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Silverdale Colliery.

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james60059

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Just out of interest, when the colliery (near Stoke-on-Trent) was open, whereabouts did the coal go?, I'm assuming it was power station bound.

Got me thinking as there was a North facing chord on the West Coast Mainline at Madeley, apart from Fiddlers Ferry, can't think of any more in that direction.
 
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Ken H

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The Silverdale pit was on the Newcastle - market Drayton Line. There was a West/North curve. The line west from the curve was closed, so trains from silverdale went west of the WCML, reversed and up the curve onto the WCML. i assume the loco ran round. Snip here from 1880 nls.maps site of the area.
1634219624072.png
 

LowLevel

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It used to send out trains to mainly Ironbridge but also Rugeley I believe.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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It used to send out trains to mainly Ironbridge but also Rugeley I believe.
Meaford Power Station (Barlaston) would also have figured, as the main power station for North Staffs, reached from Silverdale via Stoke.
Meaford operated 1947-90, and has completely disappeared from the landscape.
Stoke had a number of mines in the area too, all gone now.
Ironbridge would have been easy to reach via Market Drayton, but once the connecting lines closed, Fiddler's Ferry would have been the simplest delivery.
 

LowLevel

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Meaford Power Station (Barlaston) would also have figured, as the main power station for North Staffs, reached from Silverdale via Stoke.
Meaford operated 1947-90, and has completely disappeared from the landscape.
Stoke had a number of mines in the area too, all gone now.
Ironbridge would have been easy to reach via Market Drayton, but once the connecting lines closed, Fiddler's Ferry would have been the simplest delivery.
Ironbridge was a regular working right until Silverdale shut. They ran to Basford Hall, ran round, then back via the Bushbury to Oxley curve to Ironbridge.
 

TheSel

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Nice excuse for a nostalgic look back to Good Friday, 28 March 1986.

1634227001432.png

Image shows: 20047 and 20158 reversing their train into Silverdale Colliery, as PMT Leyland National 2 '301' in 'Silverdale Shuttle' livery passes by. (My own pic.)
 

james60059

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Nice excuse for a nostalgic look back to Good Friday, 28 March 1986.

View attachment 104033

Image shows: 20047 and 20158 reversing their train into Silverdale Colliery, as PMT Leyland National 2 '301' in 'Silverdale Shuttle' livery passes by. (My own pic.)
Lovely photo, thank you for sharing :).

Thank You everyone for the replies too.
 

randyrippley

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Nice excuse for a nostalgic look back to Good Friday, 28 March 1986.

View attachment 104033

Image shows: 20047 and 20158 reversing their train into Silverdale Colliery, as PMT Leyland National 2 '301' in 'Silverdale Shuttle' livery passes by. (My own pic.)

Why would it be reversing INTO the colliery? The one wagon you can see looks full, so surely it should be leaving?
 

Rover

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I was a coal controller at Nottingham control in the 1990s we'd send 40 HAA empties from Toton to Silverdale for loading for Rugeley.
 

TheSel

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Why would it be reversing INTO the colliery? The one wagon you can see looks full, so surely it should be leaving?
That's a very good question - and full marks for observation! In the 35 years since I took the shot, I hadn't noticed.

The answer is I honestly don't know, but here is the next photo from that film, taken perhaps five minutes later from the overbridge visible in the shot embedded into post #7:

1634285763896.png

Was the train too long, perhaps, to be filled in one pass? The front section of wagons all seem to be filled, but you can't tell about the rear ones which seem to be under the loading tower.
 

Lloyds siding

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in the 1990s there were regular trains from Silverdale to Liverpool docks, for export to Belfast, presumably for the NI domestic/industrial coal market.
 

WesternLancer

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Nice excuse for a nostalgic look back to Good Friday, 28 March 1986.

View attachment 104033

Image shows: 20047 and 20158 reversing their train into Silverdale Colliery, as PMT Leyland National 2 '301' in 'Silverdale Shuttle' livery passes by. (My own pic.)
Great pic - looks like another world now! Yet back in the day such an everyday scene I'd probably have just ignored it. Well done for not doing so!
 
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