Wath/Tinsley/Healey Mills, ex workers etc

[westhouses18b]

Hi,

further to my previous post RE: Wath area Timetables, I wonder if there are any ex Wath, Tinsley, Doncaster or Healey Mills men on here who may have worked over the Wath and former Wath area, in the 1970's and 80's?

Also, as plenty of people went spotting there in the 70's and 80's, I wonder, has anyone on here got any on shed lists that they may have kept, as a 30 something year old, I never got chance to see the area when it was working. And it;s proving a hard task to find out a great deal of info about the place.

Flickr has a fair few photo's but books on the Woodhead tend to give it only a brief mention.

Any help or provision of info details would be most appreciated.

regards
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I'd really like to get in touch with 9K43 on here, as some of his posts mentioned Wath and I;m sure others on here may have had memories or pics etc from spotting visits?

 

[9K43]

On the closure of Waff, all the work came to HM and Donny.
I spent a week or so in DMU road learning train, covering all the new locations we would work into.
This included all the pits Wath men worked into.
We got 6K22, a sand train to Beatson clarkes at Barnsley.
This accessed from Quarry Junction on the Barnsle/ Sheffield Line.
All the track was brand new CWR in the Wath Area.
We loaded back from Wath Yard with 28 HTV's over the S and K.
This train consited of 28 HTV's fully loaded it was 720tons, behind a class31.
We also lifted all the track around Barnsley area, same again brand new track
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Have a look at this from Utube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX09oyf8jFY&list=PL2321E91EDF9041C5

Ask me any thing re wath yard and transferred work from Wath on shutting.

HM guard

 

[westhouses18b]

On the closure of Waff, all the work came to HM and Donny.

Did Tinsley not pick up some work? WTT's suggest there was a Tinsley Yard to Dovecliffe for coal ex Earles Sidings.

I spent a week or so in DMU road learning train, covering all the new locations we would work into. From info source I'm guessing that that should be around January 1983? Would you happen to know the places, Barrow Collliery (Dovecliffe) Darfield Main, Manvers, any others?
This included all the pits Wath men worked into.
We got 6K22, a sand train to Beatson clarkes at Barnsley.
Where did HM men work it through to?
This accessed from Quarry Junction on the Barnsle/ Sheffield Line.
All the track was brand new CWR in the Wath Area.
From pics it all looks in great condition, did you work on any of the jobs to put it in?
We loaded back from Wath Yard with 28 HTV's over the S and K.
This train consited of 28 HTV's fully loaded it was 720tons, behind a class31.
Was this with Manvers traffic?
We also lifted all the track around Barnsley area, same again brand new track
You mentioned that you'd kept your diaries from this time, would you happen to have the details of when this work took place?

Would really like to chat further about Wath,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX09oyf8jFY&list=PL2321E91EDF9041C5

Ask me any thing re wath yard and transferred work from Wath on shutting.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

We loaded back from Wath Yard with 28 HTV's over the S and K.
This train consited of 28 HTV's fully loaded it was 720tons, behind a class31.
HM guard

I presume that this is the working?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/239875...qNb-e3AB67-bxZgVr-e5U3QP-dZLKHF-dAZP1Y-e3hNRK

 

[9K43]

