Archive Issue No. 113
Don Quine. The mysteries of Cae Abaty. Part one: historical
survey. 2-11.
Narrow slate vein that runs through Mid Wales easy to split and is
ideal for roofing. Minllyn was being worked from 1793 by Huw Vychan at
Bron-yr-Wylfa. By 1810 this was known as Dinas Mowddwy quarry. In 1839 the
Minllyn Slate and Slab Company was forned and a high pressure steam engine
powered the mill. This company failed in 1844 and probably remained
idle until Sir Edmund Buckley bought it and funded the Mawddwy Valley Railway
in 1856. In 1864 William Bullock, a Congleton silk merchant formed
the Merioneth Slate and Slab Company and this went into liquidation in
1871
| Map: major slate quarries in Mid Wales (colour) | 2 |
| Aerial view of Cae Abaty (colour) | 3 |
| Aerial view of Cae Abaty from north west (colour) | 3 |
| Simplified geological map of area south west of Dinas Mawddwy based on British Geological Survey with Minllyn and Cae Abaty quarries shown (colour) | 4 |
| Minllyn quarry in 1925 shortly after closure | 4 |
| Ordnance Survey 25-inch map: area between Minllyn and Cae Abaty quarries & "old tramway" which linked them over Waun Fach | 5 |
| View across Floors 1 and 2 from south west & possible old exit incline (Steve Culverhouse: colour) | 6 |
| Stage One Floor 1 (dagram: colour) | 6 |
| Stage Two Floors 1 and 2 (dagram: colour) | 7 |
| Entrance of Floor 2 tunnel blocked at twll end (Steve Culverhouse: colour) | 7 |
| Stage Three (dagram: colour) | 8 |
| Stage Four (dagram: colour) | 8 |
| Stage Five (dagram: colour) | 9 |
| Wide angle view of lower twll taken untopped Floor 2 chamber (Steve Culverhouse: colour) | 9 |
| Looking down from north east corner of Floor 1 into untopped Floor 2 chamber (Steve Culverhouse: colour) | 10 |
| Detailed plan of tyllau at Cae Abaty: crane allowed wagons to be lifted between Floors 2 & 3 | 11 |
Malcolm Bobbitt. In the showroom... 1939: a motoring year. 12-24
In January 1939 the motoring press gave little hint that World War
II would begin in September. Indeed luxury was emphasised on the cover of
the first issue of Autocar for the year. Imports from the USA were made via
Canada to avoid the McKenna duty imposed on imported vehicles. Continental
manufacturers tended to export completely knocked down kits and assembling
them in Britain. The major manufacturers like Citroen had major British plants
which used at least 50% of British manufactured components.
| Autocar cover 6 January 1939: Wolseley Series III (colour) | 12 |
| Frazer-Nash 327 saloon | 13 |
| Autocar cover 25 May 1939: Austin Ranelagh limousine (colour) | 14 |
| Hudson 16.9 with Auto-Poise Ride | 15 |
| Autocar cover 17 February 1939: Ford V-8 SAllon De Luxe (colour) | 16 |
| Fiat Ten-Twelve | 17 |
| Don't Push! It's far SAFER TO PULL ... Like CITROËN | 18 |
| You pay less for luxury IN A HUMBER | 19 |
| Rolls-Royce factory at Crewe | 19 |
| The Safest & Most Silent Fast Car: ATALANTA | 20 |
| Atalanta sports car with long wheelbase (9-feet) & full size doors | 21 |
| Atalanta sports car with short wheelbase (8-feet) & cut-away doors | 21 |
| Hooded headlamp regulations from September 1939 (diagram) | 22 |
| Atalanta sports car wiyh Lincoln 4.3 litre engine at Brooklands in 1939 | 23 |
| Vol-o-pep petrol additive to extend mileage during World War II advertisement | 24 |
| Atalanta sports car driven by Richard Crump in Redex National Rally near Settle in 1954 | 24 |
New Brighton Miniature Railway. 25
Allan C. Baker and Mike G. Fell. Meaford A & B Power Stations
and their locomotives. Part two: Meaford B. 26-48
Part 1 see xx, Principal contractor was G. Percy Trentham Ltd. Merz
and McLellan and Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners were the consulting engineers.
