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. 

After the installation of steel guide rails in the South shaft following its deepening in 1922, thoughts began to turn to replacing the North shaft guides with the same type but with the deteriorating situation in the coal mining industry in the 1920s and 30s, this was put on hold. It was not until the late 1940s when the post-nationalisation modernisation program took place that the change was finally made, this time with the cages fitted up with a single pair of rails at the shaft side.

1877 - 1950

• type             wooden rails
• number     4 per cage (2 each side) 
• material   Oregon-pine then pitch-pine 
• size       4.75in x 4.25in (12cm x 10.8cm)

    Cross-stays (byatts/buntons)

• number     1 central, 2 outer
• material   oak   
• size
• central: 9in x 8in x 16.5ft
•           (23cm x 20cm x 5m)
• outer:   9in x 6in x 14ft
•            (23cm x 15cm x 4.4m)
• separation 10ft (3m)
• fixing      
• brackets cast on tubbing
• cast-iron boxes in brickwork

1950 - closure

• type                 bull nose rails
• number       2 per cage on outside 
• material     steel 
• size         ??
• length       36ft (11m)

Cross-stays (byatts/buntons)

• number       1 each side of shaft
• material     ? RSJ  
• size
• outer: ? 9in x 6in x 14ft
•           (23cm x 15cm x 4.4m)
• separation   ? 10ft (3m)
• fixing      
• brackets cast on tubbing
• cast-iron boxes in brickwork

South pit shaft guides

In 1888 the South shaft was upgraded to allow coal winding. Twin-deck cages with two 1.125in (2.29cm) 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 1.5in (3.8cm) diameter guide ropes on the outside of  each cage and two 2in (5cm) 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 cages 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  buntons across the center of the shaft.  The buntons consisted of a pair of steel channel irons mounted horizontally back-to-back and were inserted into holes made in the shaft brickwork. What was done in the section which had the tubbing is uncertain, but would probably involve support brackets bolted to the tubbing itself. Long steel plates were bolted to the sides of the channels 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.

1879 -1888

• unknown

1888 - 1900

• type             rope
• number     4 per cage  
• material   iron
• size       1.5in (3.8cm) dia
• hangers    ??
• tension    ? cheese weights in sump

1900-1919

• type            rope
• number    
• 3 on outer side of cage
• 2 central rubbing ropes  
• material   iron ? steel
• size       
• 1.5in (3.8cm) dia for cage
• 2in (5cm)  dia for rubbing
• hangers    clamped to stub rod/rope
• tension    cheese weights in sump

1922 - closure

• type             bull nose rails
• number     2 per cage on inside   
• material   steel
• length     36ft (11m)
• size       5in base : 4in x 2in nose
•              (37cm    : 10cmx 51cm) 

        Cross-stays (byatts/buntons)

• type       composite:
•             2 x horizontal channel-iron
• number     1 central 
• material   steel   
• size        2 @ 8in x 4in (20cm x 10cm)
• length     
• 16ft (4.9m)    at brickwork
• 14.5ft (4.4m)  at tubbing
• weight     approx 0.5 ton (0.51 tonne)
• separation ? 10ft (3m)
• fixing     
• fixed in brickwork
• bracket on tubbing

Sources

• J.C.B Hendry   Trans Inst  Min Eng  1891
• G.A.L. Longden   Trans Inst  Min Eng  1901
• Mr Allen Hill’s personal record book (Shaftsman)