tarboat's photos

Evening shift change at Tianzhuang depot on the Pingdingshan Coal Railway.

Commuters traversing the level crossing outside the Tianzhuang depot of the Pingdingshan Coal Railway. The locomotive is waiting for the signal to leave the depot and proceed to the nearby marshalling yard.

Milepost on the Broken Cross to Tabley Turnpike Road at Henbury. This road was turnpiked in 1769.

Welcoming message on a Cheshire bridleway.

A sign from the days when traffic was slow enough to be able to read the whole message. Neston - Cheshire.

Sunk in about 1870 to a depth of 102 yds 2 ft 6 in the Rangeworthy New Pit only drew coal until 1889. The site is now subject to occasional open days organised by a local mining history group. The flooded shaft is used for a water supply by the owners of the site.

The Rugeley 'B' Power Station was commissioned in 1970 and generates around 1000 megawatts of electricity. The area to the right was once the site of Lea Hall colliery which supplied this and the now demolished 'A' station with coal until it was closed in 1990.

The original turnpike between Macclesfield and Buxton was authorised in 1759 and constructed soon after. This steeply graded route was superceded by a longer but less hilly line in 1821. The later road is still in use throughout but some of the earlier alignment is now footpath. It passed behind the Cat and Fiddle pub in the background before descending towards Macclesfield and this milestone stands on a bypassed section with the remaining surface just visible to the right. The legend "To London 164 miles" indicates that this was the route to the capital from Macclesfield and Knutsford. However, the construction of the more easily graded turnpike between Macclesfield and Leek soon took the London trade way from this hilly and exposed road.

At the top of the Dane Valley lie the Reeve Edge Quarries which once produced large quantities of roofing flags. The extensive tips appear to be large than the quarry hole from which the stone was extracted. The chimney in the foreground served the Dane Bower Colliery which has a shaft on the hillside below and an adit entrance at river level.

The Chinese takeaway was once the main source of late night comestibles available in Macclesfield as most of the English chippys closed early. Now the latter have largely faded away and the Chinese chip shop has replaced them. Here is a selection of purveyors of Chinese takeaway food and you are invited top identify the locations. It shouldn't prove too difficult for locals.

Saturday morning ritual.

Another fine example of the care lavished upon the British countryside by its farming custodians.

The sign of a good butcher. The queue says it all - quality and service.

The Cheshire countryside is in good hands with the local farmers.

Spring skies over Cheshire on my Good Friday walk through the parish of Peover Superior.

Building in the disused workings of the Tarmac owned (Ex Buxton Lime Industries) quarry at Hindlow. The kilns here are still in use using stone brought by rail from Tunstead.

A clear view across the Lhoist operated quarry at Hindlow near Buxton. The distant quarry plant is the cement works and associated buildings at Tunstead whilst the plumes of smoke on the horizon are from the Lafarge cement works at Hope.

Steam train gliding across the fields at the Statfold Barn private railway.