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  #41  
Old 17-11-2012, 06:47 PM
phil phil is offline
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Default whittle colliery

Arther Good was from round about there,he was into classic cars, worked for carr and havis . i was living in Swarland at my mothers at time.
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  #42  
Old 17-11-2012, 07:27 PM
Alan J. Alan J. is offline
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Default Arthur Good.

Was one of the Good family originally from Alnwick, their father worked for the gas board and moved to Amble, he lived in Gibson Street. Davy Good ,his son and a bricklayer to trade, worked on stonework at Shilbottle colliery at one time, late 50's early 60's.
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  #43  
Old 29-01-2013, 04:58 PM
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Default Philip Barnes

Looking at previous posts worked out you must have been one of the Barnes brothers, a Pipeman, Faceworker and Electrician. I know Nick was living in Northseaton but not seen him for years. Les was one of the Electricians who helped me through my apprenticeship there.
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  #44  
Old 29-01-2013, 05:08 PM
Kev Kev is offline
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Default Whittle plans

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Originally Posted by Coquet View Post
this is it rotated 32 degrees, overgrass shaft lines up with y18 (red dot)
and the drift about in position, perhaps a bit to the west.


just a rough 1st attempt.


now where did the overgrass shaft intesect the mine workings? was it y18 or y19, and how far up the gateway from the loco road??



It's the first time I have viewed the colliery plans in relationship to the surface map. Brings back memories. I served my time as an Apprentice Electrician there and did my face training on Y63 and Y101 (horrible wet hole) with the fillers.
Worked on Y102 and Y103 after I qualified and also did a bit of face installation on Y66. No mention of the big steel air doors around about Y18/19 area on the loco road.
Can't imagine how many gallons of water must be down there now.
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  #45  
Old 29-01-2013, 06:00 PM
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Hi Kev, glad to see you here. Email sent, you'll remember me I hope.

Those air doors, installed by yourself, Bob Burley, Paul Sexton and George Storey ? (or had Sexton left by then?)

I think Bob was the 8.00am shift entertainments officer.
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  #46  
Old 29-01-2013, 06:19 PM
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Memory of those doors are coming back now. operated by track switches which operated a hydraulic actuator hung form the roof.

I think we still managed to have a few injured in the closing doors, and they were rammed by locos a few times.
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  #47  
Old 29-01-2013, 06:48 PM
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I remember my first experience of air doors at Ashington underground training gallery. 'Right Lads' the instructor said, " Wa ganna cut through here to the supply road, it's a bit drafty so hing on te ya hats"..... he opened this sliding door which was about 2 foot square and 2 foot off the ground...Woosh! this open door must have been a direct short to the full pressure mine ventilation between intake and return air.. you could feel yourself being sucked towards this hole, it pulled your hat off and you got blasted through, you were lucky if you could keep on your feet.

I think it was the instructors way of having a good laugh, watching our surprised and shocked expressions.

The serious point he was making was of course to highlight potential danger around doors in some areas of the mine.
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  #48  
Old 29-01-2013, 08:26 PM
phil phil is offline
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Default whittle colliery

yes im phil the pipeman , ashington trainers must have put everyone though this air hole could not see for dust hat flying around on battery cable. Paul sexten was still there long after air doors were fitted, I remember paul bob and george well . Half the time the air doors didn't work right the loco driver had to stop at a point and reach to girder with switch to open doors. Kev you know me hew are you ,Nick lives in ashington town now.
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  #49  
Old 29-01-2013, 08:28 PM
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Default whittle colliery

Kev you will remember steff and J.C.
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  #50  
Old 29-01-2013, 10:54 PM
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Default Air doors

Geordie was still in the Loco shed when the doors were automated, me and Adrian were the apprentices on the 8am shift so got sent with Bob a bit, I think John Trotter had a bit to do with the doors as well or perhaps he just got bored of phones and hung around a bit. We also did loads of 6.6kv cable jointing on the loco road, freezing.
Remember that one bloke did the track upkeep and one the manholes on the loco road but always seemed to be at opposite ends, you would think they would work together. Was the manhole bloke Davey Jones?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Coquet View Post
Hi Kev, glad to see you here. Email sent, you'll remember me I hope.

