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Hi Ian,
The area bounded by the railway, Agecroft Road, Lumms Lane and the Clifton Hall railway line was a very dangerous boys paradise when myself and pals played there, it is such a pity that it has been landscaped. It was dominated by the "Tipping Rucks" (spoil heaps) from Wheatsheaf and Newtown collieries.
The orange stream ran out under Lumms Lane just before the Z bend into Carrs Mill Dam which was filled in when Dauntsey Hall? was pulled down to make way for the breeze block factory (about 1952). I don't know what was in the stream water but it was full of horse leaches up to 10 inches long!
There was an aerial ropeway from Clifton Hall to a return wheel near the main railway which was used for the spoil buckets. It was the height of folly to ride the buckets from the wheel, across the valley and jump off onto the spoil heaps before you reached the tipping arm! Doing the gained you great quedos, King of the slagheap!
Riding the tubs on the little rope railway from Newtown colliery to Clifton Hall was also great fun. How nobody got killed or even badly hurt, I shall never know!
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