Astley Green and Walkden Railway. Battle for the Canal Bridge, Part 4

Heavy coal trains leaving Astley Green Colliery yard for British Railways had to battle with a steep climb over the canal bridge. On a bright but wet afternoon in November 1969 a heavy coal train slips to a stand on wet rails and has to tries again with a steam engine at the front and one banking at the back.

[@michaelrussell220]

I appreciate the work that has gone into turning what is already interesting steam footage into fascinating little documentaries telling a story and giving lots of background information. A real inspiration to get modelling. You can tell that a professional has been at work here. Thanks Jonathan!

[@michaelsassenus3154]

Thank you for another great video!

[@GrahamAshby-oi2kv]

Love these short films a loco being worked hard and still coming back for more I now have my own 5 inch austerity in red named Warrior which does the same as it’s name sake

[@austinmetro6317]

I understand now why these steam trains were so loved

[@simonturner5450]

Thanks for sharing, a fascinating video. I didn’t know about your channel until I heard you on the Railway Mania podcast and the video certainly lived up to the billing.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Thanks Simon I appreciate you comment.

[@CorbsTheGreat]

What a great video, I've subscribed. Especially brilliant for people like me who never got to see industrial steam at work, you can almost feel the power.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Thanks Corwin, that's the intention of these films, to share the thrill of these steam locos at their everyday work.

[@clearprop]

These days we tend to see steam only in a manicured, 'visitors centre' kind of way - as cherished oddities, but oddities nonetheless. Films like this are great in that they present the 'everyday graft' of steam in the UK a generation ago, and how relatively recently steam underpinned so much of our industry. Thank you for taking the time to make this.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Very true. Thanks for your comment, Dan.

[@Avlarrr1988]

Ugly?! Compared to a Thompson L1 - definitely not!

[@guzzi1948]

interesting to see one of those little tanks fitted with a Giesel Ejector

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Arnie, quite a few of them were as they tried to get the smoke emissions down and the efficiency up working with Hunslet. Further on in the series I discuss these modifications.

[@Chepstowion_Adventura]

I wonder if this warrior in the video, is the same warrior at dean forest railway in pieces on a flatbed wagon.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

I think it probably is the same.

[@Chepstowion_Adventura]

@@GandyDancerProductions unless there multiple locos called warrior, I remember one austerity by name ‘Gunby’ which I think a funny name and why my favourite:

[@NJPurling]

I suppose that everybody thought that they could keep the mine open if the production of coal was high. Two trains of 150 tons each would also have taken extra time. The Austerities were built to last four years with the bare essentials of servicing in Europe where they could not assume that any workshops were still operational.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

I'm told this train was actually over 450 tons. Even bigger than I thought. Astley Green was a productive mine and all kinds of sneaky government moves caused it to close. Austerities were really cheap engine for the NCB to buy and run compared to diesels.

[@eliotreader8220]

@@GandyDancerProductions I understand their coal bunkers had a two ton capacity? and I have forgotten how much water their saddle tanks carried.

[@admiralcraddock464]

just imagine if a preservation society could replicate this scene today complete with the grime and dense black smoke blasting out the loco chimneys as they struggled up a steep incline with 350 tons of coal. The environmentalists would have heart attacks

[@jordanbailey3289]

What is the purpose of the curtains in the cab?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Jordan, the rain would blow horizontally off Chat Moss and into the cabs of the locos. These curtains were a rudimental attempt to give some protection against this whether.

[@jordanbailey3289]

Gandy Dancer Productions thanks, ive noticed it in a few locos, and always wondered what it’s use was I thought it could be to confine blowbacks or gauge glass breakages to the cab

[@GandyDancerProductions]

@@jordanbailey3289 I never saw or heard of a gauge glass breakage in all the time I hung around steam engines.

[@simondl3260]

Can't tell you how great your videos of industrial steam are - thank you ! Fascinated to see you have a Holly Bank nameplate - I recently found out no. 3 ran on the old Lilleshall Co. / Granville Colliery network in Shropshire where my late Grandfather was a miner. Rapido Trains have just announced a forthcoming OO model of it too ! Thanks again

[@Avlarrr1988]

Nice to see Warrior at work though...would be nice to see her back running on my line (DFR) one day!

[@carmelozion7690]

not sure if anyone gives a damn but if you are stoned like me atm you can stream all the latest series on InstaFlixxer. I've been watching with my girlfriend recently :)

[@gibsoncolton2294]

@Carmelo Zion Definitely, been watching on instaflixxer for months myself :D

[@TheDaf95xf]

Good morning Johnathan. I can’t believe these videos are around preserving my childhood memories, even though I was in a children’s home all of my youth until the age of 18. The little railway in that Walkden area gave me sanctuary from a horrible childhood. Did you ever film the little line that ran up from Walkden to Little Hulton at the back of Ridyard St? When I moved from Bothhstown I was sent too another home on 66/68 Trafford Rd Little Hulton and I found that there was a line running in between the houses. It ran to some sort of mine or coal yard? I see it’s an industrial estate now 😀 I can remember quite clearly the demolition men pulling up the rails with a crane with a big magnet 🧲 picking up all the loose chairs & fixing screws and anything metal. Also we watched the builds being demolish with a crane and ball. I spent hours sitting with the crane driver and the demolition men. It’s was great fun but sad at the same time seeing it destroyed forever 😢Thanks again for sharing the fantastic video on such hard working steam engines. Cheers Stevie.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Stevie, I didn't film the line to Little Hulton. It was sad seeing all this infrastructure destroyed.

