Wigan Album

Apart from Fiddlers Ferry, did Bickershaw Colliery serve other coal fired power stations on the rail network?

well captured pair of choppers . listen to the mini beast growl. i bet the SSF is in use in this shot once its turned off the mini beast from hell will be letting platt bridge know there comming gggggrrrrrrrrr beast

Nice shot of the rapid loader with an MGR train.

Hi Colin i think the coal only went to fiddlers ferry power station, these are the "draw back" engines that where used to draw the train back to Springs Branch, on their arrival they would be uncoupled from the train which would continue forward to the power station.

the train was so heavy that 4 engines where needed to climb the steep gradient out of Bickershaw. These engines where very good at the job.

back in 1978 I worked as a guard at springs branch we used to work class 9 coal trains to huncoat ps padiham ps Fleetwood ps and a few more in the area all served from Bickershaw colliery and Albert opencast.