As this is 30 years ago, I have been in to NUR Diary for W/c 23/05/1983.
I was booked on at HM at 0905hrs to take the sand waggons from Healey Mills via the Crigglestone curve to Darton,Barnsley Station and Quarry Junction off the Sheffield Line. Then down to Beatson Clarkes glass works via a ground frame into the glassworks sidings.
At this time there were no empty hoppers to go back so we went L/E Gd down to Aldams Junction.
At this point if there was any traffic from Dovecliffe, we went down to the next signal box for the single line workingtoken up to Dovecliffe.
This token was a sawed of brake stick with a brass strip annoucing that possession of this tablet was the authority to go upto over the Level Crossing at Dovecliffe and return back to the issuing SB.
From Dovecliffe to Aldams Jct it was a very steep bit of railway.
As the guard I fitted up the Vacuum on the loaded HTV's and did a brake test on the train.
You did the by piping up the vacuum brakes on all the HTV's and creating 21inch of vacuum and when the train had 21 inch the driver would whistle to tell me he has the correct amount of vacuum. At this pulled the last vacuum bag of the last truck and saw and listened for the brakes come on.
We then had to ensure that the last 3 waggon brakes were activated. Once I checked the last 3 brakes were applied I put the vacuum bag back on the dummy and made sure all the brakes had been blown off
Then walked down to the driver and gave the tip.
Then off up the short length of track to back into the sidings at Wath Yard
Normally we had 28hTV's come into the yard, from Manvers with eiither Goole men/ Donny/Tinsley.
We then set off past Manvers up the bank to the S and K back to the Mill.
Through Moorthorpe, down the Bank onto the GN, and then make a right turn at Hare Park Junction, Calder Bridge, Wakefield Kirkgate, Horbury Junction,
HM 181 Signal and up to the receptions to dump the train.
There was 28 HTV's fully fitted at 720 tons.
Sign on at 09:05hrs back at the mill at 13:00hrs and off home right away.
Wath Yard is now a massive call centre, with no signs of it having been there.

 

[westhouses18b]

Thank you for the details of that trip, I would be very very interested to read any further such trips,

esepcially interesting was the inscription on the branke stick used as the single line staf to dovecliffe. Was the box demanned but used as GF by then then?

I presume you as the guard had to operate the gates at Dovecliffe?

would you happen to have any dates please of P-Way trains you worked on to lift the track?

 

[9K43]

Thank you for the details of that trip, I would be very very interested to read any further such trips,

esepcially interesting was the inscription on the branke stick used as the single line staf to dovecliffe. Was the box demanned but used as GF by then then?

I presume you as the guard had to operate the gates at Dovecliffe?

would you happen to have any dates please of P-Way trains you worked on to lift the track?

Dovecliff at this time, had a shunter and a tapper, these 2 men operated the box and set the road.
The shunter was the President of The National Union of Railwaymen.
you have to remember that all this was 30 years ago, and this is in my memory, with the help of NUR diary.
I will scan a page from the diary of a weeks work on the K22 HM Tripper.

 

[westhouses18b]

Dovecliff at this time, had a shunter and a tapper, these 2 men operated the box and set the road.
The shunter was the President of The National Union of Railwaymen.
you have to remember that all this was 30 years ago, and this is in my memory, with the help of NUR diary.
I will scan a page from the diary of a weeks work on the K22 HM Tripper.

That's rather interesting, were the two guys on at the same time on one shift, or were there men on Days and afternoons?

Your memories are rather good, especailly I'm a 30 something year old who sadly necver got to see any of this,

 

[9K43]

That's rather interesting, were the two guys on at the same time on one shift, or were there men on Days and afternoons?

Your memories are rather good, especailly I'm a 30 something year old who sadly necver got to see any of this,

I would think that the 2 men at Dovecliff either stayed for an 8 Hour shift or went home after my train left.
It could be that other Depots came in with MGR's which had 36 HAA's which had to be split and the Air brakes strings had to be pulled, and the instanta couplings had to be lengthend.
You either had to go under 36 buffers, or use a shunt pole to do this job.When the trucks were loaded this proceedure had to be reversed.
I have done this many 100's of times and for 1 person this would take quite along time.
This proceedure was mainly done at Grimethorpe, but ended when the rapid loading bunker was built at that Pit.
Millions of £ were spent on rapid loading at these pits, only to have them shut and all that money wasted.
After the Miners Strike in 84/85 I had route knowledge into 20 pits in and around Barnsley. Now their is not one pit left

 

[4SRKT]

A very interesting thread documenting workings that were on the way out in my early teens. Thank you very much for bringing this lost world to life.

 

[westhouses18b]

Thank you 9k43 for sharing your memories

look forward to seeing some of those diary entries,

 

[9K43]

I can post up 2 weeks work going from HM to Wath and back to HM.
On the above dates.
There are other instances of jobs from HM in and out o Wath.
Will scan up shortly.
Having problems scanning into the PC, cannot make a link.