The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

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Mitchy
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The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Mitchy »

The Coal Rea (is that how you spell it?) was a favourite haunt of mine on my way down to the harbour in the 70's. I was into railways, and there was always loads of wagons parked there, and the occasional shunter. I used to love it because the points in the rails could be changed by a hand lever, which we often did! It closed around the early 80's, but a rake of wagons was left there until 1987, and I was fortunate enough to see them being removed before the lines were lifted at the time the line to the harbour was electrified. That was probably the last train ever to pass through the old level crossing at Montgomerie Pier Road as the Shell Mex tanker trains had ceased some time before that.

Does anyone know much about the Coal Rea, or know anyone who worked there? I think it was used by coal merchants all over the three towns, though I do remember a coal yard at Saltcoats as well, which is now the Vernon Street Car Park.
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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Meg »

I cant remember when it was removed Mitchy, but do you remember the big turntable at the coal rea? I can remember as a youngster watching big engines being turned on the turntable - I think the running sheds were still there at that time.

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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Mitchy »

Meg Gordon wrote:I cant remember when it was removed Mitchy, but do you remember the big turntable at the coal rea? I can remember as a youngster watching big engines being turned on the turntable - I think the running sheds were still there at that time.

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Good evening Meg,

I remember where the turntable was, but I don't ever remember it operating. There was also a turntable at the sheds near Barrie Terrace, but that was rarely used as the Engines could turn due to the triangular line configuration with the sheds in the middle. This is described in Bill Hilton's book 'The Plug Dropper'.

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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by brvhrtjimmy »

i was a coalman and worked out of there,i also worked out of the one in saltcoats way back in the 70's,when the one in saltcoats closed the coal merchants moved to glasgow street,coal merchants in glasgow street were donalds/mc allum/borland /mculloch duncan (saltcoats thats who i worked for) and duncan west kilbride,there must have been about between 250 and 300 tonnes of coal sold out of there per week in the height of winter.the wagons themsleves usually held between 11 and 14 tonnes,you got 2 days to empty them if they wernt emptied in 2days you paid an excess for every day the lay there.
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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Meg »

Mitchy wrote:This is described in Bill Hilton's book 'The Plug Dropper'. Mitchy
A worthy read where our shared relative (Charlie Gordon) was mentioned a few times :D

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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Mitchy »

brvhrtjimmy wrote:i was a coalman and worked out of there,i also worked out of the one in saltcoats way back in the 70's,when the one in saltcoats closed the coal merchants moved to glasgow street,coal merchants in glasgow street were donalds/mc allum/borland /mculloch duncan (saltcoats thats who i worked for) and duncan west kilbride,there must have been about between 250 and 300 tonnes of coal sold out of there per week in the height of winter.the wagons themsleves usually held between 11 and 14 tonnes,you got 2 days to empty them if they wernt emptied in 2days you paid an excess for every day the lay there.
brvhrtjimmy (James Barr)
Jimmy,

Did the wagons get emptied by hand with shovels? Did the side of the wagons drop down? Was the coal brought into Ardrossan Harbour then brought up to the yard, or did it come from elsewhere?

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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Mitchy »

Meg Gordon wrote:
Mitchy wrote:This is described in Bill Hilton's book 'The Plug Dropper'. Mitchy
A worthy read where our shared relative (Charlie Gordon) was mentioned a few times :D

Meg
Indeed it is Meg, and there are a good few pages where my Grandfather is mentioned. I remember at the time Bill Hilton spoke to my Gran and asked if she had any old photos. That's where the one in the book came from.

Tom McGrattan very kindly gave me a copy of the book to keep, and it is something I will always treasure.

Regards,

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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by georgeflemingard »

Hi Mitchy. I remember the coal rea well, i lived practicly across the road, from the Glasgow street entrance, as Kids we played in there a lot. Also on cold winter nights, we would slip in there and pinch a bit of coal. there was also a big Shed there, it belonged to a potato merchant, MacDowalls I tkink? They would dump, old or damaged Potatos, in a heap against the Garden wall of the Glasgow street houses, which ran alongside the shed. After a while as the potatos rotted, the heap would be full of Worms. I cant remember what the worms were called, they were a bright red colour and fantastic Bait for catching Trout. The Coal rea was also our short cut, when heading up the North Shore. Through the Rea and over the Callie Brae. George
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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by George Ardrossan »

Mitchy, you asked about the spelling of the Coal Rea. I remember it and guess that its name was a local pronunciation of colliery, a colliery being a coal mine and it associated buildings. Although there was no coal mine in Ardrossan, the place where trains delivered coal for the local merchants' lorries was known as the colliery or, as I heard people say it, the COALAREE.

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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Penny Tray »

Not for the first time this week-end this is another post which brings back many nostalgic memories. I too remember being able to change the points by a hand lever at the turn table; - and seeing the trains being turned round there; and catching lizards in the circular hole in the ground around which the turntable turned.

WAS THERE ANY OTHER LOCATION IN ARDROSSAN WHERE YOU COULD CATCH LIZARDS?

I also remember seeing the coalmen shovelling the coal out the wagons by hand, putting the coal into a weighing device and placing, presumably one hundredweight of coal, into the sacks which later arrived at your house when purchased.

I think too that Peter Milne's name was omitted from the names of coalmen who operated from there?

The name 'REA', incidentally, or whatever it is, has haunted me my whole life! Is it Rea, Re, Ree and what is it a shortened form of? Until GEORGE ARDROSSAN came in with his explanation, I had convinced myself that it was simply 'RE' , a shortened form of REceiving Depot? Who knows?

I also remember the location as a shortcut between Montgomerie Street (Yarborough Place) and Glasgow Street and vice versa.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Hughie »

Penny Tray wrote:I also remember the location as a shortcut between Montgomerie Street (Yarborough Place) and Glasgow Street and vice versa.
And a quick access to the top end of Kilmahew Street by dreeping o'er the wall to the lower level. Otherwise you had to go down to Barr Street opposite the Castle Craigs and double back.
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Re: The 'Coal Rea' in Ardrossan

Post by Penny Tray »

Hughie,

I don't think I ever did the dreep but you're right!
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
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