I live in a town at the end of the Aire and Calder canal, built as a company town. In the docks we still have the Bartholomew hoists that lifted the Tom Puddings out of the water to tip them and empty the coals into larger vessels. Tom Puddings were unique to the A&C and were formed into trains which were pushed by a barge (occasionally pulled. Goff Sherburn was the last of the skippers and is the father of Chris Sherburn a brilliant concertina player who is touring the States in July (I think)with guitarist Denny Bartley.

Also the Keels on the River Tyne were rowed to the Colliers moored at Shields. The term is supposed to come from a Scandinavian word for a type of boat - a kyel.