Colliery served by narrow gauge railway

[TomJ]

In a recent Model Rail there’s a lovely little OO9 layout by Chris Nevard of a small colliery. And it got me thinking of using up some old N gauge track and an excuse to buy a lovely Bachmann Baldwin

 

But we’re there ever and small mines served by a ng line? I know loads had underground ng networks or for supplies on the surface. I’m thinking of one where the coal was taken away by a ng line, perhaps to the standard gauge lower down the valley or staithes on the river/canal

 

Any ideas so if I do go ahead it’s at least vaguely based on reality?

 

Thanks

[br2975]

The Campbelltown & Macrihanish was a 2'3" narrow gauge coal hauler.

 

[figworthy]

7 minutes ago, TomJ said:

But we’re there ever and small mines served by a ng line? I know loads had underground ng networks or for supplies on the surface. I’m thinking of one where the coal was taken away by a ng line, perhaps to the standard gauge lower down the valley or staithes on the river/canal

 

 

Ledston Luck colliery had a narrow gauge line that led to Peckfield Colliery.

 

Peckfield Colliery was at Micklefield (on the Leeds - York rail route), with Ledston Luck being a couple of miles to the south, the line ran along the side of the A656, just below road level.  The line appeared to be very similar to the underground lines, but I don't recall seeing anything run on it.

 

Adrian

[Wickham Green too]

There were plenty of mines served by narrow gauge railways - rather than internal systems ......... but not a lot of them were coal mines !

[Ray M]

9 hours ago, figworthy said:

 

Ledston Luck colliery had a narrow gauge line that led to Peckfield Colliery.

 

Peckfield Colliery was at Micklefield (on the Leeds - York rail route), with Ledston Luck being a couple of miles to the south, the line ran along the side of the A656, just below road level.  The line appeared to be very similar to the underground lines, but I don't recall seeing anything run on it.

 

Adrian

i was out on the motorbike 1 Sunday morning.  when i needed a pee.

 so i pulled up at this little cutting, at the side of the road.

And thats when i noticed this little narrow gauge track.   And a presto, there was this headlight coming towards, in the distance. 

i got of the track fairly pronto.

I never knew anything about it before that day.

i think that was about 1980 or so.

[phil_sutters]

There were colliery narrow gauge lines in the Somerset coalfield. There are photos in Robin Atthill's The Somerset and Dorset Railway of a Hudswell and Clarke 2ft 8.5in 0-6-0ST on the Foxcote colliery line to Writhlington and of the rope-worked incline on the 2ft line from Moorewood colliery. The latter had 'little 0-6-0Ts' which worked the line on along the Nettlebridge valley.

Judge & Potts show one on the map at Norton Hill colliery and from Writhlington to Braysdown colliery. Winsor Hill colliery is shown with several sections of narrow gauge track,

Edited May 11, 2021 by phil_sutters

[doilum]

12 hours ago, figworthy said:

 

Ledston Luck colliery had a narrow gauge line that led to Peckfield Colliery.

 

Peckfield Colliery was at Micklefield (on the Leeds - York rail route), with Ledston Luck being a couple of miles to the south, the line ran along the side of the A656, just below road level.  The line appeared to be very similar to the underground lines, but I don't recall seeing anything run on it.

 

Adrian

All the coal wound at Ledston Luck went north to Peckfield in mine cars to be washed and transfered to BR. There are good photographs in Ron Rockett's book on Castleford colliery railways. 

I believe that Hunslet had a test track nearby where they developed the locos for the channel tunnel project.

[doilum]

12 hours ago, br2975 said:

The Campbelltown & Macrihanish was a 2'3" narrow gauge coal hauler.

 

There is an excellent 7mm layout of the line in the museum in Campbelltown.

[doilum]

23 hours ago, doilum said:

All the coal wound at Ledston Luck went north to Peckfield in mine cars to be washed and transfered to BR. There are good photographs in Ron Rockett's book on Castleford colliery railways. 

I believe that Hunslet had a test track nearby where they developed the locos for the channel tunnel project.

This has got me thinking (always dangerous). I had assumed that the 2'6" gauge !line was part of the modernisation work when the colliery was reopened in 1950.*  It appears that it may be considerably older and I have seen a reference that two elderly Hudswell Clarke steam locomotives worked the line. One problem with urbex and local history sites are the obvious and not so obvious errors that become enshrined as fact. If anyone has any relevant history I would be delighted to hear. There is a real potential for a shelf layout and the colliery itself was compact enough to be modelled even in 7mm.

* This is also the narrative in the IRS blue book.

