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Looking towards the drift, viewed from the hauler house
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Castle Drift entrance
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Entrance to the furnace shaft sited in the caravan park. Most of this roadway collapsed but passable, just. 2 fans sited at the shaft bottom
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Old drift, which was drivern parallel with the exsiting drift from 1842. Abadoned when weight from the original drift started to make it unsafe.
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Looking back up the drift from no.2 loop take up. Arched girders were used to make the orignal drift wider (for belts) and safer
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On the left shows Kenny Drysdale in an old working just down from 3 drive. The old miners must of encounted problems in this area because of the extensive sized supports used, still in good condition. Not shown was the old faces with heaps of 'duff' left
| Old roadway showing the top coal still left up. This was to give added strength to the roof.
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Smallburn shaft. Used for Ventilation (forced air) and pumping. The water can be seen getting pumped up from the standage at 3 South. About 5 million gallons a week would be pumped.
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Old roadway leading to Smallburn shaft. The sleepers used to hold the track down could still be seen in places.
| Barry Tray looking up the shaft
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No. 4 Curve. Main transfer point. The only point with a outside telephone line. Stretcher case and Entonox was kept here
| This road led round towards 3 South and connected up with Wrytree
| TB 80 drive which ran no. 4 belt line. This roadway was the main supply road to the Castle dip.
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Endless hauler at No.4 . This hauled materials to the top of 1 st and 3 South
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Back airway running parallel with the main roadway
| Master car for the endless hauler. Back airway just to the right of the photo.
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Dowty at 2 SW main gate.
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TB 80 Drive
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Shearer face loading onto No. 3 belt line. Last face at Blenkinsopp
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Gus McKee watching low loader round temporary curve
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Low loader off the way !
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Size 3 pickrose hauler (endless). Used to transport materials and shearer parts inbye
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Hydraulic power packs used to power shearer face
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Main Castle drift roadway (No.3 belt line). Not far from the starting point of the modern Blenkinsopp and the finishing point, 2 South West face
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Looking back up the drift. Shearer face to the right (out of picture)
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Roadway leading to Shearer face, salvage and dinter headings
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Shoobie Bell at the top of 2 SW Face line
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Keith Lonsdale positioning roof support onto chain conveyor pans
| Major (downthrow) fault furthest point inbye 2 SW maingate. Fault drilled but coal was never found
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Fitters hosing roof supports on face line
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Finally broke through to old 21s face line which still had water in
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Angus Evans making repairs
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Dust from cutting with the dintheader
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Cutting head poking through to 21s face line. Water now pumped out. Machine abadonded and still underground
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Gary Kelsey, Alan Charlton and Bob Fitzgerald after setting up pump to pump out water from heading
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Submerged Dinter showing tunnel and conveyor which passed the coal on to the bridging conveyor
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Emico shovel. No cutters used in this roadway. The Emico cleared coal and stone up with its side loading bucket.
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Fall at 12 west face. Orignally destined to meet up with the west conveyor road. After finally getting through the whin dyke the mine announced it was to close.
| Face supported and fenced off. Roof conditions very poor and a lot of water. The whin dyke appeared to be different here
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12 west belt line showing the ventilation bag
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Fault and standage area. Water was pumped from the face using a D6 mono to here and then pumped to the main range using a D10D
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Faulted area in roof showing the calcite and some iron pyrites
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TB 50 belt drive at board end
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Roof supports showing the legs fully extended with the extension caps. The seam in this area had a large stone band (2' ?) causing problems with the cutting and the quality of the coal.
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Maingate end. Fully salvaged. Last of the shearer faces in this area of the mine
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17 & 18 Faces was some of the shorter faces, in fact the lights of the board end could be made out inbye at the face ! This photos shows the face salvaged and supported
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Part of the standage area in 3rd left. Main standage area in pit. Water pumped from castle and 3rd south area to here.
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Top of 3rd South area. Main supply road to 3 South, and lanch area. This roadway was the level endless to No.4 and to Wrytree
| Mackly pumps. Group of three, only one running at any one time unless submersiable pump was being overhauled when another mackly would be used. Sub pump used floats and would kick in at certain levels. Water pumped to Smallburn shaft
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Electrical transformer
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Castle road belt loads onto the Wrytree belts
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Castle Board end transfer point. Wrytree dip just down from this point. Had the same problem as 3rd South area with stone band. 2*5 HP flght pump in dip to control water
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Top of Wrytree dip. Just to the left of the photo is the roadway leading to Fellend shaft. A bad roof fall blocked this roadway off from this point
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Belt line, Wrytree dip. You can see the full baulks used most of the way down this side of the mine
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Looking down Wrytree dip. About 4'6" in height at the start. Fastest belt in the pit !
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Looking back up the drift. You can just tell the sudden increase in the gradient of the roadway to get to the coal quicker. The photo shows the belt line being stripped ready to fill for closure
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Drift bottom
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Wrytree level, leading to the dip and straight on to Fellend shaft
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Didcot tube
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Wrytree drift entrance
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Wrytree crusher house
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Road leading to Wrytree
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Powder magazine
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Electrical and mechanical workshops viewed from the old office buildings
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