Moving Coal - Railways and the Coal Industry

This show starts where the story of the development of locomotives and railways as a worldwide transport system largely began with the mining systems of Northumberland & Durham and their initial need to get the coal out of the hills down to the nearest stretch of navigable water. It covers about 50 mining systems in total but with a concentration on a small number of these - Philadelphia, Waterside, Talywain, Mountain Ash, Graig Merthyr, Littleton, & Coventry. Distribution outside the coal industry is also included with shipments from staithes such as Seaham Harbour & coal traffic on main line networks. Motive power portrayed is almost exclusively steam, but a couple of horses and a BR class 47 diesel also appear.

This show includes contributions from the following photographers: Bill Potter courtesy the Kidderminster Railway Museum, John Champion, John Dagley Morris, Mike Collins, Gerald Dixon, Mike Randall, Mike Squire, Tony Bowles, & Roger Hickman

A few shots from the presentation