Wyrley & Essington branch canal

[Tony K]

Was it replaced with the road crossing when the open cast went in?

 

 

???? Lost me there AMModels ...........

[AMModels]

About half a mile or so from the Glastonbury turning on Broad lane there was a road crossing put in to move the coal from the open cast mine over the back of Abbey school to the coal loader on the railway on the eastern side of Broad lane. Was it the same place or was the rail crossing somewhere else?

[springy]

The rail crossing was removed first, then (not long after IIRC) the road crossing was put in very close to the line

of the original rail crossing, but slightly towards bloxwich

 

springy

[AMModels]

Bloody hell how many of us from Bloxwichish are there on here???

[Tony K]

About half a mile or so from the Glastonbury turning on Broad lane there was a road crossing put in to move the coal from the open cast mine over the back of Abbey school to the coal loader on the railway on the eastern side of Broad lane. Was it the same place or was the rail crossing somewhere else?

 

The rail crossing was removed first, then (not long after IIRC) the road crossing was put in very close to the line

of the original rail crossing, but slightly towards bloxwich

 

springy

 

 

Ah - with you AMModels and Springy

 

Can remember the original tracks across Broad Lane back in the 60s when I was a 'nipper' when dad occasionally drove up Broad Lane. However in the early 70s I used to (sneakily) fish a shallow pool (not shown on old maps) that lay immediately north alongside the mineral railline, just before it emerged onto Broad lane. In fact I thought it 'belonged' to Wood Farm . Unless the grey cells are going I thought the lines and sleepers had gone by then........well before the open cast - but will always stand corrected 40 years on

[AMModels]

I wont try and correct you at all Tony, I dont remember the crossing (rail) at all and my question was to try and place it in relation to the roadway, I remember crossing under the rail line to get to the motocross track and thinking that was wood farm so my geography was well out.

[springy]

I'll confirm that the rails and sleepers of the line were gone by the early 70s, some time well before the opencast,

however I've a feeling that the rails remained in at the road crossing for some time after.

 

The track heading under the (still in use) railway for the motocross track was again slightly nearer to bloxwich,

but IIRC was "wood farm land", wood farm itself being on the essington side of the mineral railway line.

 

springy

[Tony K]

Many thanks to Heartland once again who sent me this picture, taken in 1984, of the bridge which spanned the canal near to Essington Farm Colliery (as highlighted in yellow on the map posted on page 5 of this topic)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heartland has provided this 'map of Sneyd Colliery which opened c 1906 from 3rd O/S. The workings almost obliterated the Essington Locks to the junction at the Double Bridge. This mine was owned by Hollybank Coal Co'.

 

 

 

 

[Tony K]

Sneyd Colliery, shortly before its closure in 1920

 

 

 

[Heartland]

Regarding Broad Lane, there were 2 railway crossings, the standard gauge line shown in the photo and the narrow gauge railway of Essington Farm Colliery

 

Ray Shill

[Tony K]

OS map (circa 1915) showing the crossing(s) above, highlighted with an orange blob, with the W&E lying south & east of it........

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2013 by Tony K

[springy]

Wonderful map tony, - its not just an O.S. map its also an instant illustration of why its all here !

 

springy

[Tony K]

Thanks Springy - its a 'snippet' from a number of old coal board maps that a friend aquired/copied and passed onto me before the originals went in the bin.........

[Tony K]

A snap of the reservoir back in 1961, taken from the eastern bank

 

 

 

[Tony K]

Again early 60's - from the 'north sandy shore' of Sneyd Reservoir

 

 

[Heartland]

The waterway up to Newtown Wharf or along the extension to Wyrley has still various aspects that deserve further scrutiny. Are there any images of the terminus of the extension canal or the BCN tramway from the basin towards Great Wyrley No 3 pit. It would be of use to know if any exist.

 

Ray Shill

[Tony K]

If they do exist Heartland I too would love to see them.........

[Tony K]

Heartland provides this section of the Ordnance Survey, 1st edition, and adds ' which shows course of original tramway to Newtown. This was built for W & E with John Brawn jnr constructing it as a single track - not sure if plateway or stone block railway - this piece of info still to be determined'

 

 

[Heartland]

Just to add more information to this map. The lower left of the map shows the disused Essington Branch which was later partly infilled, but retained a water channel. The Branch railway (1875) from the LNWR crossed the Essington Branch at No 2 lock chamber and joined up with the pit tramway from Essington Wood Colliery to the canal which paralleled the Essington Branch. This tramway had been built for Samuel Mills, Ironmaster of Darlaston Greem Furnaces. The earlier canal tramway (1799) built at the request of the Vernon family followed a more northernly route starting by the earlier pits near Thirty Houses Row, passing Springhill Colliery and then following straight on to Newtown Basin at the terminus of the Lord's Hayes Branch. It important to note that the route was still traceable on this map, even though the line had been long disused.

 

Ray Shill

[Tony K]

This photo was taken shortly after they dropped the bridge just on the tail of lock two. Its around 1972/3 and what stands out is how good the condition of the chamber is. This lock I believe is still intact and just buried in the verge of the road.

 

 

When this was taken the other brickwork was intact, I know I took some shots but sadly the passage of time and wife / girlfriends saw some of my slides lost! Women have a lot to be guilty about!

 

 

 

 

 

The view now............

 

 

 

[Tony K]

All that's left now of the canal bed, looking south from the A4124 down to the lock above Sneyd Junction

 

 

 

 

[Tony K]

Heartland provides a copy of Jim Evans map of the Essington mines

 

 

 

 

Can winja or springy name them all...........?

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

Edited February 17, 2014 by Tony K

[springy]

Only by cheating & looking at the book !

 

springy

[Tony K]

Only by cheating & looking at the book !

 

springy

 

Me too......... if winja doesn't 'clock em all' we'll have to do a bit of cheating

[winja]

You will have to cheat, are there any mines missing or is Mitre Colliery marked in wrong place.

When trying to find Naboths Thingy I was surprised at how many pits there were, I lived for some years on Perry Hall Estate and never heard of Perry Hall or Castlebridge Collieries also the number of pits around Kitchen Lane and High Hill Essington not to mention Cheslyn Hay and Gt Wyrley

 

 

Only by cheating & looking at the book !

 

springy

 

WHICH BOOK ???????

Edited February 18, 2014 by winja