GB
1969
1hr 52mins
Dir: Ken Loach
Starring: David Bradley and Colin Welland
In the industrial north, a boy learns about life whilst rearing his pet Kestrel
This drama is based on the 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by Barry Hines. Filmed on location in and around Barnsley there is a shot in one of the collieries in the area and an industrial saddle tank is prominent in the yard. The location of this scene is Skiers Spring Colliery, near Hoyland, which closed in 1979, and the loco is Hudswell Clarke & Co. 0-4-0ST Works No.1891, which was used at the site until 1973. The loco looks large enough to be an 0-6-0ST, but it is one of the beefy, and powerful little 16in-cylinder 0-4-0’s built in 1961 as part of the last batch of steam locos built by Hudswell Clarke. When BR started it’s modernisation plan in 1955 little consideration was given to the fact that steam was still being built. When BR ended its main line steam operations in 1968 the National Coal Board became something of an enthusiasts haven with many sites still operating steam. In fact, the Coal Board used steam right up until 1982, when Bold Colliery dispensed with their locomotives.
