Bickershaw Colliery

[TwinBoo]

I’m thinking of making a layout based on the NCB’s Bickershaw colliery in Manchester, due to having a mix of Hunslet 0-6-0s & Class 20s hauling HAA wagons, and overall looking pretty interesting; although with it being a private industrial railway it is quite hard to find a plan of the layout which the Hunslets traversed. Rail Map online has a bit of a map but I’m not sure if it accurately portrays the yard as it was 1975-1983 or around there. Does anyone have a plan of the complex?

[The Johnster]

National Library of Scotland downloadable 6 inch OS maps might be able to give you some idea.  You’ll need to interpret the information with the aid of photos snd magazine articles if there are any, but you might even be a le to make reasonably informed guesses about the actual workings as well as the trackplan. 

[Flying Pig]

The NLS only has 6 inch maps published up to 1952.  The latest covering Bickershaw is the 1948 revision:

 

https://maps.nls.uk/view/101103656#zoom=4&lat=3437&lon=5320&layers=BT

 

However by the time the 1972 1 inch map was published, the amount of railway had reduced considerably:

 

https://maps.nls.uk/view/197236079#zoom=7&lat=8087&lon=1471&layers=BT

 

 

[doilum]

Long shot.

 Try the mining museum at Càphouse. They have all sorts of records and maps produced by colliery staff. There was no organised archiving of the industry but someone might just have donated maps found in grandad's attic.

You Tuber Gandy Dancer has posted a lot of 8 mm film he took as a youth in this area. He may also have maps?

Try the library most local to Bickershaw and talk to the person who curates the local history collection. It would not surprise me if a local author had not published a bok on the collieries of Greater Manchester . They may also have maps and documents too.

Edited July 6, 2023 by doilum

[Moxy]

Another long shot might be the Lancashire Mining Museum

 

https://lancashireminingmuseum.org/

 

They may have pictures/old records donated by local contacts, Astley Green Colliery was not that far from Bickershaw.

[nigb55009]

I was a shunter at Bickershaw Exchange sidings for about eighteen months from October 1981. I could probably draw you a diagram of the

sidings,it may not be 100% accurate, but it may help. Some trains ran from the Albert Disposal Point, which was adjacent to the exchange

sidings and was accessed through the sidings. There are a few photos on Flickr of the exchange sidings. I would also suggest looking at the

Wiganworld website. 

The NCB used two GEC diesel 0-6-0 locos. They were named Western King and Western Queen. The ADP  had an 0-4-0 Sentinel.

All the coal trains ran as Trip workings, including the Partington trains. During my time at Bickershaw trains also ran to Padiham CEGB, using

MCVs. The only timetabled services were the Monday only departure to Burton Wagon Repair Depot and the return working, which ran to

Springs Branch. The repaired wagons would then be "tripped" to Bickershaw as required.

[Steamport Southport]

A bit before your time, but may be of use.

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/p/plank_lane/index.shtml

 

 

One of the few places I saw genuine working steam along with Bold Colliery and Agecroft. Surprising that it was only forty odd years ago!

 

 

Jason

[montyburns56]

There are plenty of pictures on Flickr that should give you a rough idea of the layout, but these from the 70s/80s show the much simplified layout presumably as a result of most of the traffic being MGR by this time.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by montyburns56

[montyburns56]

7 hours ago, nigb55009 said:

I was a shunter at Bickershaw Exchange sidings for about eighteen months from October 1981. I could probably draw you a diagram of the

sidings,it may not be 100% accurate, but it may help. Some trains ran from the Albert Disposal Point, which was adjacent to the exchange

sidings and was accessed through the sidings.

 

 

Do you mean the Abram Disposal Point?

[nigb55009]

Yes, Abram Disposal Point was it`s official name. It was referred to as Albert Pit locally. My apologies, I mixed them up,it was forty years ago.

It was operated by the NCB Opencast Executive.

[87023Velocity]

Wigan World usually has quite interesting pictures, lots posted by people at work. It does take a bit of searching. 

 

Here is an album for Bickershaw

 

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/showalbum.php?page=2&opt=3&gallery=Bickershaw+colliery

 

Another for Springs Branch depot.

 

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/showalbum.php?opt=5&gallery=Springs+Branch

 

Class 20's only appeared during 1984, prior to that, 40's and 47's I think.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

 

 

[doilum]

15 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

There are plenty of pictures on Flickr that should give you a rough idea of the layout, but these from the 70s/80s show the much simplified layout presumably as a result of most of the traffic being MGR by this time.

 

 

The austerity "#7" being loaded by a payloader was a film star. Despite having just had  full repaint in blue, the BBC director wanted it in green with an Awdry style "7" for children's TV film called "The Hills of Heaven". They also took S134, later known as Wheldale, from store and repainted it green with the same number "7" in order to film a sequence on the former Methley Joint at Newmarket Collier y.

I have, without success, been trying to discover more about this film for some years and even bought the BBC book. Any information welcome.

[montyburns56]

7 hours ago, doilum said:

The austerity "#7" being loaded by a payloader was a film star. Despite having just had  full repaint in blue, the BBC director wanted it in green with an Awdry style "7" for children's TV film called "The Hills of Heaven". They also took S134, later known as Wheldale, from store and repainted it green with the same number "7" in order to film a sequence on the former Methley Joint at Newmarket Collier y.

I have, without success, been trying to discover more about this film for some years and even bought the BBC book. Any information welcome.

 

Have you seen this site?

 

https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/hills-of-heaven-the/

[sawyermodels]

You could speak to Leigh Model Railway Society as they did at one point have an exhibition layout based on Bickershaw Colliery and used lots of information from Bickershaw as inspiration.