A non-member, Grenville Jackson, has asked if the BDCA can help with his research on the subject crane, as follows:

I am researching the locomotive power depot at Mirfield 56D for a model railway project. For many years a hand breakdown crane was stored at the rear of the depot whilst not in use. Are there any records of what cranes were used at this depot? Can you give me any guidance as to where to look for information?

Any information that we can find will not only be of interest to Grenville but also a useful addition to our own knowledge base.

L&Y Hand cranes – see LMS Engine Sheds Vol. 3 , Hawkins and Reeve, Wild Swan.
6w, 10 ton at Agecroft and Fleetwood. I only have poor photocopies.

I also have other pages that I fairly recently photocopied in Sidmouth Library – buried for filing somewhere! Almost certainly in L&YR Wagons Vol 2, Coates, Wild Swan, publ 2006..

Chris

David can you ask Grenville if he has detail or photos of the Snowploughs allocated to Mirfield in the 60s - 70s.
As this was one of the final allocation spots of the NER Steel Bodied ploughs dating from 1909.
Holbeck and Healey Mills were the other 2 places to house them.

_________________
Bryan

http://www.nymr-pway.co.uk/

Bryan, I have forwarded your enquiry to Grenville via email copied to yourself.

As an aside, I wonder if a snowplough ever became derailed and needed rescuing with the use of a breakdown crane? One would have thought that, given their arduous duties, a plough would have suffered a mishap from time to time, but how would a BDC get to it (with access possibly blocked by snow in front and train behind)?

Jacks usually carried on board for that purpose.

_________________
Bryan

http://www.nymr-pway.co.uk/