CRUISING UP THE RIVER
Series
- Series Name
- Mining Review 5th Year
Issue
Story
- Story No. within this Issue
- 1 / 4
- Summary
- BFI synopsis: barge transport of coal to London’s power stations; follows the journey from Dartford to the power station at Kingston using Thames barge the "Tyburn Brook".
NCB Commentary - Feeding power stations with coal is an increasing job for the transport services these days. At Dartford, near the mouth of the Thames, is a receiving point for seaborne coals from all over Britain. Here, coal is unloaded from the seagoing ships and transferred to river barges to be taken up river.
Thames barges are big ones - up to 300 tons’ capacity - and to pick up a string of five of them from their moorings in mid river need a tug skipper who knows his stuff.
Now that the barges are secured and under way, the tug’s crew of ten scramble back along them to their won boat. This load they’re taking right up the river, through London, to the power station at Kingston.
Kingston at last. They’ll spend the night here before taking back a string of empty barges. Then back with more coal to Kingston, to maintain Southwest London’s eletricity supplies. - Researcher Comments
- BFI sources suugest that this story was filmed in June 1951. Commentary recorded 8 October 1951.
- Keywords
- Ships and boats; Transport; Mining
- Locations
- England
- Written sources
- British Film Institute Databases Used for Synopsis
The National Archives COAL 32 /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956
- Credits:
-
- Production Co.
- Documentary Technicians Alliance
- Director
- Grahame Tharp
- Sponsor
- National Coal Board