? Did you get to light a fire in it yet then Colin? If so any pictures?

Paul.

Steam engines at coal mines
 

Regarding the use of engines at coal mines, every shaft had to have a jockey wheel at the top of the shaft for emergency winding in event of the main winding engines being out of commission but I would suspect that if ploughing engines were used then an extra long rope would be needed. The back up engines for the ventilation fans were often steam, I remember a Bellis & Morcom engine at Ellistown Colliery up until such time as the colliery closed in the early 1980's. Incidentally the same pit had a single cylinder horizontal engine which worked a triple-throw crankshaft with rods that went down the shaft to a pump for pumping water into a surface reservoir. Steam winding engines were common in a lot of collieries until the late 1970's.

Colin - I believe that triple throw pump and engine were at the old Lound Hall Mining Museum in the late 80s, we saw it there. It then went to Chatterley Whitfield, no idea if it survives now.

Back in the early 90's a Traction Engine Rally was held in the grounds of Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum and I was there as an exhibitor and don't remember seeing the pump at that time...perhaps I missed it !.

Cheers

Tez

Had a pleasant xmas morning taking a couple of foreign friends with nothing better to do for a wee ride around the block. All done and dusted by lunchtime fortunately, since the rain set in with a vengeance about 1:00

http://www.tractiontalkforum.com/pic...ictureid=15292

Backed up to fill with coal


http://www.tractiontalkforum.com/pic...ictureid=15291

Cresting the one in seven out of the yard