Those air doors, installed by yourself, Bob Burley, Paul Sexton and George Storey ? (or had Sexton left by then?)

I think Bob was the 8.00am shift entertainments officer.
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  #51  
Old 29-01-2013, 10:59 PM
Kev Kev is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phil View Post
yes im phil the pipeman , ashington trainers must have put everyone though this air hole could not see for dust hat flying around on battery cable. Paul sexten was still there long after air doors were fitted, I remember paul bob and george well . Half the time the air doors didn't work right the loco driver had to stop at a point and reach to girder with switch to open doors. Kev you know me hew are you ,Nick lives in ashington town now.
Guessed right then, how's your Les doing these days? Nick got into the grand a few times but don't get out in Ashington much these days so don't know if he still does.
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  #52  
Old 29-01-2013, 11:06 PM
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Default Old drift

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"Digging around" excuse the pun - there appears to be 9 recorded shafts or drifts, and probably more on the 54 acre site.

Or so says this (old?) Whittle Colliery sales piece: Knight Frank pdf

found some online pics of what I assume is the old drift?

http://alnwickphotos.blogspot.com/20...umberland.html

curious, never seen those before.

On the old 1923 OS map there are shown two drifts in close proximity to each other.
Is that drift just at the mine entrance gates next to where the wagons got loaded (landsale)
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  #53  
Old 29-01-2013, 11:22 PM
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Default Bottom side and top side

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Regarding Whittle Phil, there was a connection from the 'low side' to 'top side' (is that what we called it?) through a couple of gateways for coal and supplies.

A bunker sat at the bottom of y58, coal going up to the 'top side' belt line from this.

but which roadway was the supply road in? was that y58 tailgate or y59 or something? I remember a clever thing called a GMT curve at the bottom.

These connections are missing from the plan above
Was it not 1 west winnings were the bottom side and 2 west the top side. I remember they carried on with Y63 maingate and holed onto the loco road and eventually put a manrider belt down Y64 so we could get the loco right in to Y25 landing.
Anyone remember how they used Y64 maingate for Y65 tailgate, the girders were nearly touching the ground at the end.
Eventually they holed a Shilbottle road through to Whittle possibly Y31, it came up behind Y58 bunker but think it might just have been for ventilation.
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  #54  
Old 29-01-2013, 11:30 PM
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Default Local wildlife

Anyway I bet the local wildlife is thriving now, can anyone else remember "The Rabbit Catcher" with his Rabbit snares and fishing lines.
He used one of the dead rabbits jaws to bite Taffy the shearer driver on the bare arse in the baths once.
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  #55  
Old 29-01-2013, 11:45 PM
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Default Tanky

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adogriff/4406734899/

Link to a picture of a Tanky passing the Blacksmiths and fitters shop
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  #56  
Old 29-01-2013, 11:46 PM
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Default The drift

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...A9C41EC78DCB22

link to a picture of the drift in 2000 it says
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  #57  
Old 30-01-2013, 10:11 AM
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Drift last year:









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  #58  
Old 30-01-2013, 11:42 AM
Kev Kev is offline
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Default Whittle drift

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Drift last year:

]
Doesn't look very secure does it? Just wondered where you found the original pics? I half expected the water to have reached the top by now unless they still pump from somewhere.
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  #59  
Old 30-01-2013, 01:06 PM
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There's a water management system in place. I remember it was quite a big deal at the time with the River Coquet and Northumbrian Water's Warkworth plant being at risk of contamination. 'Environmental disaster' stuff in the local press when the water finally got near the surface.
Anyway, The coal authority stepped in and water management work was completed on time. There's now a pumping borehole 70m deep intersecting the drift - this water goes to some large lagoons and reed beds above the drift.

Summary on the Coal Authority Website.
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  #60  
Old 30-01-2013, 02:37 PM
Alan J. Alan J. is offline
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Default Whittle drift.

I too am surprised at the apparent lack of security on the drift mouth. Anyone with any "pit sense" knows that the drift is probably full of black damp by now. Although it is in an isolated location it is not impossible for someone to wander in out of curiosity and find themselves in trouble.
I would have thought the coal authority would have made a job of it and sealed it up completely.
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