Orgreave Colliery platform
Encyclopedia
Orgreave Colliery platform was a workman's halt built to serve the miners working at Orgreave Colliery
in South Yorkshire
, England
. These workmen's trains or "Paddy Mails" were operated between Sheffield Victoria and Treeton Colliery
at shift change times being hauled along the main line to Orgreaves Colliery Sidings (the extra 's' being added by the railway in error but never corrected) where the main line locomotive was exchanged for one belonging to the colliery company, usually "Rothervale No.6" which was fitted with vacuum brakes.
The platform was situated almost at the bottom of an incline with a gradient of approx. 1 in 27 to be climbed to reach the main line with the return trains. It was often the case that the train was reversed a short distance to more level track to give it a run at the gradient and a banking locomotive provided, sometimes on damp days too.
The "Paddy Mails" ceased running in May 1932 due to parts of the bridges between Orgreave and Treeton being washed away when the River Rother
flooded. The line was repaired but the "Paddy Mails" were not re-introduced, being replaced by "Pit Buses" operated by Sheffield Corporation along the main routes from the city centre and the local area.
One of the "Paddy Mails" was involved in an accident
on 13 December 1926.
Orgreave Colliery
Orgreave Colliery was a coal mine situated adjacent to the main line of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railwayabout south east of Sheffield. The colliery is within the parish of Orgreave, from which it takes its name.- History :...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. These workmen's trains or "Paddy Mails" were operated between Sheffield Victoria and Treeton Colliery
Treeton Colliery
Treeton Colliery was a coal mine situated in the village of Treeton, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.Work on the sinking of Treeton Colliery commenced, with all due ceremony, in October 1875...
at shift change times being hauled along the main line to Orgreaves Colliery Sidings (the extra 's' being added by the railway in error but never corrected) where the main line locomotive was exchanged for one belonging to the colliery company, usually "Rothervale No.6" which was fitted with vacuum brakes.
The platform was situated almost at the bottom of an incline with a gradient of approx. 1 in 27 to be climbed to reach the main line with the return trains. It was often the case that the train was reversed a short distance to more level track to give it a run at the gradient and a banking locomotive provided, sometimes on damp days too.
The "Paddy Mails" ceased running in May 1932 due to parts of the bridges between Orgreave and Treeton being washed away when the River Rother
River Rother, South Yorkshire
The River Rother is a river in the northern midlands of England, after which the town of Rotherham and the Rother Valley parliamentary constituency are named. It rises near Clay Cross in Derbyshire, and flows through the centre of Chesterfield, where it feeds the Chesterfield Canal...
flooded. The line was repaired but the "Paddy Mails" were not re-introduced, being replaced by "Pit Buses" operated by Sheffield Corporation along the main routes from the city centre and the local area.
One of the "Paddy Mails" was involved in an accident
Orgreave Paddy Mail accident
The Orgreave Train Collision occurred on 13 December 1926 near Orgreaves Colliery signal box on the Great Central Railway line about 4½ miles east of Sheffield...
on 13 December 1926.