Skip to main content
arrowbookcheckclosecommentfacebookfavourite-origfavouritegooglehomeibalogopdfsearchsharespotlighttwitterwelsh-government
People's Collection Wales Logo A vector graphics of the official People's Collection Wales Logo
  • Cymraeg
  • Login
  • Register
  • About UsAbout PCW
  • Uploadedit & create
  • The Collectionbrowse & filter
  • Mapsnew & historic
  • HelpTips on using the website
  • Learnteaching resources
Home / The Train Driver -A veteran of Flintshire railways chats to John Butler
Tweet
 
  • The Train Driver -A veteran of Flintshire railways chats to John Butler

  • View map
  • Use stars to collect & save items A vector image of star to represent action to save this item   Login to save this item
  • Download (non-commercial use only)

Content can be downloaded for non-commercial purposes, such as for personal use or in educational resources.
For commercial purposes please contact the copyright holder directly.
Read more about the The Creative Archive Licence.

This content isn't available for download, please contact us.

Description

Bill Price worked as a locomotive driver during the final days of steam. Based at Mold (Yr Wyddgrug) junction, he had a wide experience of working across the, pre-Beeching network. But Bill also worked the local branch lines. Especially the working routes and sidings that linked the regional systems to the riverside at Connahs Quay.

One line, of which Bill had first-hand knowledge, was known to generations of Deesiders as "The Buckley Line" This was a single track that conveyed commodities such as kiln products and coal from the industrious communities of the North Wales hinterland down to the river Dee quayside from whence they would be shipped to destinations far and wide.

The interview was a classic case of mid-summer, water-front happen-stance! The Kathleen & May Heritage Centre is open most Friday afternoons for anyone to drop-in and share stories and photos of Connahs Quay & Deeside, over a cup of tea, with like-minded folk. Bill Price had been brought along by his granddaughter, Ally. He was soon chatting happily. Once he revealed that he had driven the loco that used to ply the line between Buckley and Connahs Quay, I knew there was a story for the archives in the making!

I just had to ask Bill to speak on camera and help explain something about a long-contested feature of one of the last tunnels through which the busy little engine had to negotiate all those years ago.

With me armed with a "compact" digial camera and granddaughter Ally, hasily recruited as "sound-guy" we trundled out the 100yards or so to the little tunnel and stopped to chat.

The outer brickwork rim of the tunnel looked scarred and worse for wear. How had this happened? In modern times, the condition, and how it got that way, has been the subject of some conjecture by locals. But now we had the man who was there, standing by to tell us!

Listen to Bill as he sets the record straight!

Bill also refers to:

Suitability of of local coal for firing steam locomotives.

Connahs Quay power-station -in the days when it was coal-fired.

Pleasures & tribulations of being confined to the engine cab.

Cargoes of newly-built harvesting equipment shipping from from Mold Station.

Shipments of dangerous, war-time mustard gas, manufactured at Rhydymwyn and destined destruction at a special facility on Merseyside.

Production notes:
This film was without any pre-planning or scripting. When the opportunity presented itself, the people, the location (and the North Wales weather) were amenable. It just seemed right to step outside and do it!

It was made using a hand-held pocket digital camera (Panasonic TZ70). Sound was recorded by Bill's grand-daugher, Ally Morrison who quickly agreed to be pressed into service using my pocket digital note-taker.
Mike Dougherty, a Kathleen & May heritage stalwart helped-out as impromptu, production bag-man/gofor.

Making this recording serves as a good example of using whatever equipment might be to-hand at the time!

P.S. Hope folks enjoy Bill's recounting of some of his impressive life experiences. Especially the story of the multi-use cab shovel!

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWGBRCwdxfU

Uploaded by

jbsandown (John Butler)'s picture

jbsandown (John Butler)

Date joined:
17/08/2013

Item uploaded: 20/07/2019

  • 1756  Views

CREATOR: jbsandown

OWNER: jbsandown

PUBLISHER REFERENCE:

Item Created: 05/07/2019

More items with these tags:

  • Houses and Homes
  • People and Family
  • Minerals
  • Coal
  • Mining (Other)
  • Pottery
  • Trains and Railways
  • Agricultural machinery and implements
  • First World War (1914-18)
  • Second World War (1939-45)
  • Warfare
  • 1950s
  • 1960s
  • 1970s
  • buckley
  • connahs quay
  • railway
  • mold
  • yr wyddgrug
  • docks
  • dee
  • buckley line

COPYRIGHT DETAILS

LICENCE INFORMATION


Creative Archive License

Contact us to request takedown

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to leave a comment

More Welsh history

The Railway Hotel at Blaenavon

The Railway Hotel at Blaenavon

  • Use stars to collect & save items A vector image of star to represent action to save this item
  • 526
  • login to save
  • Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

Unidentified location

Unidentified location

  • Use stars to collect & save items A vector image of star to represent action to save this item
  • 567
  • login to save
  • Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

unidentified industrial site

unidentified industrial site

  • Use stars to collect & save items A vector image of star to represent action to save this item
  • 554
  • login to save
  • Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

Ynysfach Ironworks

Ynysfach Ironworks

  • Use stars to collect & save items A vector image of star to represent action to save this item
  • 481
  • login to save
  • Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

Twitter Logo The Twitter Logo in vector format
This is a lovely photograph of Emma Johnson and Gladys Fiddler in front of their shop on 42 Dock View Road, Barry 👇… https://t.co/3ee5vjWmNo — 12 hours 10 min ago
more

Keep in touch

  • Twitter Logo The Twitter Logo in vector format
  • Facebook Logo The Facebook Logo in vector format

More about us, our work with community groups, services and training

  • Access
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Site Map
  • Terms
Noddir gan Lywodraeth Cymru | Sponsored by Welsh Government The Welsh Government Logo in vector format

01970 632 500 Email