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Walkden Colliery lines


roythebus

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Hi any further info on the tunnels? Have read that there were stone steps leading to the boatyard underground where tesos walkden is. Looks like the main entrance was where the petrol station is and another foot access from roughly where the carpark under the shop is now. Any thoughts on this? Also did the reservoir/fishing pond water at tescos run into the tunnels and ultimately into the bridgewater canal? where was its source of water from? 

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OK, 

1) 47378 at Patricroft (bit dark I'm afraid).

2) 47378 at Quaker Bridge, Monton (just down the road from Eccles Grammar), both 16/3/63.

3) King George VI at East Lancs, Moseley Common (I think) 1964

Regards

 

 

Thanks for posting those and the previous three photos.

 

Photo 3 is just south of Sandhole Colliery, the overbridge carried the A580 East Lancs Road

 

Photos 2 & 3 in Post #75 were taken at Astley Moss Sidings, the connection with the Manchester to Liverpool line being in the far distance.

In Photo 2 there appears to be an Austerity 0-6-0ST in the distance, probably preparing to bank BRIDGEWATER's train up to Astley Green Colliery.

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Hi any further info on the tunnels? Have read that there were stone steps leading to the boatyard underground where tesos walkden is. Looks like the main entrance was where the petrol station is and another foot access from roughly where the carpark under the shop is now. Any thoughts on this? Also did the reservoir/fishing pond water at tescos run into the tunnels and ultimately into the bridgewater canal? where was its source of water from? 

 

The original Walkden Yard was situated in the area now occupied by the car park.  Boats were built and repaired there and lowered down an inclined adit to the underground canal.  It was replaced by the later Walkden Yard which became the NCB Central Workshops about 1900, and was subsequently used as a landsale yard.

 

Glen Atkinson ("The Canal Duke's Collieries, Worsley 1760-1900") refers to this reservoir (p.14) so presumably it originally had some connection to the underground canal.  The operation of the inclined plane, which was nearby, involved loss of water in the upper level and in connection with this on p.16 he states "so that the supply reservoirs became even more essential", so possibly the present pond was originally one of these supply reservoirs.  However compared with old OS maps it seems to have been considerably reduced in size.  The Blackleach Reservoir was also used to supply the upper level of the undergound canal.

 

There is a book due to be published later this year on Walkden Yard and the Central Railways by Alan Davies which may answer more of your queries.

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OK,

1) 47378 at Patricroft

 

The building in the background, above the loco's chimney was, at that time, part of the Patricroft Royal Ordnance Factory, but up to 1938 it was the works of Nasmyth Wilson, locomotive builders.

 

Standing below it, adjacent to the running lines, was a Boddingtons pub (still there as far as I know) called the Queens Arms and known locally as the Top House. Around 1974/75 I had some University friends up staying and, keen to sample some local beers, I took them there. Walked into the tap room and the barman said, " Sorry Arthur, ladies in the lounge only". No surprise to me but he girls in the group, southerners all, were horrified at such discrimination in such modern times!! They'd travelled not just 180 miles but two decades back as well.

 

 

sure ive seen that last shot somewhere before, may have seen a shot of a brakevan derailed here, but may be getting confused.

There is certainly a shot of that special standing by Quaker bridge in one of the Manchester area photo albums, though I don't think it's that exact same image. I'll see if I can track it down tomorrow. To the right, the road lead to the affluent Ellesmere Park, full of large Victorian villas.

 

The lifted line used to continue north to Molyneaux Junction, passing through Clifton Hall tunnel. Known locally as Black Harry, part of it collapsed in 1953, taking with it two houses and five lives. The line was lifted shortly afterwards.

 

Photo 3 is just south of Sandhole Colliery, the overbridge carried the A580 East Lancs Road

 

So are we north of the East Lancs looking south, PGH?

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So are we north of the East Lancs looking south, PGH?

 

No, Arthur, we are south of the E.Lancs looking north, or perhaps more accurately north east.  The first two wagons are on a weighbridge, the flat roof of the cabin can be seen just above the wagons.  I would guess from the smoke that the loco is possibly banking on the rear of a train.