Site work began towards end of 1950. Some concrete structures were found
on rock, but many had to rest on piles. The chimney was 408-feet high. 4.7
million bricks and 7000 tons of steel were employed. Harold Wallace-Copland,
Lord Lieutenant of the County of Stafford opened it on 4 October 1957. Most
of tthe information came from the two brochures produced for each of the
the openings of the two power staions.
| Meaford A & B Power Station site plan | 26 |
| Meaford B site looking towards Meaford A on 12 July 1951 | 27 |
| Meaford B site looking north on 9 April 1952 | 28 |
| Aerial view of construction site on 22 July 1952 bridges across canal and main line railway to carry ash pipe to settling ponds | 29 |
| Steelwork skeleton of main structure and associated concrete structures with cranes on 11 November 1952 | 30 |
| Widened railway bridge over canal to carry second railway track looking north towards Stoke-on-Trent & Barlaston Sidings signal box on 7 May 1953 | 30 |
| Same view as above with work in progress on laying second track with concrete sleepers on 10 November 1953 | 31 |
| Central Electricity Generating Board 21-ton wagon No. 158 at Cockshute Sidings, Etruria (Bernard Holland) | 32 |
| Central Electricity Generating Board 21-ton wagon No. 126 lettered to work between Florence Colliery and Meaford Power Station (Alan Monk) | 32 |
| Central Electricity Generating Board 21-ton wagon No. 23048 at Trentham lettered to work between Florence Colliery and Meaford Power Station (John Stein) | 32 |
| Central Electricity Generating Board 21-ton wagon No. 23 on Foxfield Light Railway (built by G.R. Turner Ltd. of Langley Mill for GWR in 1937) | 33 |
| Bagnall 0-4-0ST Hawarden WN 2623/1940 with CEGB 21-ton wagon No. 23 and ex-LNWR wooden hopper wagon at Blythe Bridge on Foxfield Light Railway * | 33 |
| Southward view towards Tippler No. 2 on 15 January 1954; main line railway and Trent & Mersey Canal to left | 34 |
| Northward view on 15 January 1954 with full wagon sidings (but many in photograph) | 34 |
| Southward view on 27 August 1954 from opposite Tippler No. 2 showing sidiings in fiinished state | 35 |
| Northward view on 27 August 1954 from between Tipplers Nos. 1 and 2 | 35 |
| Cooling tower No.3 under construction on 12 August 1953 | 36 |
| Cooling tower No.3 almost complete viewed from above on 6 October 1953 | 36 |
| Main buildings of Meaford B (mainly steelwork) looking north on 10 November 1953 | 37 |
| No. 1 Turbine block under construction on 10 November 1953: Hick Hargreaves & Co. Ltd. of Bolton, contractors | 38 |
| No. 2 Turbine block under construction on 15 January 1954 | 38 |
| Aerial view on 13 July 1954 looking north with last of three new cooling towers under construction and new 132 kV substation | 39 |
| Aerial view on 27 October 1954 looking south west | 40 |
| Aerial view on 27 October 1954 looking east with 132 kV substation, main power station & ash settling ponds in distance | 41 |
| Aerial view on 27 October 1954 of Meaford B Ash Settling Pond No. 1 top right | 42 |
| Aerial view on 14 April 1955 of Meaford B looking south west with River Trent in distance | 43 |
| Meaford B Turbine House operating floor looking north on 10 May 1955 | 44 |
| Aerial view on 3 September 1955 of Meaford B looking north | 44 |
| Aerial view on 3 September 1955 of Meaford B looking north east | 45 |
| Interior view of Meaford B Turbine House with overhead gantry crane installed by Sir William Arrol & Co. Ltd | 45 |
| Five cooling towers in operation for Meaford A & B Power Stations (caption notes all demolished in September 1991) | 46 |
| Aerial view of Meaford B operating on 27 June 1956 looking west | 47 |
| Aerial view of fully opational Meaford B on 9 July 1958 with coal conveyor, Turbine and Boiler Houses | 47 |
| Class 24 diesel electric locomotive entering inlet road to Meaford Power Station sidings with load of coal from electrified main line | 48 |
| Meaford's five cooling towers | 48 |
Footnote: On 10 July 1974 "Senior officials" of British Steel Corporation and CEGB hand over wagons to Foxfield Light Railway. Locomotive was purchased from BSC (not Sugar) by Allen Civil and Allan Baker. It had worked at the Shelton Iron & Steel Company's Works at Etruria.
