North pit shaft guides

When the North shaft was sunk it was fitted up with wooden guides for the cages. Working three shifts of eight hours for seven days a week this took three months to complete and cost £1,722 (1877 prices) excluding the cost of fixing the wall-boxes which carried the oak cross-stays. Initially, Oregon pine was tried for the guide rails but  it was found to be unsatisfactory and was replaced by pitch-pine.

• 1877-1950
• type                 rails
• number       4 per cage   
• material     Oregon-pine then pitch-pine
• size         4¾in x 4¼in
• cross-stays (byatts/biats/buntons)
• number       1 central, 2 outer
• material     oak  
• size
• central  9in x 8in x 16½ ft
• outer    9in x 6in x 14 ft
• seperation   10ft
• fixing       a) brackets cast on tubbing                   b) cast-iron boxes in shaft wall

• 1950-1983
• type                 rails
• number       2 per cage   
• material     steel
• size         ??
• cross-stays (byatts/biats/buntons)
• number       2 outer
• material     ? oak  
• size
• outer    ? 9in x 6in x 14 ft
• seperation   ? 10ft
• fixing       a) brackets cast on tubbing                   b) cast-iron boxes in shaft wall

South pit shaft guides

In 1888 the South shaft was upgraded to allow coal winding. Twin-deck cages with two 1⅛in diameter guide ropes on each side were installed. When the new headstock was installed and the South shaft infrastructure upgraded in 1900 the guide ropes were re-arranged to give three 1½in diameter guide ropes on the outside of each cage and two 2in diameter rubbing ropes between the cages, each of which were fitted with oak rubbing boards.  Due to the wetness of the shaft the lifetime of the ropes was only about 5 years rather than the 12 - 15 years normally obtained in a dry shaft.  

The ropes were suspended from the headframe by clamping to short stub ropes or bars.  It had been found that most guide rope fatigue occurred near to the suspension points and so the ropes were shortened  at regular intervals by pulling a few feet up through the suspension clamps. The excess rope was left dangling until the rope itself was renewed.

At the top of the shaft, the cage engaged with short wooden receiver guides  which positioned it in line with the tub-rails.  A fragment of one of these guides is still in place in the South headframe.

When the South shaft was deepened in 1922 the distance was considered too great for guide ropes and these were replaced with steel rails fastened to oak buntons across the center of the shaft.  The buntons were inserted into holes made in the shaft brickwork, although what was done in the section which had the tubbing is unclear. Steel base-plates were fastened to the buntons and the rails were secured to these by steel clamping bars.

 The cages were attached to the guide rails by steel slippers at each corner. Unlike the photos below which were taken during salvage operations after closure, the rails and slippers were kept well greased.

• 1875-1888
• unknown

• 1888-1900
• type                 rope
• number       4 per cage 
• material     iron
• size         1⅛in dia
• hangers      ??
• tension      ? cheese weights in sump

• 1900-1919
• type                 rope
• number       3 per cage + 2 rubbing ropes 
• material     iron
• size         1½in dia + 2in dia
• hangers      clamped to stub rods / ropes
• tension      ? cheese weights in sump

• 1922-1990
• type                 rails
• number       2 per cage   
• material     steel
• size         ??
• cross-stays (byatts/biats/buntons/buntings)
• number       1 central
• material     ? oak  
• size         ??
• weight       approx ½ ton
• seperation   ??
• fixing       ? embedded in shaft wall