[@BlackAndDeckerBoy]

Fabulous footage thank you. Never to be repeated way of life

[@RailFan60121]

Hi mate, I just wanted to say you have gotten some amazing footage of industrial steam in its heyday doing what they did best! Id just like to ask about that name plate you have behind your head during the video. Could I ask if that is a real nameplate off Holly Bank No. 3?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi, thanks for your comment. Hope you've had a chance to view the other 4 film about Astley Green steam I have up on my channel. The plate at the back of my head, in this vid, is an original 'Holly Bank No. 3' and I have the works plate too. The loco was scrapped in the 1960's. There is a loco at the Chasewater Railway Museum that uses the same name and it would be interesting if one of the plates on it is an original. Next time you're down there maybe ask around and let me know.

[@RailFan60121]

Hi, thanks for the quick response. I only asked as I am a volunteer at Chasewater and work as crew and maintenance (for steam) and as you said our Holly Bank is just a 'mock up' as you would as we wanted to recreate local history and so the name plates are replicas and the works plates are the locomotives originals (so they are the ones for Darfield Colliery No.1). The only original plates we have from the 4 16" Hunslets that worked at Hilton Colliery are from Carol Anne.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Keep up the good work. Chasewater looks like an interesting museum and railway. I am fortunate in being old enough to have seen many these engines and railways in action and filmed and photographed them. I'll be posting more of this action in the future so stay tuned.

[@parthobasistha6135]

Hello sir.you that the steam locomotives were very strong and required less maintenance. However, did not they burn higher volumes of coal for the required initial torque? And whether the delayed acceleration not delay the turn around time of the rakes?

[@adriannorris1486]

Amazing footage….thanks for posting.

[@neillvirtue3705]

Great stuff . Grew up on an estate that was built right next to the line going through Roe Green down to the canal. The old coal yard on Alfred Avenue being a great playground . One of my earliest memories is being walked as a toddler down this stretch to where the staithe must have been shortly after the trains stopped running. A bit of stonework with a crest on it has been placed as a feature next to where the line would have crossed Worsley Rd next to Bridgewater School. I think it must have come from the original bridge. And you can still see old sleeper indentations on Worsley Green itself. It would be great to see any old footage of this particular part of the network . There doesn't seem to be much generally in the way of old photographs or film of this particular railway system.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Neill, I'm pleased there are still some markers where the railway used to run. So much has been obliterated. I didn't get a chance to see or film this part of the system working because it had closed a few years before my discovery of the system.

[@djburland]

Fabulous film memories

[@davemitchell9941]

Those ol J94’s are a strong little engine as I can testify having driven & fired them on the B&W railway. Would pull 4 bogies (5 @ a pinch) on the 1:40 gradients & severe curves we faced effortlessly, over 21/2 or 3 miles from Bodmin Parkway or Boscarne junction up to General. Big fires, needle on red line all the way & steam against injector. Very economical too! Loco we had, had evidence of prior gas producer fit that Hunslet pursued, for a time. As Mr Bulleid said ; “ Does function create form, or form create function.” Subsequent to his Q1 emerging. Very competent filming once more & a good capture for the record. Thank you.🙂

[@GandyDancerProductions]

HI Dave, you're a lucky man having the opportunity to work on these engines.

[@mobius8002]

I bet those drivers were cursing the trucks for dumping the muck on the crossings ,cant be helped though

[@tonyrobinson362]

Reminds me of the crossing at Clipstone colliery, Trying to get loaded out over that bloody crossing, Thankyou for bringing back now wonderful memories, P,S not wonderful at the time, 1974.

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Tony, it was certainly exciting to film and it happened day after day.

[@mercury7590]

These engines certainly have character. Warrior, bless her heart, so filthy yet so determined to get the job done. Austerities certainly don’t care about getting dirty. Are the engines seen in this film preserved?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

I'm pretty sure they are all preserved except Stanley though none are actual runners at the moment.

[@TERRYBIGGENDEN]

I love these films/clips. I tried to see if those engines had any sanding gear but it was difficult to tell. Surely they should have have had sad on every driver?

[@GandyDancerProductions]

Hi Terry, they did have sanders on the front and back wheels operated by steam. You can see them working in this video. It's the steam coming up in front of the leading drivers at 1:39: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHWniJeuq8p4bbs