North Eastern Coalfields Relics 2008

The main focus of our Winter 2008 was Tipong Colliery with its narrow gauge steam railway. However, along the way we visited the Digboi Centenary Museum with preserved stationary steam and also found a number of abandoned steam relics:

Ledo Brick Works

Some 10 years ago this was functional with a narrow gauge steam railway (this is Bernd Seiler's picture from December 1996:

However, by 2008, the site was derelict. the remains of at least 4 steam locomotives are on site (the last active locomotive, David, is now at Tipong Colliery nearby):

There are two boilers, on the right is a modern locally made one, that on the left is from John Thompson of Wolverhampton (England) and dates from 1928.

Inside is a large stationary steam engine which appears to have worked a rope powered system. It has no marks but my money is on it being an old Marshall.

Mike Swift confirms my suspicions: "The horizontal steam engine at Ledo is Marshall 23485 of 1923 and was supplied during a major investment programme to modernise this works in the 1920s. It powered the clay mill and extruder in the adjacent building, not a haulage system." However, the date (and the design) is way off for this number which is from the 1890s.

Perched in the air at the entrance to Tipong Colliery are the remains of a twin cylinder steam winch, this time I have no idea at all of its provenance:

There must be hundreds if not thousands of such relics scattered around the country....