A true historian Jack, well done, I don't think we realised in this modern age that so much went on, on the Isle of Wight in day's gone bye. This makes your video's so interesting, to which I thank you. I wish you and Nel all the best for 2025, and hope that we might meet-up some time. Regards, Andrew.
Thank you Andrew though you flatter me, I am far from a historian. To be honest a much of this stuff I didn't know about that long ago, so I'm finding out a lot too! Hope you had a happy Christmas and I'm sure we'll meet up sometime in the near future. All the best 😊
My grandad started his driver training as a cleaner at Newport shed. They used to clean the Terriers that operated the cement trains. He said they were white at the end of the day, and they would have to get them gloss black by the morning. My dad used to play in the old chalk pit at Shide when he was a boy. He said there were a couple of wagons still in the pit and they would try to push them about. This was about 1950, so imagine they weren’t very movable. He also told me he climbed up that chalk face several times. It’s amazing I actually exist.
@@andyrobbins8379 Glad you did make it Andy! Some great info and stories there, would have loved to have been around to witness what it was like back then in the days of Steam and industry. Merry Christmas and have a great New Year 🙂👍
The loco looks like a 'Simplex', many of theses were used on the front in the first war. I remember there been an old bit of machinery in the pit, this would have been in the late 60's/early 70's. Might had been some sort of grader, can't remember for certain now!!
Cheers for the info. I'm not very knowledgeable on narrow gauge locos so this helps a lot. Will have to look into it and see if I can find the identity of the simplex in the video. 🙂👍
Well researched and presented young man! Local history is fascinating, a huge cement works that probably helped build most of the Island now vanished under the brambles with only a few clues it ever existed. Great film and content as ever Jack. BTW. are you going to be at the great “Whistle-up” around 12:00 ? If I see you I’ll say hello and may even buy you a beer ! Cheers, Richard.
Great video Jack; I used to work for a quarry company so I'm familiar with bits and pieces of the footage; Narrow gauge rails are now either replaced with dumptrucks or in the case of gravel pits, semi permanent conveyor belts that can be moved around quite similarly to the old temporary NG tracks that moved as the working face grew. Clay and limestone (chalk) is crushed and mixed together and fired in the kiln to create cement, along with water and I think the slurry could be recycled in the process somehow. The steam powered excavator at Shide is known as a steam-shovel (modern equivalent would be a tracked face shovel or wheeled loading shovel . A face shovel digs into the face much like the front bucket of a JCB, whereas in the clay pits a steam knavvy would have the grab attachment due to the nature of digging down and the fact the clay was sticky. I think the graffiti covered brick hut at Shide could be the old magazine for storing the explosives.
Always a wealth of knowledge as usual Nathan! Thanks for the information, it is fascinating. Would love to find out more about the 'simplex' in the video so if you know anything in regards to it, that would be fab! Happy New Year pal and hope you had a great Xmas 😊👍
I was camping on the Isle of Wight, looking at the railways, and visited Shide Chalk Pit, just South East of Newport. It was teeming with people, a hundred or more using the pit as a nice place to go for a walk, in the early evening. Quite uncanny!
I can't remember the name of the loco, (a Simplex, possibly?) but I am sure they have one example at Amberley in Sussex. They also have some chalk pits!
Ah ok. I will have to do look into it more then, would be interesting to find out the actual identity of the loco in the video, sure its possible. Many thanks for the info 🙂👍
At the end of steam, the 02 engines were mostly scrapped at Newport or Ryde. However, number 18 Ningwood was slowly cannibalised at the back of Ryde works, and then towed to Cement Mills halt and scrapped in the siding. Derek Gawn has a photo in his book The Times They are a’Changin.
They ALL should have been GIVEN to preservationists, along with what remained of the Railway in 1966 ! My opinion, and I'm sticking to it. Mark Woodnutt did what he could, mind.
@@ivormacadam The O2 W24 Calbourne was the only one that was saved, and is on the IoW Heritage railway. The rest were sadly scrapped. At that time in the mid 1960s the Heritage railway was in its infancy and did not have deep pockets. The other issue was funding the transport costs from the Island onto the mainland.
My guess would be that the loco, wagons and track are ex-WW1 WD items. The Army disposed of huge numbers of 600mm/2ft gauge equipment after the war and they were used all over the place. The track was designed to be easily handled and moved as required so it would suit a quarrying complex perfectly.
Great video. It's possible one of my ancestors came from Shide (someone else's research - yet to be verified). Im now wondering whether they had any connection to the chalk pit!
|The NG loco looked to be a Lister or similar. These were often petrol fuelled with mechanical transmission. I believe they made several different models, hopefully someone with a greater knowledge of them than I will be able to tell you more.
Many thanks for the info! Yes I heard Lister manufactured war department locos early on in the 1900s, got some infomation to go on now. Happy New Year to you and thanks for watching 🙂👍
A true historian Jack, well done, I don't think we realised in this modern age that so much went on, on the Isle of Wight in day's gone bye. This makes your video's so interesting, to which I thank you. I wish you and Nel all the best for 2025, and hope that we might meet-up some time. Regards, Andrew.
Thank you Andrew though you flatter me, I am far from a historian. To be honest a much of this stuff I didn't know about that long ago, so I'm finding out a lot too! Hope you had a happy Christmas and I'm sure we'll meet up sometime in the near future. All the best 😊
My grandad started his driver training as a cleaner at Newport shed. They used to clean the Terriers that operated the cement trains. He said they were white at the end of the day, and they would have to get them gloss black by the morning.
