The Wakefield Railway Modellers Society is building a model of Newland Basin at Stanley Ferry on the Aire & Calder Navigation. The development and use of the waterway as a route for the transport of goods is an important part of local history, and is still remembered by many today. The Navigation was used extensively from the 1830’s to the 1980’s, principally to take coal from West Yorkshire collieries to the Port of Goole for export to Europe. Coal was moved in compartment boats colloquially known as ‘Tom Puddings’. Each could take about 40 tons of coal. About 20 of these would be tied together and towed by a steam powered tug to the Port of Goole. Here, specially designed hoists would bodily lift the Tom Puddings into the air and discharge their contents into the holds of sea-going ships. Normally, these were loaded from waterside staithes, but the St John’s colliery of Normanton did something different. The boats were taken over a mile by rail on special bogies to be filled at the pithead and then returned to the water at Stanley Ferry.

Open 5pm-9pm