Institution of Mining Engineers - North West Tour - 27th March 1993

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Railtour map drawn by our member Dave Mellor.<br>[&copy; Dave Mellor 1993]	Railtour map drawn by our member Dave Mellor.<br>[&copy; Dave Mellor 1993]	Railtour map drawn by our member Dave Mellor.<br>[&copy; Dave Mellor 1993]	Railtour map drawn by our member Dave Mellor.<br>[&copy; Dave Mellor 1993]	Chris Boyle gave a delightful miniature (actually just three inches tall) miner's lamp with 'IOME' and 'FOUNDED 1889' round the crest, or a real full sized lamp, to each person who had helped with these tours in some way.<br>[© Don Kennedy 1993]	Wheelwright Lane Level Crossing on the Coventry Colliery branch from the 1993 railtour.<br>[© Ian Mortimer 1993]	RCTS 11 Sep 1982 brakevan trip at Keresley Homefire Plant; an interesting selection of wagons.<br>[© Ian Mortimer 1982]
The tour curving round, and approaching, Three Spires Jn off the Keresley Homefire Plant branch. The 34 loaded merry-go-round wagons (total 1,122 tonne of coal) will be for the Homefire Plant. 11,162 of these silver wagons were built in total for British Rail and each held 33 tonnes of coal - quite 'revolutionary' (!) when they were introduced. In the background is the A444 (Jimmy Hill Way).<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1993]	A Society brake tour of Littleton Colliery and its branch on 17 Feb 1981 included a visit to Canal Wharf Sidings which, as the name suggests, were on the stub of what was a branch to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. In the background is the M6 - the canal is on its other side. This excellent trip was arranged by Ian Mortimer and followed a ride on the 'fireless' steam loco at Four Ashes Croda Chemical Works nearby, alongside the WCML, earlier that day arranged by your Editor.<br>[© Ian Mortimer 1981]	Taken during the same 17 Feb 1981 tour, a colliery loco hauling a set of MGR wagons through the loading bunker at Littleton Colliery. Note how new everything looked then!<br>[© Ian Mortimer 1981]	The Point of Ayr Colliery branch looking east, the Dee Estuary is behind the buildings. Taken from the tour train as it was leaving the branch headshunt (left) to rejoin the main line (right).<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1993]	The 1993 tour is returning from Folly Lane to Runcorn Jn with the distinctive road bridge in the background, the rail bridge is in front to the left. Fiddlers Ferry Power Station is far right middle in the distance the other side of the Mersey. The Folly Lane branch was once double track and electrified.<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1993]	Welcome to Garston Holding Siding (TRACKmaps 4 p38A Dec 2018) in Garston Freightliner Terminal (as they were then); looking east and back towards the entrance, the former coal export sidings were to the right of this fence. Upper right is St Michael's Church of 'Church Road' fame.<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1993]	The front of the tour near Gladstone Dock Coal Pad stop blocks, the train is parallel to the River Mersey at right angles to the dock itself (left) looking northwest. This area is now part of Liverpool Bulk Terminal (mainly biomass). The quay line between Gladstone Dock No1 & No2 Docks, done by the Mersey Weaver II tour on 14 Jan 2017, curves off left at a right angle behind the photographer before this location.<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1993]
The tour enters the Royal Seaforth Container Terminal, possibly the only tour to go past the gate. It about to pass under the gantry crane ahead.<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1993]	In Oct 1986 a container train is leaving Seaforth terminal; the gantry crane in the background is the same one as in the previous picture.<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1986]	The final picture is from a different era. The Wirral Railway Circle ran a brakevan tour on 11 Aug 1973, covering much of the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company Liverpool Docks system, shortly before its closure later that year. This view shows the train approaching one of the swing bridges.<br>[&copy; Ian Mortimer 1973]