Previously at Wakefield Railway Modellers' Society

• Tom Puddings at Stanley Ferry Wed 26th Mar 2025
  For nearly 150 years, the Aire and Calder Navigation took coal from South and West Yorkshire collieries to Goole for export to Europe in boats known locally as ‘Tom Puddings’. Since the last Artwalk, the Wakefield Railway Modellers have been hard at work on their model of Stanley Ferry where these boats were launched into the water to start their journey to the Humber. Come along and see what progress has been made, and hear about the plans we have for the future. To help us in our project, we would love to hear any information, memories or stories you may have about the navigation, boats, railways and collieries that were part of this now vanished piece of local heritage and history.
• Tom Puddings at Stanley Ferry Wed 29th Jan 2025
  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.