Unknown location somewhere underground

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Jim MacPherson
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Newbie Topic Starter

9 years ago

Another request for the knowledgeable to come to my rescue.

This is a Harry Parker pic probably 70'/80's, it was unannotated (gasp) and hence could be from several possible sites - probably North Pennines (Mr. Mike is confident it's not Smallcleugh)

🔗106092[linkphoto]106092[/linkphoto][/link]

The combination of the tubs, rails and general dryness may well ring some bells somewhere.

Jim

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Jim MacPherson
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9 years ago

Thanks to a comment by Roy Fellows, could this be some older workings in Florence Iron Mine, Harry Parker, John and Hilda visited it in 1981. Anyone around who knew it at that time?

Jim

John Lawson
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9 years ago

Hi Jim,
Robert and I visited Florence, during this period, and I cannot remember seeing any walls of stacked deads there.
Another point against Florence, is the relative cleaness of the overalls.
When you come out of a West Cumberland iron mine, everything you touch is red!
These miners were not known as the red men for nothing!
Obviously this is in black and white, but I would have thought that marks on the overalls, would be obvious.
I wonder if it was in one on the Alston Moor anthracite mines?

sparlad
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Newbie

9 years ago

I'd agree with John. I had several trips into Florence in the 80s and never saw anything like this. Roadways were generally much wider, tubs much larger and stacked deads not a practice they'd need to resort to. Even if you just walked in and out of a hematite mine you'd need to be jet-washed clean!!

ebgb
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9 years ago

been pondering this one. It was a very long time ago that I was up there, but there's a section in hope level, something like a +2 horizon above the main level that this kinda reminds me of. hard to tell for certain, but for what it's worth we're planning a jaunt upstairs in there soon

http://bf494.co.uk

Jim MacPherson
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Newbie Topic Starter

9 years ago

Thanks for the comments gentlemen, one point re. Florence if you look at the pics on the archive of 176 level HGM looks relatively unstained, maybe she was being her normal sartorial best! but other aspects do seem to rule that location out.

I'm intrigued by Hope (along with the others ebgb has already identified) in part because of another Harry pic of Hilda;

🔗106126[linkphoto]106126[/linkphoto][/link]

Harry's title might be a bit tongue in cheek but HGM was not a keen ladderist, again thoughts on location would be good. If it's now an inaccessible area it may belong on AN otherwise just for filial memory.

Jim

PeteJ
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9 years ago

The wagons are significant, but I don't know why!.... appear to be wider gauge than normal and look like straight sided boxes - not tippers side or end?

Pete Jackson
Frosterley
01388527532

John Lawson
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Newbie

9 years ago

Jim, The one of the ladder, could be Scraithole.
It looks like the top of the fixed, ladder that lead into the recently mined, stope, and eventually into the Dod cross cut.
Not that I believe HGM, could have made the descent to this.

Jim MacPherson
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Newbie Topic Starter

9 years ago

Again thanks for all the comments/suggestions. Hilda's efforts at doing ladder work was no more common than Harry's I think! but it is a Harry snap.

Another plus as a consequence of archive rootling I have managed to work out that a couple of unannotated photos of John's were from Force Crag, so progress continues.

Jim MacPherson
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Newbie Topic Starter

7 years ago

#10

Just to raise this again.

[photo]106092[/photo]

Ray Fairbairn tells me that this is a Vieille Montagne designed wagon (not shown in BM 54) to quote "... designed to tip in any direction... A rotatable platform is fitted above a standard chassis. I think the tubs of this form were unpopular.... I think it was a failed experiment......"

[photo]114984[/photo]

Not too many possible sites!

PeteJ added, in response to yet another of my questions "....Flat bottom rail suggest post 1910 or more recent. Box like wagons suggest somewhere with a tippler? Wolfcleugh had box wagons on the track to Rookhope, but cannot think of a suitable level open at the right time....."

So if either or both those knowledgeable comments help stir a brain cell it would be good to know.