Tag Archives: Mining Heritage

Chasewater Railway Museum – Museum Archive – An addition to our coal mining memorabilia

Posted on October 2, 2015 by | 2 comments

Chasewater Railway Museum

Museum Archive

Additions to our coal mining memorabilia
As you are no doubt aware, without the coal industry there would be no Chasewater Railway, as the original line was built for transporting coal, although passenger services were introduced from Brownhills to Aldridge via Walsall Wood. We are always glad to receive artefacts from the mining industry to display in the Museum.
Baths Invitation

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The latest of such items to come our way are an invitation to the opening of the Pithead Baths at Wyrley No. 3 Colliery, Great Wyrley, on August 14th, 1954, and The Bather’s Handbook.
These items came to the Museum from a former employee of the Colliery, his first job after National Service with the RAF.

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Bather’s Handbook and invitation to opening of pithead baths formerly belonged to Mr. Frank Tisdale.

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Chasewater Railway Museum – Some of our tokens

Posted on September 17, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Chasewater Railway Museum

Some of our tokens

There is a steadily increasing collection of tokens in our collection – here are three of them.

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The first one is a Midland Railway token from the Harlesden NW Goods Depot, with the name C.Clarke.

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Second is a Mount Sorrel Co-op Society coal token to the value of  5/- (5 shillings or 25 pence)

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Finally for this time is a token from the Salop Miners Federation, numbered 6 and dated 1919

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The Colonel Works plate.

Posted on January 12, 2014 by | 1 comment

One of the museum’s exhibits is the works plate from The Colonel Locomotive.

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The Colonel was supplied new in 1914 to the local Wyrley Grove Colliery. and was named after Colonel William Harrison, who was the colliery chairman. The 0-6-0 saddle tank loco was manufactured by Hudswell Clarke of Leeds and given the works No of 1073.

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Coal production at the Grove ceased following the 1930 underground explosion, which killed 14 miners. However the coal mined at the sister colliery, Harrisons No 3, known locally as the Sinking, was transported in colliery mine cars along a narrow gauge cable hauled tramway, to the Grove’s washing and screening plant.

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The coal was then despatched from the Grove via canal narrow boats, and by rail.

The Colonel and its sister loco, the 1895  0-6-0 Bristol built  Peckett, No 3,

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were kept busy taking wagons to & from the exchange sidings on the link down to Norton Junction Marshalling yard in Pelsall.

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The Colonel was transferred to Granville Colliery in November 1963, and was scrapped in 1979 when Granville closed.

With my father and both my grandfathers working at the Grove I did manage a ride on the Colonel’s footplate.

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News – Scamp Unveiling

Posted on April 27, 2013 by | 4 comments

2008_0714Maquette In the Museum 2

News – Scamp Unveiling

Scamp

  Mr. Ron Bradbury taking the maquette into the Heritage Centre.It was in July 2008 that Chasewater Railway was first introduced to the SCAMP project when Ron Bradbury and the Burntwood Chase Heritage Group brought the maquette to the Railway and ran a fish and chip special train to raise funds for the statue.  The maquette was proudly displayed in the Museum for a number of weeks before being shown at other venues.  Now, some five years later, the project is nearing its completion.

Scamp PonyThe pony model – and friends!

Scamp unveiling

Scamp resize 8Real progress being made

A statue to commemorate Burntwood’s mining heritage is to be officially unveiled on June 8th.

The 7 ft bronze memorial has been created by sculptor Peter Walker, who hails from the town, and will be sited at Sankey’s Corner.

The artwork was about five years in the making and was made possible thanks to public donations and £10,000 of funding from local developers.

Ron Bradbury, of Sankey’s Corner Arts Mining Project (SCAMP) said: ‘After many years of fundraising, the dream of a statue to stand on Sankey’s Corner is about to be fulfilled.’

No time has yet been set for the official unveiling, which is open for anyone to attend.  A book is being produced about the history behind Scamp and pit ponies and will be on sale at £10 each, containing a list of names on the plinth.  All profits will go to Scamp.

Anyone willing to help by providing food or entertainment, or with funding, should call 01543 677789.

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