Along the Tracks - ACE250.3

Gryffe Twist by David Kemp (Clyde to Forth route). View of Kemp’s King Coal (1992) at Pelton Fell (Three Rivers route). Kemp welding King Coal; says that it’s fitting he should be finishing it the day the closure of the Durham coal field has been announced. Talks about the industry and pit closure; most of his helpers are unemployed miners. Men raising buckets of cement, levering stones into place, etc. David Gray’s VO explains that Sustrans has to be careful not to find itself accused of spending path-building money on sculptures. David Gray talks about getting materials from Northern Electric and British Coal in return for favours Sustrans did for them. Men working on the sculpture. Bert Hunter, in charge of building team, points out that men work for only £10.00 more than they would get on the dole, but enjoy it. Workmen saying that it’s rained every day they’ve come to work. Cyclists passing King Coal. Details of the sculpture. Children and their mother talk about King Coal. Cyclists on the path. Landscape view, and pan over remains of steel works at Consett, closed in 1980. The "graveyard of scrap" in the grounds of the Beamish Museum. John Gall, Director Beamish Open Air Museum, talking about the size of Consett steel works and what a visible feature iy had been. Photos of the steel works, the staff, the police force operating there. John Gall describing Consett as "a Klondyke", a place of great wealth for some, of hard work, and of great help to the Irish community who were starving in their own country. More photos of workers, their families, the works, the railway connection. Present day remains of railway terminal. Gall says that the Sustrans track was the last surviving part of the railway from Consett to Sunderland. Cyclist. Steve Shields, former guard and signalman on the railway, speaks of his experiences. Photos of trains on local railway. Shields. Photos of the steel works, ice encrusted railway cutting. Shields. Snow falling near Leadgate. Two giant steel figures – the Iron Master, and the Miner – The Old Transformers (1990) (Three Rivers route), by David Kemp. VO relates the legend of the Old Transformers – turning "black stone" into steel, which, in turn was transformed into ships, etc., which transformed the world. Kemp talking about his sculptures, made out of transformer casings, and how his materials (usually scrap) help determine what he makes. Details of the sculptures and their setting. Kemp’s VO. Kemp on the Iron Master. John Gall VO. Gall talks about local interest in the sculptures. Beamish Shorthorns (1990), by Sally Matthews (Three Rivers route). Gall VO. Real Shorthorn cattle grazing. Details of the sculptures. Map showing the Firth of Clyde and Glasgow, with the path linking Johnstone and Greenock. Kemp’s The Lost XVII made of scrap found in goods-yards, along the track, etc. Kemp’s VO. [NB on Sustrans website as Mile 17 XVIII.] Kemp in front of The Old Transformers talking about the opportunities afforded by Sustrans and its art commissioning policy. John Grimshaw talks about the functionality of their sculptures: as mile posts, meeting place, places to sit, a place of refreshment. King Coal: Kemp talking about the purpose of his works. Aerial view of Ken Turnell’s Flower Mine (Three Rivers route) and on over countryside under Credits.