Inbye. 49
The Institute. 49
Western Engineering and Motor Services. Stuart Turner
No way through: Great Glen Railway scheme.
John McGregor. Horssington: Highland Railway Society.
128pp.
Saga of how Highland Railway blocked plan to link Fort William with
Inverness by rail and led to wasteful Fort Augustus branch: "book is
well-designed and includes a comprehensive index and bibliography".
Euan Corrie. Waterways to Manchester. 50-4
Obiously pre-Manchester Ship Canal, although scheduled for some future
feature or features. This part considers the Mersey & Irwell Navigation.
Most has disappeared and the Crosfield bridge, although listed, is in very
fragile condition. It was built to carry railway wagons, but was modifid
to carry road vehicles. It was always a non-public river crossing.
| Howley Suspension Bridge just above Warrington built by David Rowell & Co. in 1912 Google search produces excellent website | 50 |
| Map of Mersey & Irwell Navigation | 51 |
| Woolston lock and associated house: caption notes how Ship Canal excavated material and later dredged dumped here | 52 |
| Crosfields or Bank Quay or Transporter bridge, designed by William Henry Hunter and built by Sir William Arrol & Co. | 53 |
| As above but view downstream during construction: see also footnote | 53 |
| Lookimg upstream from old lock at Barton looking across to Bardsley's Corn Mill powered by large inside water-wheel [all dissappeared during Ship Canal construction] | 54 |
| Sailing vessel on upper reaches of Irwell (Mersey & Irwell Navigation) now adjacent Grenada TV studios alongside Manchester & Salford Junction Canal | 54 |
Footnote 2: Joseph Crosfield came from a family wholesale grocery business in Warrington and in 1814 started a soap works on the Mersey at Bank Quay. It was sold to Brunner Mond in 1911 and passed to Unilever in 1929,
Tony Neuls. Cheltenham Coach Station— 1975. Part 3. 55-64.
First part; second part.
| East Kent UFN 481H Duple Commodore IV C40F bodied AEC Reliance on service 610 to London | 55 |
| National 750 sticker | 55 |
| National Express timetable: Table No. 372. Gloucester/Cheltenham>London>Southend-on-Sea | 56 |
| Hants & Dorset 3002 (ex North Western 226 and National Travel (North West)) FJA 226D Leyland Leopard PSU4/4R with Duple Commodore IV C41F body | 56 |
| Greenslades 497 RFJ 826H AEC Reliance 6U3ZR with Plaxton Panorama Elite C49F white livery body | 56 |
| Crosville Leyland National 11351/1R/SC-DP48F,ENL 919,HFM,175N on 646 Holyhead service in green livery | 57 |
| East Yorkshire 241 KUP 241J (ex-Shaw Bros. Byers Green, Co. Durham) arriving on service 216 from Hull Leyland Leopard PSU3A/4R with Panorama Elite Express C49F body | 57 |
| Northern General 5043 orignally 115L, Bristol RELH6L with Plaxton Elite Express III C47F body backed up round the baclk | 57 |
| Greenslades 279 HOD 39E in National Travel white livery | 57 |
| East Yorkshire 157 ex National Travel (North West) and North Western DDB 157C Leyland Leopard PSU3/3RT with Alexander Y-type DP49F body on 216 from Hull | 57 |
| On Clarence Street National Travel (South East) LWC 980J with Plaxton Panorama Elite II C47F on 183 EASTLANDER service | 57 |
| Heyfordian (Smith of Upper Heyford) YWL 135K AEC Reliance 6U3Z7R with Plaxton Panorama Elite II C51F body turning off St. Margaret's Road | 58 |
| Northern General 5060 GGR 408N Leyland Leopard PSU3C/4R with Plaxton Elite Express III C47F body in re-fueling bay on West Country & Lands End tour | 58 |