My dad used to play in the old chalk pit at Shide when he was a boy. He said there were a couple of wagons still in the pit and they would try to push them about. This was about 1950, so imagine they weren’t very movable. He also told me he climbed up that chalk face several times. It’s amazing I actually exist.
🤣! Glad you made it to add your story to the history of this place! 😊
@@andyrobbins8379 Glad you did make it Andy! Some great info and stories there, would have loved to have been around to witness what it was like back then in the days of Steam and industry. Merry Christmas and have a great New Year 🙂👍
An excellent video, thank you!
Thank you very much for watching! 😊
The loco looks like a 'Simplex', many of theses were used on the front in the first war. I remember there been an old bit of machinery in the pit, this would have been in the late 60's/early 70's. Might had been some sort of grader, can't remember for certain now!!
Cheers for the info. I'm not very knowledgeable on narrow gauge locos so this helps a lot. Will have to look into it and see if I can find the identity of the simplex in the video. 🙂👍
Hi Jack Interesting video Thanks
Thank you, glad you enjoyed 👍
Fascinating. Thanks.
Thanks you! Happy holidays 👍
Fascinating, so interesting. Thank you very much. Happy New Year!
@@mauricerichards4235 thank you Maurice! You too! 😊
Awesome stuff as usual. Hope you and Nel had a great Christmas and a happy new year
@@tomwoolgar4575 thank you Tom! You too, hope you had a lovely Xmas time 😊👍
Well researched and presented young man! Local history is fascinating, a huge cement works that probably helped build most of the Island now vanished under the brambles with only a few clues it ever existed.
Great film and content as ever Jack. BTW. are you going to be at the great “Whistle-up” around 12:00 ? If I see you I’ll say hello and may even buy you a beer !
Cheers,
Richard.
Thanks, enjoyed that. Great old footage of cement works.
@@hrhbucket4268 you're welcome! Happy holidays and thank you for watching 😊
Fantastic work Jack
Thank you, glad you enjoyed 🙂👍
Great video Jack; I used to work for a quarry company so I'm familiar with bits and pieces of the footage; Narrow gauge rails are now either replaced with dumptrucks or in the case of gravel pits, semi permanent conveyor belts that can be moved around quite similarly to the old temporary NG tracks that moved as the working face grew.
Clay and limestone (chalk) is crushed and mixed together and fired in the kiln to create cement, along with water and I think the slurry could be recycled in the process somehow.
The steam powered excavator at Shide is known as a steam-shovel (modern equivalent would be a tracked face shovel or wheeled loading shovel . A face shovel digs into the face much like the front bucket of a JCB, whereas in the clay pits a steam knavvy would have the grab attachment due to the nature of digging down and the fact the clay was sticky.
I think the graffiti covered brick hut at Shide could be the old magazine for storing the explosives.
Always a wealth of knowledge as usual Nathan! Thanks for the information, it is fascinating. Would love to find out more about the 'simplex' in the video so if you know anything in regards to it, that would be fab! Happy New Year pal and hope you had a great Xmas 😊👍
It looks like a Simplex to me. We had one of the RHDR when I worked there in the 1970s.
Happy New Year to you both.
Happy New Year to you! 🥂
I was camping on the Isle of Wight, looking at the railways, and visited Shide Chalk Pit, just South East of Newport. It was teeming with people, a hundred or more using the pit as a nice place to go for a walk, in the early evening. Quite uncanny!
I had no idea about this tramway. Another piece in the jigsaw!
@@alastaircreelman thank you for watching! Yes there are a few, some I've only just found out about myself 👍
I can't remember the name of the loco, (a Simplex, possibly?) but I am sure they have one example at Amberley in Sussex. They also have some chalk pits!
Ah ok. I will have to do look into it more then, would be interesting to find out the actual identity of the loco in the video, sure its possible. Many thanks for the info 🙂👍
At the end of steam, the 02 engines were mostly scrapped at Newport or Ryde. However, number 18 Ningwood was slowly cannibalised at the back of Ryde works, and then towed to Cement Mills halt and scrapped in the siding. Derek Gawn has a photo in his book The Times They are a’Changin.
They ALL should have been GIVEN to preservationists, along with what remained of the Railway in 1966 ! My opinion, and I'm sticking to it. Mark Woodnutt did what he could, mind.
@@ivormacadam The O2 W24 Calbourne was the only one that was saved, and is on the IoW Heritage railway. The rest were sadly scrapped. At that time in the mid 1960s the Heritage railway was in its infancy and did not have deep pockets. The other issue was funding the transport costs from the Island onto the mainland.
My guess would be that the loco, wagons and track are ex-WW1 WD items. The Army disposed of huge numbers of 600mm/2ft gauge equipment after the war and they were used all over the place. The track was designed to be easily handled and moved as required so it would suit a quarrying complex perfectly.
Very possibly! Thanks for the info 🙂👍
Supposedly there's a coal wagon in the mud in the Medina near there. The Friday gang will know more.
Ok. Will have to ask them when I'm next over at the railway, cheers for the info 🙂👍
Great video. It's possible one of my ancestors came from Shide (someone else's research - yet to be verified). Im now wondering whether they had any connection to the chalk pit!
Thank you! Perhaps Sue ... if you find out do let us know, would be very interesting. Happy holidays 😊
|The NG loco looked to be a Lister or similar. These were often petrol fuelled with mechanical transmission. I believe they made several different models, hopefully someone with a greater knowledge of them than I will be able to tell you more.
Many thanks for the info! Yes I heard Lister manufactured war department locos early on in the 1900s, got some infomation to go on now. Happy New Year to you and thanks for watching 🙂👍