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View Full Version : Mooching in Middle Shitlington 1999/2000?



Rustynail
10-04-2012, 08:22 PM
A set of pics from the turn of the century but I can't remember exactly which year. It was certainly before I'd heard of the term 'urbex' and probably before I had internet access. I doubt there's any information on this place on the interwebz, in fact it's difficult to find any trace of it at all.

I have an interest in railways, especially narrow gauge and industrial ones and I'd seen a sales leaflet for a mine manriding car made by a company called Ingham. I'd never heard of this one before and was told, by another railway nut, that it used to be in Thornhill Road, Middlestown, West Yorkshire and they produced narrow gauge wagons (tubs) for mines and other such uses but it had closed long ago and there would probably be nothing left to see now. The sales leaflet did date from the 1950s after all...

Anyway, I drove up to see what I could find and saw a ramshackle collection of industrial buildings built onto what looked like a stone-built stable block. They were clad in corrugated iron and asbestos with brick extensions here and there. The yard was very overgrown but I knew I'd found the right place as I could see a mine tub with weeds growing out of it. I walked down one side but there was no way of getting in to the yard and the fence was too high to climb easily and in view of houses on the other side of the road so I headed back to the motor. For some reason I decided to try the front door and it wasn't locked!

I closed the door after me and headed down a dark corridor that had an old clocking-on machine on the wall and came out in this workshop.
http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/rustynail2009/Inghams5.jpg
As you can see, narrow gauge tracks, set into concrete, went everywhere and with turnplates too!

http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/rustynail2009/Inghams2.jpg

http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/rustynail2009/Inghams1.jpg

http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/rustynail2009/Inghams6.jpg

One of the wagons that had been used to carry materials about the works. Probably made from a V-skip tipping wagon chassis.
http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/rustynail2009/Inghams4.jpg

Another wagon chassis, probably originally a U-shape bodied mine tipper wagon.
http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt319/rustynail2009/Inghams3.jpg

As I later found out, the works had been a general engineers in recent times and had not built mining or light railway equipment for many years. About a month after these pics were taken the works was demolished and the site cleared. It's now posh houses and you'd never know that an engineering works had ever been there.

Oh and the thread title? Middlestown was formerly known as Middle Shitlington but the Victorians, not wanting their village associated with the vulgar word for excrement, changed it. :gfight

kitrs013
25-06-2012, 08:10 PM
It makes me sad to think that it's all gone. All the interesting stuff will have been scrapped too. :(
It makes me wish I could keep some of the stuff but it's not as if I've got anywear to put old railway machines :L

wolfism
29-06-2012, 09:15 PM
Cheers for posting, often the smallest engineering works have the most character. The skip frames look similar to the style that Hudson made…

sunny
06-07-2012, 05:14 PM
i like this it just looks as if the the works have just downed tools and walked out the place not even botherered to lock the door and all gone home and never came back its very strange

Bunkerkid
06-07-2012, 10:36 PM
Places like this certainly are strange, another 'out the door screw the rest' type place. Cheers for posting though, bet it was a real surprise opening the door and seeing all that!

Rustynail
20-10-2012, 08:20 PM
Cheers for posting, often the smallest engineering works have the most character. The skip frames look similar to the style that Hudson made…

That's probably because the company were taken over by Hudsons.

Yeah, I know my reply has been a long time coming but I've not been able to get on this site for ages. :cry

wolfism
21-10-2012, 06:46 PM
That's probably because the company were taken over by Hudsons.

Right, makes sense.. If you have any other pics from pre-internet/ pre-UE visits to places, would love to see them. I have a shoebox of old photos that I keep meaning to scan in..

GeoVDUB
16-12-2012, 01:34 PM
Nice history.