HIGH PIT WILMA

Heh heh,slip of the mind,CORRECTION!..the weight of the Bucyrus Erie 1150-b draglines were 1200 tons,but nevertheless the calculations were correct! I have just opened the link above,regarding Big Geordie,and also found an excellent link to an article with excerpts from a seemingly excellent book called "British Opencast Coal- a Photographic History 1942-1985",written by Keith Haddock. Both are extremely fascinating! I am gonna see if I can get a hold of the book. Is it possible or even legal to copy the Big Geordie documentary to a disc for showing family members who aren't computer literate Alan? I don't know how to Burn discs.. Cheers! Bill.

Hi folks!..and to add my tuppenceworth,I used to go over after school,with my schoolmates and the Hollymoonta gang,and watch Bucyrus Erie [as we called him ,cos his name was on a huge plate up on the side of the machine,mounted on the first gantry],we didn't know,at 10 years old,that it was the firm's name!] [that was in 1954-ish]. These two Draglines were reported in the press,[Evening Chronicle etc],as being the two largest walking draglines in the whole of Europe,as was the Acorn Bank Site cut. At night,in the dark,we used to snipe almost on top of the gang who were building it,and it's a wonder we weren't blinded by the welding arc's,cos to us,it was a bonny bright blue light!!...we just used to lie on the ground and snipe ever closer,and watch the arc,fascinated! It had a 50-ton bucket. Now,Alan,when it comes to disputes..[silly disputes an aal!],aa had an argument wi one of me pit marra's,now deceased,[R.I.P. TOM],one day when we were sitting getting wor baits,amang aal the waata and clarts,doon the Three-Quarter drift,at Bates. We somehow got on aboot the Acorn Bank site,and Tom said he worked there,before gaan doon the pit. Aa just remarked hoo we kids used to watch the Euclids bouncing like they were toys,when Bucyrus Erie dropped his bucketfull of stones into the back of the truck,and big stones used to smash doon onto the canopy above the Driver's cab. That was like a red rag to Tom..he adamantly argued and started getting real ratty,saying the Draglines never filled the Euclids,it was done by the face shovels. Whey naturally,a argued back saying a used ti watch them man.... Tom shouted ....Aa used ti work there man Bill..ya getting mixed up....so a backed off,cos a hate arguments and ill-feeling...[this was in the 1980's] Whey,Tom passed away a few years ago,and then at Christmas,a year or two back,I got a DVD which had been transferred from old Cine-film,and it was amateur footage of the Acorn Bank site..[a Sixtownship DVD a think]. Then a started researching aboot the site,and guess what,it explains hoo the Dragline bucket was overloading the Euclids,and damaging the bodies ,so a special hopper was designed and erected,so the bucket emptied it's load into the hopper,and a guy loaded the Euclids safely..and I remembered the name of the hopper,cos aam a guitarist!! It was called a .....HENDRIX ...hopper!! It seems that Tom must have worked at the far end of the cut,where Bucyrus Erie [1] ,was working,and that was a thousand yards away from Bucyrus Erie [2]..and they only had the one hopper. Trivial story,but Tom was starting to get violent in his attempt to convince me I was wrong. At the end of the day,it didn't matter who was right ,cos it was history long gone!,but this is hoo misinformation spreads. My friend's Dad was one of the Dragline operators,a fella caaled Mr Humble,Bob and Les were his two Sons,who were my mates. There was no security in them days,no watchman or owt like that,no fences or barriers of any kind,on Sundays we kids used to either walk or ride wor bikes,doon inti the cut,and play on the Draglines feet,which were 44 feet long and 8 feet wide. We played in the Euclids seats,mekking on we were driving....whey,ye dae when ya ownly aboot ten or elivin yeors aad ...divvent ye?! One thing I read,recently,which really interested me,was the footprint pressure of the central hub which the crane sat on when in operation....2500 tons weight,[if I remember rightly!]..and the pressure on the ground was ....5pounds per square inch!! Incredible engineering..like an elephant,s gentle footsteps from such a heavy animal! I sat one day,for fun,and calculated it out in my head,and it was spot-on..even with simple Maths! [another trivial story!] Maggie,thanks for posting the pics,brought back many happy memories..that place was part of my childhood!

