OneGuyFromBarlick

Bankfield economisers shortly before they were taken out. Sorry about the quality, they wouldn't let me do the pics but got their own snapper to do them for me.....

The furnace tubes from the scrapped Lancashire boilers at Bankfield Shed.

Blythe Chemicals stack in 2007. I think Young Tom posted this one.

A fascinating bit of kit. The automatic reversing gear on the drive to the scrapers on the Green's economiser at Bancroft. I could watch it for hours!

You might wonder what a pic of a man reading 'Men Only' has to do with steam engines.... Charlie Southwell was my feed water treatment supplier and always did the inspection visit to Bancroft because he enjoyed the trip out and I think he liked me and the engine. It paid to keep such men on side because getting the feed water for the boiler right was a basic matter which affected everything, the health of the boiler, the efficiency of the plant and the smooth running of the engine because you were getting clean steam. It also saved expense at the annual shit down because the boiler had hardly any scale in it. All Charlie Sutton's gang had to do was crack the scale on every internal rivet. Men Only and a pot of tea lubricated the process.

Stanley wrote: .. It also saved expense at the annual shit down ...

Couldn't have put it better. You've made my day.

Too good to correct!

Inspecting the boiler at Ellenroad while all the brickwork was stripped off for rebuilding. These two lads were graduates learning their trade and Dave Roberts, the Vulcan Boiler Surveyor, asked me if he could send them down to us so they could get some on the job experience. They came, went in the boiler house and then came out and asked me if I knew anything about Lancashire boilers because they'd never seen one before. So I finished up acting as their mentor, just what the regular surveyor intended. They were sharp lads and went away knowing more than they did when they came!

Brook Shed engine nameplate. Seen in the office of Johnson and Johnson in 1977.

Bancroft engine plate.

The cast iron name plate which used to be on the wall outside B&P's shop at Wellhouse Mill.

Baldwin and Heap of Burnley nameplate on the teagle hoist at Bancroft. They made donkey engines as well for tape rooms.

Bancroft 1976

A modern portable reproduction of a Newcomen atmospheric engine. I think it's in New Zealand.

Building Lowerhouse chimney in 1885. I think this is at Bollington.

That's a refreshing change from pictures of them being knocked down!

I thought so as well. Here's another of the same job.

Original drawing for Bancroft Shed in 1914.

An essential part of running a steam engine that is often forgotten. Coal delivery at Bancroft Shed in 1977.

Reminds me as a lad at the Victoria Inn a local coal driver used to call at the pub for a pint or two after delivering to the local mill, he had a length of timber 3 x 4 across the width of the truck body, my job while he had his pints was to climb in and bag the coal that had been retained by the timber, surprising how much was bagged, no money changed hands it was all barted, drink for heat

Hee hee! He was running two wheels of the wagon for himself! A common ploy in those days. I could keep you going for hours with examples.... Bancroft boiler house was not designed for large wagons and John and I always had a few tons to shovel in after a delivery so we could close the boiler house door.



John Plummer tidying the coal up after a delivery. And yes, I used to help him!

Bancroft yard in 1978. We normally kept 300 tons of coal on stock in case of any interruption in deliveries. This was common practice at all mills which depended on coal and steam.

The black mark at the bottom right hand corner of Ellenroad Mill is the coal stock which at times extended right across the back of the mill to the boiler house.