© Bowes Railway
Set starting to ascend the West Incline
Once the set is at a standstill at Black Fell, it is checked to ensure that it is in a safe condition to haul back to Blackham's Hill. The Black Fell shunter checks the retaining pin is secure in the "D" link and that no bottom doors on the wagons have dropped. He then sends a bell code (6 rings, 2 rings) to signify that it is safe to haul. The Mount and Farm Crossing gates are closed to road traffic and the crossing keeper sends a bell code (4 rings, 2 rings) to signify readiness. The hauler driver sends a bell code (2 rings) and starts to haul the set up the West Incline.
© Bowes Railway
Set starting to ascend the West Incline
© Peter Norman
Set ascending the West Incline
(viewed from Mount Crossing)
© Ian Bowskill - Battle of Britain Locomotive Society
Set passing Mount
Farm Crossing (viewed from the former Landsale siding)
As the set arrives on the Fulls road the bank head staff run alongside it to prepare to slip the coupling. In the picture below the person in yellowt has placed a rope hook over the rope next to the rope socket. The person on the right has lifted the hand chain from the handrail on the front of the wagon, where it was hanging, and is pulling it to pull the retaining pin from the nose of the "D" link.
© New Jersey Railway and Canal Society
Preparing to slip the rope
As the set approaches the knock-off point, the hauler driver applies the brakes, and the rope begins to sag. A sharp pull on the handchain by the shunter is sufficient to cause the "D" link to open and the chain and rope to fall away from the drawbar link on the wagon. Both shunters pull the rope clear of the set as it falls to prevent the set from running over it.
© Stafford M Linsley
Bank head shunters slipping the West Incline rope
Once the rope and chain are knocked off and clear of the rails, the shunters apply the handbrakes on the wagons to slow the set and bring it to a standstill against the East incline chocks, ready for attaching the east rope for the onward journey to Springwell.
The final view (below) shows Blackhams Hill bankhead with two sets of 6 empty wagons on the kip to the right, waiting to go down to Black Fell, one full set of 6 wagons having been brought up from Black Fell and now standing against the east chocks, and the west rope hauling up a set of full wagons. When the full set arrives, it will be coupled with the other to make a set of 12 fulls for Springwell. The end of the east incline rope can be seen lying on the boards, ready to be attached to the full set.
© Stafford M Linsley
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This page last updated 29th March 2006 |