| Greenslades 252 still in pre-NBC livery CFJ 894C AEC Reliance 2U3RA with Duple Commander C44F body with probably 16.30 for Paignton | 58 |
| Tricentrol Ford R1114 TXD 697L with Duple Dominant C53F body arriving on 183 EASTLANDER service about to turn in off St. Margaret's Road | 58 |
| Wallace Arnold HWU 62N long Leyland Leopard PSU5B/4R with Plaxton Panorama Elite III C57F body emerges from re-fueling bay on South West Clipper service | 58 |
| United 1294 NHN 794K Bristol RELH6G with Plaxton Panorama Elite II C45F parked waiting to go on to Bay 1 for 14.30 396 Newcastle service but going to Sunderland | 58 |
| Red & White AAD 245B 145 (formerly 245) Leyland Leopard PSU3/3R with Plaxton Panorama II C47F body | 59 |
| South Wales 470 HCY 470N AEC Reliance 6U2R with Duple Dominant Express C51F body in NBC dual purpose red libvery on 620 Llanelli service probably from Swansea | 60 |
| East Yorkshire 160 NHN 415E Leyland Leopard PSU3/3R with Plaxton Panorama I C51F body (originally ordered by Wilkinson Motors of Sedgefield, but delvered as United 1200 | 60 |
| South Wales 134 UWN 47H AEC Reliance 6MU4R with C41F body on 20 Llanelli service (inherited from Thomas Bros of Port Talbot) | 60 |
| Midland Red 2056 AAC 21B former Stratford Blue 56 Leyland Leopard L2 with Plaxton Panorama C41F body | 60 |
| Oxford/South Midland 34 UMO 690G Bristol LH6L with Duple Commander C41F body probably from Oxford/ about to turn off St. Margaret's Road | 60 |
| Royal Blue 2301 861 UAE former Bristol Greyhound 2115 about to depart on 11.30 731 Hannafore service for Bath and Looe | 60 |
| National Travel (South East) XVW 634L Bristol RELH6G with Plaxton Panorama Elite III C44F body probably on Tour 14 for Wales in re-fueling bay | 61 |
| Wessex RHT 918G in pre-NBC red livery Bedford VAM70 with Duple Viceroy C45F body probably arriving from Bristol | 61 |
| Essex County Coaches Gallleon Tours HME 340N AEC Reliance 6U3ZR with Plaxton Panorama Elite III C53F body on tour No. 12A to Cotswolds, Wye Valley and Wales | 61 |
| Crosville ERG281 YFM 281L bus liveried Bristol RELL6G with DP50F body on 646 Holyhead service | 62 |
| Everall Group Worthington Motor Tours Ford R192 JOA 271E with Duple Viceroy C45F body on 14.30 649 Birmingham service via Evesham, Redditch & Bromsgrove | 62 |
| Greenslades 285 AFJ 59B AEC Reliance 2MU4AR with Harrington Grenadier C41F body on service 730 from Paignton | 62 |
| United Counties 196 LXD 424K short Ford R192 with Elite Express II C45F body in dual-purpose green livery on 183 EASTLANDER service from Ipswich (or probably Luton) | 62 |
| Wallace Arnold HWU 76N Leyland Leopard PSU3C/4R with Duple Dominant C53R body waiting return on SOUTH WEST CLIPPER for Wakefield and Leeds | 62 |
| Royal Blue 617 DDV Bristol MW6G with ECW C39F on 11.30 731 departure for Looe | 62 |
| Greenslades 271 EOD 31D AEC Reliance 2U3RA with Harrington Grenadier C49F body next to dead Daimler | 63 |
| Pulham's of Bourton-on-the-Water KDF 856P Bedford YRQ with Plaxton Panorama Express III C45F body on hire to National | 63 |
| Yates of Runcorn JFM 285N AEC Reliance 6U3ZR with Plaxton Panorama Elite III C51F body probably going to Bournemouth turniing off St. Margaret's Road | 63 |
| Black & White Mootor Ways 182 KDD 282E Leyland Leopard PSU3/3RT with Plaxton Panorama I C47F body going to Great Yarmouth | 64 |