Alan.."We gotta get outa this place"...[The Animals 1965-ish?] for number 11..!...[till a think o sum mair!] A went for me quaataly hair cut [it's aalwis the same one...growws owa me eye..!]..last Thorsdi...Leanne was off work ill wi Flu. She has a luvly natured bonny lass helping her oot caaled Kirsty. She was very pleasant and chatty,and did a great job wi me owld heed.Five stars again ti Todds Barbers. It's a bonus ti just gaan ti hae a luk at thi montage of pics of aad Bedltn on thi waal! No 12 ..."Stay" [Hollies...1960's] No 13...thinkin......!!.......still thinkin'!.......

Thanks Alan...much appreciated!

Thanks again Alan,a wonder if Davy Shepherd is my good friend's Brother,who is now very ill,a haven't seen Davy for a while,wud ye just say Halloww ti him from me,and if he is Mick's Brother,he will knaa hoo aa aam. Thanks Marra! Bill.

Hi Alan ,again!..also please pass thanks to Peter Jones as weel for his comment. Cheers Bill.

Hi Alan,thanks for the info,so my memory isn't as bad as a a thowt it waas!..a cud picture the fella wi thi tash..it was a really tick tash,and a mop of corly hair,but his voice soonded like he was diluted ethnic,but aa cudn't put me finger where he might have have been from. A dae knaa that he was a fast taaka but as far as aa was concerned,nowt was a problem ti him,he used ti say repeatedly..."...This is how I do business my friend,it is no good for business if I am not nice with you...I will change your tyres for new ones ,no problem..and if you are still not happy..you come back and I will give you your money back....."..he came over as a real genuine guy,but maybe others might not agree if they had a bad experience with the guy! Cheers Alan,divvent forget where a live,if ya passing and the motor is there! P.S. Please pass my thanks on to Alan Dickson if ye dinna mind!!

Hi Alan, aa was transferred ti Bedltn Aad Pit in 1965,from Choppington B Pit. Bob Muter and his Wife and family are very good friends of ours. They were our next door neighbours for decades, till they, and us, moved from West Terrace. Ken Sellick and me worked together at the pit, then Ken worked in the Medical Centre at thi Aad pit, aa went onto Coal cutting, hand filling, then on the mechanised Shearer coalfaces. A divvent knaa the other two.... aa was aan aad timer (21 yrs aad!) when these youngins came alang!... apart from Sellicka! When they were daeing aal this, aa was on the coalfaces, working different shifts, so a lost touch wi thi young recruits just afore a transferred. Great ti see this pic! Cheers Alan, and thanks for posting it! Bill.

Can anybody remember a small shop on the Choppington bank,in Storey's Buildings,[where a lived in 1947],what sold budget tyres with the brand name of "Colway" on the sidewalls? The guy was as straight as a die when it came to taking a faulty tyre back,nae messing aboot....changed as quick as a flash! A think he might have been the forst one ti deal in budget and remould tyres in this area,even before Gerry's Wasp in Ashington! Alan Dixon will knaa,cos he lived there then,aam sure! Come in Alan ,wheor are ye!! A got two of the Colway tyres put on me wee Ford Anglia 105E 997 cc in aroond 1970-ish...![ a think they were aboot a fiver each,or summik silly like that!]

Happy New Year to all me Marra's on this great forum! Noo! Canny Lass,ahem,[cough cough!],me being a clean-living lad,who nivvor smoked ,nivvor drank,nivvor gammelled,a can HONESTLY say....aam 0 on the shaggy dog scale!....except aam buggaad wi aad age in me bones!! My New Year's Resolution..[same as last year but broke it for domestic reasons..]...Aam determined ti get oot more on me Bike,since this time last year,a did 40-odd miles,and that was gaan for MOT, and CBT!!! Aav written it on me calendar as weel as me second resolution,and that is ti try and write more of me book,which a started in 2009!! Aav been advised by a published Author who me Wife and me met doon Cammis a few days ago,a luvly friendly aad Lady caaled Mary Bowmaker,who has three books on Amazon,and is busy wi a fourth book. She was enthusiastic when a telt her a was writing me life story from a wee bairn,growing up from the late1940's,ti aal me experiences doon the coalmines. SO!...it's here in black n white!...we'll see hoo things gaan at yem! Aal thi best folks!

