Eddie Heaton:
I got it wrong Chris . The pit I mentioned opposite the Coalite plant at Bolsover was Markham . Of course it was , but we are going back half a century here .
I’ve just looked it up , and the tragic accident occurred in 1973 evidently , with a total of 18 men losing their lives as a result .
Thirteen of them at the scene and another 5 later in hospital by all accounts , with a further 11 sustaining serious injuries .
Eddie .
Oh ! and incidentally Chris , I think you may be correct in identifying that dump near Barnsley as Worsborough.
Several things that I recall about the place are number one , the fact that it had to be accessed via an unsurfaced dirt road . Number two , the top end of the site was adjacent to a railway track , and number three , on the other side of the railway track there was a site ram full of old double decked buses belonging to , I was led to believe, Paul Sykes , whose name you may be familiar with .
And another thing I remember is the spectacular sight , especially early in the morning before it became daylight , of the flames and the steam against the dark sky when they discharged the red hot coke into the line of waiting railway wagons . I should have taken some photos of that .
Do they call it “ charging the retorts “ ? or something of the kind ? ……I’m no expert .
Eddie .
Eddie,I should have remembered Markham and that tragedy.Aye,Worsborough was the one,we could only load benzene ont morning shift,real awkward chuffs they were.It was at side of the electrified railway line that eventually ran up to Penistone and then through Woodhead tunnel into Lancashire.Paul Sykes is a blast from t’past,I wonder if he’s still operating.
Those coke ovens had to work 24/7 all year,a mate of mine lost his licence and got a job at Brookhouse plant which belonged to BSC Chemicals.He was going to pack it in after just one shift but hung on for his wages.When he saw how much he drew he never complained again.The red hot coke was shoved out of each oven into a huge railway type wagon and then doused in water,bits flying all over the place.The photo was taken at Brookhouse in early 70s and the internal shunting wagons are still labelled UCC,which was United Coke and Chemicals,part of Sheffield based United Steels until nationalization in 60s.
Thanks for posting the pic Chris . Crikey! that really brings the memories flooding back . And thanks to Buzzer for posting the shot that instigated the discussion.
But wasn’t that part of industrial Yorkshire interesting back in the 60s and 70s before it was cleaned up and sanitised ?
I found it fascinating being able to go into the various pits , steelworks , mills and other industrial sites and being able to roam around virtually unchallenged , watching the locos shunting , the miners coming up off shift , or witnessing the steelworkers pouring the molten steel and rolling it into long sections of railway track .
All the above taking place before H&S got us all into a headlock of course .
In short , I’m talking about the golden age of driving . I’m just glad that I experienced a part of that era.
If I had to spend 40 odd years delivering to RDCs , handing my keys in with my docs and sitting in a scruffy waiting area for a living , I’d probably top myself .
Incidentally , I think I may have identified the former site of the coking plant from Google earth . It’s the area around the Latitude/Longitude marker I believe.
I used to take fuel oil into Templeborough Rolling Mill, go inside and watch 'em hot rolling steel. Skilled men doing a very dangerous job. That place had a Tetleys pub ON SITE.
The rolling mill is now this place visitmagna.co.uk/
grumpy old man:
I used to take fuel oil into Templeborough Rolling Mill, go inside and watch 'em hot rolling steel. Skilled men doing a very dangerous job. That place had a Tetleys pub ON SITE.
The rolling mill is now this place visitmagna.co.uk/
Re the pub on site GOM, I had a brief job in Sydney running palletised beer from a brewery half a mile to a goods yard. Handball off and empties on and back to the brewery where I was given a chit to get a pint from their bar while the forkie gave me a new load. After half a dozen trips like that I definitely didn’t need to go out for a drink in the evening.
Send help, (Not necessarily in order of importance).
I’m stuck 1800km from home. Both the Newell and Hume Highways are closed due to flooding.
Last week the Newell was closed on my northbound journey, but I found a way around. Judging by the width of the roads/lanes, they weren’t rated for two trailers.
Ah, the nostalgia, reminded me of the back tracks we used to take, dodging the Scalies.
Happy 100th birthday the flying Scotsman! A manager at W.H.Allen where I worked was one of the main men involved in the upkeep of the engine and indeed some parts were made at W.H.Allen.
Kempston:
Happy 100th birthday the flying Scotsman! A manager at W.H.Allen where I worked was one of the main men involved in the upkeep of the engine and indeed some parts were made at W.H.Allen.
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A much travelled loco, got abandonned in the USA at one point, but I didn’t realise it was that old.
Is that W. H. Allen any relation to Ian Allen, he of the wonderful books of railway and BRS numbers that I used to collect avidly in much younger days?
Come to think of it, that was Allan, rather than Allen, so perhaps not.
Kempston:
Happy 100th birthday the flying Scotsman! A manager at W.H.Allen where I worked was one of the main men involved in the upkeep of the engine and indeed some parts were made at W.H.Allen.
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A much travelled loco, got abandonned in the USA at one point, but I didn’t realise it was that old.
Is that W. H. Allen any relation to Ian Allen, he of the wonderful books of railway and BRS numbers that I used to collect avidly in much younger days?
Come to think of it, that was Allan, rather than Allen, so perhaps not.
Not that I’m aware of Spardo. I’ve been racking my brains to try to remember the managers name but it hasn’t come to me yet.
Star down under.:
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It’s hard to believe half the state and parts of NSW are under water with people evacuating their homes.
Hope your home and family isn’t affected by the floods we have gone back to nice low 20 days and cold nights with the fire burning again ,most unusual.
Dig
I believe that Foden belonged to a company called Wright Bros who were based in northern Queensland , there were three 8 wheeler Foden Cattle trucks based in Broome when I first ventured up there but their crates were painted Battleship grey. and don’t think they had sleeper cabs.
Dig
(Not necessarily in order of importance).
