When the South pit-bottom was  modernised in the 1950s, the pit-bottom roadway layout and the multi-decking arrangement were not suitable for the use of tall 3 ton capacity mine-cars.  They were reconstructed to provide single level decking with gravity operated car movement between the shaft-side and a new loading point fed by a trunk conveyor system running along the original seam level tub-circuit roadways.

The original middle-deck now became the running on level and, on the North side of the shaft, all of the top deck concrete landing was removed and a cabin for the onsetter was constructed above the tracks. On the South side, about 3/4 of the top deck landing was removed and, in order to enable the empty mine-cars to return to the loading point on the opposite side of the shaft, a short roadway or snicket was constructed to bypass the shaft and was connected on the far side with a new twin track roadway running up to the loading point.

To allow for the transport of materials, the old South side middle deck retarder was retained, considerably limiting the available space in the shaft side area. In order to reverse the travel of the empty mine car use was made of an automatic kick-back ram.

As the empty cars were rammed off the cage, their presence was detected by a flexible arm attached to a proving valve to ensure their clearance from the shaft side. They ran down onto the kick-back ram which absorbed their momentum and then sent them back over a set of sprung points into the bypass snicket.

South pit-bottom empty-side mine-car circuit  circa 1957

In order to avoid possible collision between the oncoming second mine car and the first one entering the snicket, proving valves were located on the rails and, if necessary, the second car was intercepted by a retarding ram on the shaft side of the switch points. Once the first car was clear, the ram then projected the second car down onto the kick-back.

South pit-bottom empty-side car arrestor and shaft by-pass snicket  circa 1957

South pit-bottom empty-side kick-back ram and foot of old middle-deck tub creeper chain    circa 1957

Once in the snicket, the mine-car then ran onto the first of a series of Lofco chain creepers which elevated the car sufficient to allow it to gravitate for 50 yds / m or so onto the next creeper, the total height difference between the empty shaft side and the loading point being about ?? ft (??m). The empty cars were carried past the loading point onto a turntable which directed them back towards the loader where they were taken up by a pneumatic shuffler car-feed system worked by the loading point operator from his platform above track in front of the loading chute.  Coal discharge into the mine-car was controlled by a hand valve working a pneumatically operated curved door in the base of the chute.

Compressed air for the mine-car handling and decking operations was supplied from a compressor house located at the top of the old South side retarder.

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04 Dec, 2011