These photos show some early 'tunnel savers' going about their business.
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CREW READY AT TIPTON
(L/H)1965.Shows Ed Sherwood, Me and Phil Ritchie at
Tipton road bridge. Ready to start trip. In the hatches is
Derick Gittings and at the helm is Dave Apps.
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CREW AT REST AT BATSON'S STOP
(R)Taken in 1969, about to take a second single trip through to Park Head.Richard Jones sat on towpath facing, and Miffy, me and Paul Bartlet on the back of this ex Matty railway boat.
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TIPTON PORTAL AND SHIRTS MILL BASIN
(Left)The poor state of the tipton portal still under threat of infill by British Rail in 1964
(Right)Shirts Mill basin looking back to Tipton showing the loading tunnels each side of the canal. On the left was Tipton Colliery while on the right is 'The Flooded Mine'
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CASTLE MILL AND PARK HEAD PORTAL
(Left)Castle Mill basin was always tricky to cross when this shot was took of the main bore in 1964
(Right)Out into the light again at Park Head.A trip finishes I'm stood up on the left Dave Nichols on right.
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CATHEDRAL ARCH
Taken about 1967 showing the empty wooden Joey boat 'Kenneth' in Cathedral Arch. To the left is the Castle Hill mines. Crew are Pete Dodds facing, me with back to shot and Phil and Miffy resting in the bows
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The same trip in 1967 with me and Pete legging with Phil and Miffy 'resting' their hands on the walls. This day was actualy a record attempt by staff of the Express & star newspaper. their boat can be seen in the first shot but by this shot they had gone.
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RECORD ATTEMPT
Just inside the Tipton end and as yet the Express & Star hadn't started their record attempt as it was too dangerous to try and navigate the Basins at speed.At this point there were about 30 people on the front boat and about 50 on ours.
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Allthough not strictly Dudley Tunnel the limestone mines were one of the reasons why the first LORD WARDS tunnel was built.This shot was taken from the bottom of this mine, called 'Big Ben' at canal level looking up to the surface.
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I joined the DCTPS in 1964 and was about member eighty.From then to the final re-opening at the TRAD rally in 1973 my weekends and some week nights were spent legging trip boats through the 3172 yards of tunnel. Unfortunately these are the only photos I have of those memories.
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