GRUNFOS Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Coming thick and fast now! My mate Bryan's dad worked in Wakefield Kirkgate East box (now sadly no more) and one evening we had a trip down there. This must have been mid/late 80's as the power station cooling towers are still there and they went mid '91. We watched several trains in and out of the station using both routes until the light began to fade - so then, as usual in those days, down to the pub for a quick one! KirkgateEast.8.jpg Inside the box, everyone hard at work. Kirkgate East.1.jpg Splitbox 37 with arriving from Normanton with loads of track panels. I wonder where they were due for? (NOTE - see notes below for further musings on this subject.) KirkgateEast.3.jpg Cl 40 hauled freight with more general wagons although a lot of tankers. Going where? Kirkgate East.2.jpg Another 40 coming into Kirkgate onto the West line (for Healy Mills?) from the South with what appears to be wagon loads of nutty slack! KirkgateEast.4.jpg Cl 45 with 11 coach passenger arriving from the South. No idea of the working or the loco. (EDIT - see Jamie's post below for a possible answer) KirkgateEast.6.jpg Light engine Cl 37 which may have arrived from the Westgate direction(see next photo) and is using the South line to be able to reverse onto the West line. Possibly to go to Healy Mills?. KirkgateEast.5.jpg Now this is an odd one. I'm sure this is the same loco as the previous photo - but it has split boxes. Was there one with this feature possibly after an accident? Both ends have mini snow ploughs and I think it is the same loco as the 'track panel' shot, the headcode is the same. I'm beginning to wonder if the track panels were for the Leeds line North of Westgate which MIGHT have undergone some re-laying around this time. KirkgateEast.7.jpg Cl 40 hauled passenger again with 11 on arriving from Normanton. Shows that there were still substantial passenger workings in those days. Compared to how it looks today there is much difference to Kirkgate then and now. The goods shed facilities have all gone as have the sidings which are car parking areas now. The box has gone along with all the semaphores and the sidings alongside the Normanton line. There is an extensive housing estate on top of the hill. I walked around to Kirkgate yesterday to see how the renovations are going. The whole place is covered in scaffolding etc. and plenty of work is being carried out. As and when it gets finished it should hopefully be very nice with shops, offices etc. Whatever happens - it will be better than it has been for the last 20+ years (having been voted one of - if not the - worst station in the UK)! With reference to the class 37 pics, the split box on the track panels is the same as the one on the track panels,it is facing the same way in both pics, ie B end facing. The centerbox is also B end facing so if the shot was panned to take the splitbox then it would be A end showing. A end is the radiator end on BR diesels. Hope this makes sense. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
5050 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 Hello again after a break I've done a bit more scanning of negs and can offer you some more oddments. First of all is Minera Lime Works near Wrexham in around 1970 or 71. I've always had an interest in this place, ever since I 'discovered' it on a bike ride when I was around 11 years old - and found a working steam loco there. It was 'Olwen', a Beyer Peacock 0-4-0ST and the crew were happy for me to join them on the footplate as they shunted hopper wagons up to the loading dock. I sadly didn't own a camera in those days but I've still got my memories! The visit in my photos was at a weekend when the quarry was still working but the faces etc. were quite a long way up the valley by then. I think there was still some rail workings but the place was getting a bit run down by then. I did ask permission from a bloke in the office and wandered around for an hour or so until some 'jobsworth' gave me a b*ll*cking and kicked me out. I was just about to leave anyway so wasn't to bothered. The office. Another view of the office. A view up the line An interesting and very 'modellable' group of buildings. Remains of an old crane on on of the kilns. An old railway overbridge. View from one of the huge oval kilns. This is a gallery where NG wagons unloaded the lime and tipped it into wagons below. The remains of one of the chutes can be seen. The engine shed no longer with rail access. A building alongside the line now demolished where I once spent a night with some caving friends who were exploring the old workings. The loading dock where lorries tipped their loads into hopper wagons below. There are views and history of the quarries here - http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?p=48428 and here - Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted March 22, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2014 Those are very good and interesting Paul. The big oval kilns were known as Hoffman Kilnes and burned continuously withthe burning process going round and round the inner oval tunnel. I suspect that the kilns would have been fed with coal from above via small shutes with the limestone taken into the openings from narrow gauge wagins from the quarry then taken out by barrow to be tipped into the wagons after it had been 'burnt.' One of those kilns still survives at Stainforth just north of Settle. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
5050 Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Those are very good and interesting Paul. The big oval kilns were known as Hoffman Kilnes and burned continuously withthe burning process going round and round the inner oval tunnel. I suspect that the kilns would have been fed with coal from above via small shutes with the limestone taken into the openings from narrow gauge wagins from the quarry then taken out by barrow to be tipped into the wagons after it had been 'burnt.' One of those kilns still survives at Stainforth just north of Settle. Jamie I didn't want to get to technical with names! There are some good images of Minera and the kilns whilst in use here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mineraquarrytrust/5143506219/ One of these days I'm going to build a layout based on the area. Once I've built all the other project layouts....................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
5050 Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 We now move on a few years to 1978 when I went with my mate Bryan on the weekend 'grice' around the Welsh Coast from Portmadoc area to Aberystwyth, stopping and photographing station buildings. No trains in these sadly but the shots of the buildings may assist someone trying to build a model. I used black and white for some reason, possibly because I considered that it may be a bit 'clearer' for future detailed examination - and also because I probably had some film left over! As can be seen, the weather for the first day was a bit 'inclement' which didn't help with the camping experience - or with creating any pleasant 'ambience' around the stations, several of which seemed quite bleak - but thankfully it cleared up for the following day. They're in alphabetical rather than geographical order. Aberdovey Station platform side showing the canopy removed the next year to Llanuwchllyn station on the Bala Lakeside Rlwy. The road side. I also have some detail shots of windows, doorways etc. if anyone is interested. Borth platform side. Also have a shot of the signal box from the platform. Note the lifted loop trackwork and the wooden platform surface. Caersws from the Aberystwyth end. Caersws from the level crossing. Cemmaes Road (junction for Dinas Mawddwy) platform side. I think the building was in private hands by this time. Looks very similar in style to Caersws. Cemmaes Road 'road' side. Llandre platform side, all looking a bit sad. Strange style of building, doesn't seem to match or be similar to any other. Llandre back side (if you see what I mean....) Llwyngwril platform side complete with broken windows. Llwyngwril back. Note the slate hung walls to keep out the rain! Newtown from the footbridge. Newtown looking towards the Shrewsbury (or should I say Oswestry?) direction. Penryndeudraeth platform side. Penryndeudraeth platform side in the other direction. Penryndeudraeth road side. Talerddig Signal Box rear. Not often photographed in my experience with some nice detail in the brickwork. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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