epw037080 ENGLAND (1931). The East Lancashire Road (A580) under construction, Lately Common, from the south-west, 1931

Possibly Astley Green Colliery

Mary Blood's cottage? Mary Blood - interred in Glazebury parish Church graveyard lived in a cottage next to East Lancs. My father and grandparents lived on Graveoak farm. Story is that sparks/embers from steam train used in construction of the ELR set fire to her cottage, burning it down. No living relatives to confirm this, unfortunately.

Lane leading to Graveoak Farm

The bridge is over the Glaze Brook.

Comparison of the car wheels and the narrow gauge track would seem to confirm the railway is 2ft gauge.

Track sloping up steeply suggesting a location for unloading skips or locos from a lorry. It is too steep for pushing wagons up to tip their contents into a lorry there being on flat at the top the stand the wagon on and no walkway from which to push the wagon over. There seems to be a broken skip wagon upside down to the left of the sloping track.

Temporary track panels, rather like the old Hornby 0 gauge tinplate track, to be put in place to cross the road when needed.

Scaling from a picture - If the large crane is standing on standard gauge track (4ft 8 1/2") and the narrow gauge track is 2ft gauge (which was common for such railways), the carriageway is 34ft - 35ft wide suggesting three by 11 - 12ft carriageways or four at 8 - 9ft, which is a bit narrow even for 1931. As it happens, on the enlargement I was using, 1mm on the picture equals 1foot!

A steam crane with a vertical boiler working at a lower level. These crane had a small reach compared to modern crane so had to stand close to the lift and pass things from one crane to another.

Pennington Brook

Warrington Road

Temporary narrow gauge construction railway.

Steam crane

Contractor's narrow gauge construction railway.

Greyhound Inn PH

Willow Dene

Bedford Bridge

Pennington Bridge under construction.