Edited May 12, 2021 by doilum

[Michael Crofts]

Brain's Tramway in the Forest of Dean would be a prototype for a narrow gauge railway hauling coal from a colliery to a transhipment point. I'm not going to give you online references because IMHO they are all plagiarism one way or another. The definitive source is an article by Ian Pope in "The New Regard" (Journal of the Forest of Dean Local History Society) for 2002, available for purchase as a download at a very modest cost, profusely illustrated, and with excellent maps. The railway was 2' 7 1/2" gauge and had 3 steam locomotives of two types, both of which are illustrated in the article (and there is an illustration in one of the Severn & Wye books).

 

There were numerous narrow gauge plateways in South Wales and the Forest of Dean which carried coal, and famously the Little Eaton Gangway, but I guess that's not really what you are thinking of.

 

Edit: I have remembered Firbeck Colliery. They had one of the 18" gauge Woolwich Arsenal locomotives, Albert Edward, and that can only have worked above ground. I would love to know exactly what the 18" gauge railway arrangements were at that colliery. Right now I don't have time to search the old maps.

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Michael Crofts

[eastglosmog]

The Arigna branch of the Cavan and Leitrim (3ft gauge) served the Leydens and other Coal mines.  Coal came down by overhead ropeway to the 3ft line at Derreenavoggy.

[CKPR]

There was a 2'6" narrow-gauge line associated with Haig colliery at Whitehaven that transported fire clay from a small drift mine to a brickworks at nearby Micklam.

[Rail-Online]

On 12/05/2021 at 22:31, Michael Crofts said:

Brain's Tramway in the Forest of Dean would be a prototype for a narrow gauge railway hauling coal from a colliery to a transhipment point. I'm not going to give you online references because IMHO they are all plagiarism one way or another. The definitive source is an article by Ian Pope in "The New Regard" (Journal of the Forest of Dean Local History Society) for 2002, available for purchase as a download at a very modest cost, profusely illustrated, and with excellent maps. The railway was 2' 7 1/2" gauge and had 3 steam locomotives of two types, both of which are illustrated in the article (and there is an illustration in one of the Severn & Wye books).

 

 

To make it easier to find on their site 'www.forestofdeanhistory.org.uk'  - it is in the reprints section of the publications entitled  'New Regard Vol 18 p35 to p60 - Brain's Tramway'

 

Tony

[Hesperus]

There was a couple of small branches of the Glyn Valley Tramway to collieries but they might not have survived to be steam worked.  Nice might have been with available stock though.

[Captain Kernow]

Or there's always 'Rule 1'.

[doilum]

For a "nearly might have been", take a look at Roger Farnsworth's work on the Ashover light railway in the Narrow Gauge prototype section of this forum. In part 3 he describes a proposed branch to a colliery. Sadly the coal ran out before it could be built. The Ashover used ex WD stock so this could be a very doable project.

[eastglosmog]

The narrow gauge Saundersfoot Railway (4' 03/8") served several collieries in the southern Pembrokeshire Coalfield, such as Bonvilles Court, Kilgetty and Reynalton.

[doilum]

3 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

The narrow gauge Saundersfoot Railway (4' 03/8") served several collieries in the southern Pembrokeshire Coalfield, such as Bonvilles Court, Kilgetty and Reynalton.

Would it be naughty to suggest that 16.5mm track would be almost spot on?

Edited May 22, 2021 by doilum

[eastglosmog]

12 hours ago, doilum said:

Would it be naughty to suggest that 16.5mm track would be almost spot on?

No very naughty.  At the end of its days, the Saundersfoot gauge might even have spread to 4' 11/2"!

[doilum]

On 11/05/2021 at 08:29, phil_sutters said:

There were colliery narrow gauge lines in the Somerset coalfield. There are photos in Robin Atthill's The Somerset and Dorset Railway of a Hudswell and Clarke 2ft 8.5in 0-6-0ST on the Foxcote colliery line to Writhlington and of the rope-worked incline on the 2ft line from Moorewood colliery. The latter had 'little 0-6-0Ts' which worked the line on along the Nettlebridge valley.

Judge & Potts show one on the map at Norton Hill colliery and from Writhlington to Braysdown colliery. Winsor Hill colliery is shown with several sections of narrow gauge track,

Look on you tube for Kitty Landrover's exploration

[Joseph_Pestell]

Another location that people don't know for coal mining is the Far North of Scotland.

 

Historical Surveys of LMS Stations maps out a narrow-gauge to standard gauge transhipment point at Brora (?).