The North shaft was originally sunk to the Top Hard seam level and the pit bottom was configured for two deck loading on twin-deck cages with roadway heights of 12 ft at the shaft side. When four-deck cages were installed around 1907, the timber landing baulks would have been lowered to accommodate the taller cages.

When the shaft was deepened to the 2nd Waterloo seam level in the 1950s modernisation, twin-deck cages were reinstalled but with single-decking. A shallow sump was constructed to accommodate the balance-rope loop. Automatic shaft gates were installed.  They consisted of  half-height metal grills hung from two rollers mounted on a bar pivoted in the centre.  One end of the bar was attached to a pneumatic ram which raised one or other of the ends and the gate rolled down the tilted side onto the horizontal end and engaged a latch securing it in position. Simple but effective. 

At the side of the tracks, just beyond the gates, were a pair of pneumatic interlock valves with projecting flexible arms which were activated by the unloading mine-cars.   These valves locked the decking operations until the mine-car was clear of the gates.

North pit shaft-foot empty-side : 2nd Waterloo seam circa 1984,  prior to filling the shaft.  (FoPP)     

In the photograph above, taken from the empty side during closure, the balance rope, the left-hand shaft gates and the mine-car catches in the cage have all been removed. The mine-car detection units either side of the tracks in front of the shaft have also had their operating arms removed.

The cage guide-rails can be seen behind the gate on the right-hand side.

The shaft-gate running bars were pivoted in the centre with their pneumatic operating rams at one end.

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05 May, 2009