| Ashley and
his mate were often wandering
the extensive surface infrastructure of Shipley Woodside pit. His mate was apparently
fascinated by a flag (or flags), which stood in a receptacle, made from a piece
of pipe. This was set in the ground adjacent to the railway level crossing at
Shipley Village; near the entrance to what was the pit manager's house - "The
Coppice", (later the Coppice Inn and Restaurant, and now Counter Solutions).
You can still see a short section of the old mineral railway set in the road there,
I believe.
Over time, Ashley's mate developed
an obsession with waving this flag, and after some deliberation, could not hold
back any longer. He waved the flag. Shortly afterwards a trainload of fully loaded
coal wagons came trundled down the gradient from Woodside No.1 (Drift) screens,
colliding with a full set of loaded wagons sitting on the mineral line running
parallel with the road between the Coppice Inn and Restaurant and Osbournes Pond.
Ashley and his mate made a run for it. Coal
and wagons were scattered all over the road, and what is now Counter Solutions
car park. There was obviously a major mess to clean up and an accident investigation
to hold. Coal was backing up at both Woodside and Coppice pits. It was big trouble. It
transpired that the flags were the signalling mechanism whereby workers
at the screens were informed to release full wagons, and by gravity they would
come to rest down on the empty section of line. This section of line was out of
view from the screens themselves.
Normally a pit locomotive,
possibly the now preserved Cecil Raikes, would haul these wagons away down the
valley to Nutbrook Sidings, where they would be marshalled for their final destinations.
However, when Ashley's mate waved the flag, the previous set of wagons had not
yet been dispatched.
It sounds amusing now, but
I doubt it was as funny at the time.
The investigation
reached stalemate, with the screens attendant adamant that he had received
the signal, and the "authorised" signalman equally adamant that he had
not given it. Many years after Woodside shut (1966), Ashley's mate admitted to
his involvement in events.
Knowing Ashley, I
still wonder which one actually waved that flag, and if either of them were actually
in total ignorance of its purpose.
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