 

The two point levers are at the end of a double slip point which gave access to the sidings south of the E.Lancs Road.

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The original Walkden Yard was situated in the area now occupied by the car park.  Boats were built and repaired there and lowered down an inclined adit to the underground canal.  It was replaced by the later Walkden Yard which became the NCB Central Workshops about 1900, and was subsequently used as a landsale yard.

 

Glen Atkinson ("The Canal Duke's Collieries, Worsley 1760-1900") refers to this reservoir (p.14) so presumably it originally had some connection to the underground canal.  The operation of the inclined plane, which was nearby, involved loss of water in the upper level and in connection with this on p.16 he states "so that the supply reservoirs became even more essential", so possibly the present pond was originally one of these supply reservoirs.  However compared with old OS maps it seems to have been considerably reduced in size.  The Blackleach Reservoir was also used to supply the upper level of the undergound canal.

 

There is a book due to be published later this year on Walkden Yard and the Central Railways by Alan Davies which may answer more of your queries.

hi thanks, yes i have the glen atkinson book, £5.50 from amazon-not even read it yet=guess i need to...its easy to see how things changed round the pond on this map as there is a slider. choose great britain and check the different map years-some really good http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=53.46088&lon=-2.3896&layers=00B0000000FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

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  • 3 months later...

Hi

Early in this thread mention was made of the ex-SR loco, No. 1600 at Haydock. If anyone is interested in winning a negative of it, it's currently (3/10/13) for sale on eBay at this link:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orig-6cm-x-6cm-B-W-neg-NCB-WALKDEN-COLL-RLYS-ex-SR-1600-at-HAYDOCK-Coll-1958-/200970221974?pt=UK_Collectables_Railwayana_RL&hash=item2ecac23996

 

Regards,

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  • 2 months later...

It has been fascinating to read this thread since as a child I used to go to watch the trains on the Brackley to Ashton Field section at the level crossing at the top of St James Street in New Bury Farnworth. I had always remembered the name Warspite but wasn't certain of the other loco that I often saw and reading this thread I think it may well have been Repulse or possibly Respite

 

There was a small brick shelter adjacent to the crossing where the guy who operated the crossing was based. He used to live a few doors from my parents as well which may be how I happened to be there !

What I never realised until I read this article was how new the engines were as it would have been around 1960/62 when I used to see them. They also ran into the coal bagging yard at Highfield where my uncle worked for most of his life as a bagger.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My apologies to Coalboard, but I have only just discovered this thread, twelve months too late. A few years ago I did build a model of Ellesmere Shed and a small part of Walkden Yard, with some locos, maily Francis, Kenneth, King Geoge VI and a few austerity tanks. I couldn't bring myself to disfigure the locos with the Giesl ejector. My Grandmother lived on Ashton Field Street, as it was then in the late 40s/early 50's and I used to stand on the footbridge there and watch the trains. No Giesls then, of course.

 

1011894_1377131142545694_1621197502_n.jp

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Thanks for the interest. Not sure it's appropriate to put more photos here, so I've put a few in the modelling gallery under Walkden Yard Ellesmere Shed. To be honest I'm not sure how I got the first one in, because I couldn't repeat it. Anyone able to explain, please, or show me where the info is on the site? I've spent hours looking for it without success!

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  • 3 weeks later...
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I spent a lot of time in a round the Astley Green and Walkden Railway system in the last year of it's existence photographing and making movies.  I've have the 8mm film I shot there scanned to high resolution video files and started posting sequences on Youtube.  If you're interested her's a link to this historic film.  There will be more to follow:

 

Astley Green and Walkden Railway 1969 - YouTube

 

Astley Green and Walkden Railway Part 2 - YouTube

 

Astley Green and Walkden Railway part 3 - YouTube

 

 

post-20643-0-64391700-1467677897.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
 
Here's another film of Asley Green in 1969 with the Austerities heaving massive coal trains out of the colliery yard and over the canal bridge, across Chat Moss to BR exchange sidings.  This is a record of these engine being thrashed unmercifully.

 
Astley Green and Walkden Railway Part 4. Battle for the Canal Bridge. - YouTube

 

post-20643-0-31693600-1467677141_thumb.jpeg
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