RCTS – West Midlands Branch Meeting Report
17th October 2022 – Coventry - 'Moving Coal - The Complete Story
No.2 Area 0-6-0ST No.15 is hauling internal user wagons on NCB tracks at Cambois Crossing on 21st October 1966. Photo Credit :- Gerry Dixon
On Monday 17th October 2022 our guest speaker Tony Bowles was unable to visit us due to unforeseen circumstances but his colleague Mike Dodd from the Restoration and Archiving Trust at Toddington came in his place and presented ‘Moving Coal - The Complete Story’.
This extensive story covered many coalfields, mines and sidings beginning at the birthplace of railways in the North East and continuing into Scotland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Midlands, Somerset and Kent finishing up in the valleys of South Wales. Line drawings of early activities were followed by superb photos, mainly from the 1960s, illustrating infrastructure and locos at work. Steam was very much in evidence into the 1970s and in some areas, the 1980s. Of local interest were images of Birch Coppice and Keresley collieries , the highlight being the Beyer Garratt which worked at Baddesley colliery.
Whilst some main line steam was featured it was evident that the mainstay of the industry was the humble 0-6-0 loco. Pecketts, Hunslets, Barclays and Hawthorns were seen alongside many others - They were all there !!
Pictures of diesels were few in this complete history of the industry from its beginnings in the North East in the 1840s until steam was extinguished in the 1970s and 80s - An Excellent Show !!