little remains. This is the area totally re landscaped by the St Auden's open cast mine including the river diversion. An interesting murky tale of you are not from these parts!!! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir douglas Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 looking at the bend in the river its going away from the staithe 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted February 13, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2021 24 minutes ago, sir douglas said: looking at the bend in the river its going away from the staithe Agreed, although the wagons look as though they are loaded. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbo675 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Hi Folks, The locomotive's exhaust suggests that it is perhaps propelling the wagons. Gibbo. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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