tarboat's photos

Sometimes it is easy to lose focus whilst standing around on edge of some enormous opencast mine surrounded by steam trains rushing about. On the other hand it is fun to concentrate on a bottle of Yanjing beer in the afternoon! The trains are still there, just in the background for a few minutes. :-) Sandaoling opencast coal mine, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China.

Guided by a flagman, QJ 680 backs onto the turntable at Suihua depot well north of Harbin. This was a very busy locomotive changing station and the turntable was in continuous use, often with a queue waiting.

Surface arrangements at a small mine at Leycett, Staffordshire at a time when such things were still to be found around the Potteries.

The layout at the Lhoist operated Hindlow quarry is quite cramped around the processing plant. There are two limekilns lurking behind the steam on the right.

The Grade II listed pumping station of the Staffordshire Potteries Water Company at Hatton on the recent open day. The first part was built in 1892 in an Italianate style to house two compound rotary beam steam pumping engines. This was followed in 1898 with the erection of a horizontal cross compound rotary steam engine and then in 1907 a horizontal compound tandem rotary steam pumping engine was added. Steam was replaced over the period 1937-1959 when oil engines driving electric spindle pumps were installed in the former boiler house. Today the pumping station has been converted to apartments although a small museum of surviving oil engines and equipment is open on four days a year.

Bellis & Morcom crude oil engine, one of a pair installed in 1937 at the Hatton pumping station of the Staffordshire Potteries Water Company. The engines drove generators providing power to a number of spindle pumps over the boreholes. The pumping station has been converted to apartments but the remaining equipment is open to view on four days a year. On this particular snowy day my friend and I were the only people to visit this fascinating little museum.

Watching the train at Blackbrook Crossing on the Caldon Low line.

Anglesey Mining appears to be mainly involved in iron ore mining in Canada, however the company also owns the mine at Parys Mountain on Anglesey where perhaps one day exploration for copper ore will recommence. For the time being the headgear stands without ropes.

Steam is still in use at the Pingzhuang collieries although action can be hard to find at times. Two SYs are being prepared for work at the servicing point adjacent to the washery. The loco coal supply is protected from the predations of the locals by the heavy sliding covers for the storage pit under the grab gantry.

Redundant crushing, grading and loading plant at the Tarmac operated Caldon Low limestone quarry.

Porter UNNRA D h2 No.12 inside the semi-roundhouse at Kostolac. The locomotives here work on the line from the Klenovic opencast mine to the Kostolac 'A' power station.

First VIP special headed by 71000 Duke of Gloucester in Bradnop cutting on the way up to Caldon Low on the day before the first public trips.

Loading is underway beneath the washery building at Breza Colliery in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This was a bleak cold place on this frosty morning.

GECT 6w diesel-electric locomotive at the Cemex UK Barrington Cement Works in 2007. This works has since closed

25 059 on the bank down to Winkhill shortly after leaving the current reversing point at Caldon Low. The distant processing and loading buildings for the quarry are due for demolition.

Bands of colour across the extensive brown coal workings of the Vreoci opencast mine in Serbia.

Stanton Ironworks was founded in 1787 and was closed down by Saint Gobain in 2007. High quality spun pipes were the speciality of this works but in spite of operating very efficiently, production was transferred elsewhere and the plant has now been demolished.

Miss J Butler and Miss Hudson seen crossing the River Dane below Wincle on the local style of bridging provided on public rights of way. There were several of these structures across the river in this area and all are still public footpaths. However, the 'bridges' have long gone and walkers have to wade the river if they wish to proceed. Those with a keen eye can still detect some of the anchor points for the cables. What would the H&S types say about this today? ;-)