On the South winder the driver sat on a raised platform alongside the right-hand trunk guide with the main operating controls in front and the auxiliary controls, trips and resets on either side.

South winder driver’s seat and controls circa 1975   (FoPP/JST)

The throttle lever operated the steam valve via an ungabbing device located below floor level in the RH side foundation pit just behind the drivers chair.  The valve itself is located further to the rear and just beyond it is the main isolating 14” gate valve.

South winder throttle ungabbing gear circa 1975   (FoPP/JST)

South winder throttle and isolating valves

Due to the weight of the reversing gear and its linkage, the drivers reversing lever does not operate the gear directly. Instead it operates via a steam reversing engine located on the RH side bed-frame just in front of the drivers chair.

South winder reversing engine  circa 1975   (FoPP/JST)

Black’s overwind protection utilised a long screw thread carrying a cam nut which operated a switch at either end of its travel. Overspeed protection was based upon a sensitive centrifugal governor, the weights of which travelled up a specially shaped profile.  Springs of three different strengths were used to give sensitivity within different speed ranges.   Two cam discs with different profiles were used to give alternate speed regimes when men or coal were being wound. These discs were later fitted with profile rotation protection to detect any displacement of the cams.

South winder controller circa 1975    This was a Blacks Modified Torque type  and the front view (LH)  shows the overwind protection mechanism, whilst the rear view (RH) shows the men/coal cams and the change-over mechanism       (FoPP/JST)