| Mike Laughton |
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While taking my dog for a walk near Tinwell I came across what appears to be a little bit of local industrial history.
It would appear that in times past there were railway sidings at Tinwell alongside the existing railway on the Easton side of the tracks. On the edge of the woods there is a small cliff and on top of the cliff there is the remains of a rail which appeared to run through the wooded hillside all the way up the Collyweston.
Does anyone know what this rail was used for? Was it for Collyweston slate? It would appear that the slate (if it was slate)was transported down the hill on the rails through the woods where it would have been tipped into into railway goods wagons in the siding beneath the little cliff. But how did they transport the slate on the rails up and down the hill. Was it all done by man? By horse? Or by a miniature railway engine. Anyone have any idea?
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| Patrick |
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An interesting memory from Mike Laughton. I think he may have come across the remains of the old Easton on the Hill ironstone quarry. There is a good article on the Internet on this.
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| Paul Walton |
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The rails and buckets were part of a cable system to transport IRON ORE from the workings at Easton on the hill. There are still remains of the engine shed and pulley system at a site near Easton. more information and pictures can be found on Google Drive easton archives.
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| Beau smith |
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My guess is there was a gate keepers cottage on the site at one point, as there is plot of land on the Tinwell side with a Bramley apple tree in in, I have Investigated this site and am happy that it is a planted tree as opposed to a self set
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| Paul Walton |
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There was definately a gate keepers cottage on the Tinwell side of the crossing. We used to cross by the hand gate walking down to swim in the river at Tinwell, the children attended Easton on the hill school, quite a trek up little more than a cart track for at least a mile.
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| Roger Hardingham |
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Anyone recall the old Ironstone quarry at Pilton. I saw it in its final days in 1969 and took some photos. I agreed with the owners to purchase the very large signal that was still on its post ! I had it at home in Casterton Road for a while then gave it to the Nene Valley Railway.
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| Beau Smith |
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I can vaguely remember that signal but never realised it was from Pilton, George Skelon was the manager there in the 50s and 60s not sure if he was there to the end 1969, Pilton had three pits operating through its lifetime Wing Pit was west of Pilton village and north of the Wing road running parralell with it finishing where what is now a Pinewood Spinney, the last cut was filled in by Ruland Council in the early 1960s Household waste in those days was comprised of a lot of ashes so any combustible material soon caught fire. Scott pit was accessed via a cutting to the south of Wing road and ran under a bridge at Pilton crossroads then westwards and south in a big curve in the direction of the Wing to Morcott road, this pot was filled in during the 1970s and 1980s with access off the Morcott road, and the last pit in operation was Ancaster pit this ran south from the yard under the Wing road south and east in a big curve ending up near the road where the Elms Farm is This is on the Morcott to Luffenham road, the Elms was run by Frank Gilman of horse racing fame. In this pit were two
Ruston Bucyrus 5W draglines one an all electric driven by Harry Smith from South Luffenham, the other was a Diesel electric driven by Harry Dalby from Uppingham, this was started by a donkey engine which was basically a compressor that filled an air tank, a decompressor lever was lifted which pulled a long rod which in turn lifted a valve in each of the cylinders then a gate valve was opened on the air tank and this rushed into the engine spinning it over, when going fast enough the decompressor lever was dropped and hopefully it started, each cylinder had its own exhaust and quite often when starting smoke rings could be seen rising from them
There is so much to tell of what went on at Pilton maybe some more if anyone wishes.
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