Good question ....... not that I am qualified to answer but I guess its based on coal traffic. When originally opened most (if not all) coal traffic was from the Yorkshire coalfields (Barnsley & Dearne Valley pits plus a few Don Valley South Yorkshire pits). They (thousands of trucks) were assembled in Wath & Manvers yards for the continuous procession up to Woodhead and into Lancashire.
I therefore assume they were dis-assembled into smaller trains at say Motram yard before being sent forwards to factories, mills or onwards into Manchester and beyond.
Plus all the empties had to be stabled as well for the return journey back to Yorkshire, so it would seem logical that the yards on both side would be approx the same size. I well remember Wath yard ( 2 actually if you include Manvers) as a boy in full swing and it was approx 2 mile long with about 20 tracks plus the sheds at Wath with those electrics.
So those large yards you see in Lancs were for the empties. I guess the size would be about the same as Healey Mills as it was in the 1990's.
HTH
Coal for Fiddlers Ferry(FF) was taken from Dodworth pit by an assortment of locos including 20x2, 56,47 and 37.
These trains tripped the MGRs upto Barnsley Junction at Penistone, where the MSW joined the line at Penistone.
THe Leccies came on at Barnsley Junction to take the coal towards Guide Bridge.
As we did not have route knowledge over the MSW, I think there would be and engine exchange at Motram, for a big engine to take the train to FF.
These MGR trains were a set of 36 trucks.
Just after the Miners Strike,(1985) we learned the road to FF via Warrington RR, the down to the football sidings and RR again.
When Wath closed, Doncaster/Tinsley/HM learned all the pits in the area once covered by Wath crews.
These pits included Manvers Main,Royston Drift, Dovecliffe, Dodworth, South Kirby, Mitchells Main and many more to remember,
All these MGR then came back to HM for onward transmission to FF.
It was not unusual to have 6 loaded MGS in HM up Stagings and the same amount of ety MGRS on the Down Stagings.
This was in the days of 3 men per train.
It was normal with these trains to bust with over 18 hour shifts.
HM men worked trip trains into Wath Yard 6K22, but traffic was lost due to the speed of pits shutting down.
One Thursday on K22 went went into Manvers Main siding to bring a train out, back to The Mill. Before I left the siding the shunter said the train was runing on the Friday.
When I signed on the following day, the job was cancelled as the pit had shut over night.
When Waff shut all the train crew went to Donny, Tinsley or HM
These times were very happy times with load of good jobs, with plenty of over time for those who wanted to do it.
If you went to FF take plenty of snap and water and milk for your brew.
Now Wath and Guide Bridge are piles of rubble and housing estates,
This all happened 27 years ago wen ar wo a yung lad.
This is all from my memory
If I was ever rostered for FF, I would swap my turn with another man, he thought I was mad throwing away lashing of over time, I though he was mad working 18 hours plus, when his job was a six hour trail to Donny.
We were happy cos this suited us both.
This man was called one lamp Walker cos he did not rush , money was his god.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Good question ....... not that I am qualified to answer but I guess its based on coal traffic. When originally opened most (if not all) coal traffic was from the Yorkshire coalfields (Barnsley & Dearne Valley pits plus a few Don Valley South Yorkshire pits). They (thousands of trucks) were assembled in Wath & Manvers yards for the continuous procession up to Woodhead and into Lancashire.
I therefore assume they were dis-assembled into smaller trains at say Motram yard before being sent forwards to factories, mills or onwards into Manchester and beyond.
Plus all the empties had to be stabled as well for the return journey back to Yorkshire, so it would seem logical that the yards on both side would be approx the same size. I well remember Wath yard ( 2 actually if you include Manvers) as a boy in full swing and it was approx 2 mile long with about 20 tracks plus the sheds at Wath with those electrics.
So those large yards you see in Lancs were for the empties. I guess the size would be about the same as Healey Mills as it was in the 1990's.
HTH
Coal for Fiddlers Ferry(FF) was taken from Dodworth pit by an assortment of locos including 20x2, 56,47 and 37.
These trains tripped the MGRs upto Barnsley Junction at Penistone, where the MSW joined the line at Penistone.
THe Leccies came on at Barnsley Junction to take the coal towards Guide Bridge.
As we did not have route knowledge over the MSW, I think there would be and engine exchange at Motram, for a big engine to take the train to FF.
These MGR trains were a set of 36 trucks.
Just after the Miners Strike,(1985) we learned the road to FF via Warrington RR, the down to the football sidings and RR again.
When Wath closed, Doncaster/Tinsley/HM learned all the pits in the area once covered by Wath crews.
These pits included Manvers Main,Royston Drift, Dovecliffe, Dodworth, South Kirby, Mitchells Main and many more to remember,
All these MGR then came back to HM for onward transmission to FF.
It was not unusual to have 6 loaded MGS in HM up Stagings and the same amount of ety MGRS on the Down Stagings.
This was in the days of 3 men per train.
It was normal with these trains to bust with over 18 hour shifts.
HM men worked trip trains into Wath Yard 6K22, but traffic was lost due to the speed of pits shutting down.
One Thursday on K22 went went into Manvers Main siding to bring a train out, back to The Mill. Before I left the siding the shunter said the train was runing on the Friday.
When I signed on the following day, the job was cancelled as the pit had shut over night.
When Waff shut all the train crew went to Donny, Tinsley or HM