Whey if John didn't hae sae many connections,A wudda still said that number two was Foster McKenzie! He is the absoloute spitting image..can we find a pic of Foster ti put side by side...a wunda!! A did say in the previous page that a thowt it wud be strange for Foster ti be up in the Dr Pit Park,when he was a Station fella! Gotta mek an appointment wi me Optician methinks!

Wahey!! ...it's noo 2019 ,December 23rd,and aav just caught up with this thread,and there's me Greenheart wood trestles holding the bridge up!!...ye can see by the scale of things,that aa wasn't far wrang aboot thi beams being aboot two feet square! The top pic shows a " Butters" crane,building it's Marra up,[another "Butters" crane],which ran on rails,along the edge of the cut,and which lifted skips,full of coal,and which then loaded the Euclids,and the later 42-ton coal-haulers. The middle pic shows one of the two "Bucyrus Erie" Draglines,which we used to play on,when the site was closed,on Sunday afternoons. I always thought that they were the bonniest designed Draglines of all the ones I have ever seen...including Big Geordie,and the Ace of Spades!! If I am not mistaken,you can see St Cuthbert's Church tower in the background,and to confirm this,you can also see the smaller line of overburden heaps which were deposited at the top of the Picnic field,and which was a haven for fossil-hunters like me,at 11 years old!! I spent hours looking among the rocks,finding loads of fossils of Fern leaves ,and tree bark,some which were really tropical,with pineapple "Diamond-cut" patterns on them. My goal was to find a fossilised Insect,or Animal remains,but sadly this never happened. I took loads of fossils to the old Whitley School for Mr Davidson,wor smashing teacher,and a often wonder what happened to them..they were historic examples which would never be available ever again,once the Opencast site was re-instated to it's former state. Thanks for uploading these great pics,Alan,and thanks also to John Brown for sharing them. Brings back loads of happy memories!

Heh heh! Great interesting discussion, ye two bonny lassies! The only bits aa remember wat was ingrained into us were the 611 AD consecration,and the sleepover of King John at thi Old Hall Tower at thi Market Place,before the signing of thi Magna Carta. When I was a kid,aa coudn't stand History lessons,cos a didn't see thi need for it...a wud rather be fiddling on wi me Electricity experiments in me Mutha's wesh-hoose....[at 12- yeor aad!]. Noo,aam fascinated by History,fortunately we hae thi technology nooadays,ti larn of those who are more edicated...like ye two bonny lassies!! Heh heh!

Hi Maggie!...lang time no read/see/ hear...from! I was brought up at the Bedlington village infant's schyuul from 1949,and in the early days of starting there,the teacher took us across to the Church,to learn about the history of how it all began there. We kids were too young to know aboot the Anglo-Saxons,but persistent teaching throughout every class,and on to the Whitley schyuul,ensured that the St Cuthbert's Church history,and also that of Bedlington Village,was firmly embedded in our minds! We learned all aboot the Chancel Arch being the only remaining Saxon -constructed part of the building,the ancient Font, the Leper's Window, the Gothic Wing,the Norman's influence... Noo, many yeors later,a hev a very well-read Son,who adamantly educates me into the history of the Anglo-Saxons,saying they never ever set foot up this part of the Country! Aav argued the point that we were taught from five years old about the history of this lovely old Church..[ Watson's Wake!...another one I forgot to mention!],and it is gonna take some shifting ,to convince me that all me Teacher's,and History books were wrang!! We had a discussion on this forum,a year or two back,regarding the origins of Bedlington and the Church,and it started off some disagreements when I said that we were taught that the land on which St Cuthbert's Church stands,was consecrated in the year 611 AD. Do you know anything aboot that Maggie?...as a kid,I couldn't have made this information up! Cheers! ...if I don't hear from you,[bad time of year when ivrybody is rushing aroond like madscabs getting ready for the festive season!],I hope you have a nice Christmas and a happy new year!

Hi Steve,welcome to the forum,a canna help ye,but hope others can. Wasn't it a bit daft wat the kids did in them days..if they saw a too-too coming,they would fly up them steps to get among the coals smoke and steam,laughing and giggling! Pure and simple pleasure,which cost knowt except probably a year or two of their lives!..intense heated coal tar,Sulpher,and a million other nasties straight down their throats and lungs!! aaahh...happy days!