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10 years ago
I'm pleased to see that the steam winder from Long Rake has now been safely moved to Temple Mine for conservation and permanent display.

🔗Long-Rake-Fluorite-Mine-2-Archive-Album-Image-98259[linkphoto]Long-Rake-Fluorite-Mine-2-Archive-Album-Image-98259[/linkphoto][/link]

My thanks to Les and Terry for sorting out the logistics of the move, and more importantly to Trevor Broadhurst of Long Rake Spar for donating the engine to the Mining Museum.
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
Graigfawr
10 years ago
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2205771  states 6" x 12" cylinders and provides maker's details (John Wood & Sons, Wigan, maker's no. 3592/3) and date (1925). Wood were well known for the manufacture of colliery haulage engines. Does this example differ materially from a standard colliery haulage engine? Also, was had it been used at any other mines prior to being installed at Long Rake? - was it possibly sourced from a colliery that closed?
rufenig
10 years ago
I wonder about the origin of these winches.
Shropshire Mines Trust have one which came from Braich Goch Slate Mine.
(They did not take it out! the owner did and later it went to the Trust.)
http://shropshiremines.org.uk/smt/smtdisp/1998_onslow.htm 

This is described as a "Ships winch" and the ends of the shafts which presumably went to capstans have been cut off.
There would have been a huge market for winches on ships, some of which ended their life in mines. I believe that it is more likely that they were purchased second hand than new by the mines. :smartass:
Graigfawr
10 years ago
What's the right hand pinion connect with? I can't quite see in the photos.
Morlock
10 years ago
"Graigfawr" wrote:

What's the right hand pinion connect with? I can't quite see in the photos.



Looking at the dog clutches I'd guess another herringbone gear to give two speeds?
rufenig
10 years ago
"Graigfawr" wrote:

What's the right hand pinion connect with? I can't quite see in the photos.



It has sliding dog clutches on both shafts. It can either drive the drum direct through the "small" cog or disconnect the drum and wind the shaft which once had capstains on the end.
AR
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10 years ago
AFAIK it's always been at Long Rake but I could be wrong on that, I thought that the mine was developed out of older lead workings in the mid 1920s. It's just a shame that the boiler has now gone, apparently taken by some scrappers who were meant to be removing some other stuff.:curse:
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
exspelio
10 years ago
Obviously an incline worker, would be wonderful to see it in operation, but Temple Mine ????
Always remember, nature is in charge, get it wrong and it is you who suffers!.
pwhole
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10 years ago
It could always be used to haul reluctant tourists out of the warmth of the museum and up the hill.
staffordshirechina
10 years ago
As Adam says, the winder was supplied new to Long Rake.
I can't remember exactly how it is configured for driving.
It has no 'Automatic Contrivance' so I am not sure how they got away with manriding. Maybe the men were supposed to use the ladderways. Though the signal list does include a signal for men.
Whilst moving it we did notice that there had been some additions in the braking department which may have been after the Markham Disaster.
We will understand more when the clean up begins.

Why Temple Mine? Well it was a case of grab it or lose it, it had to be cleared to allow expansion work at Long Rake.
PDMHS own Temple Mine and the adjacent car park and it is the best we can do. However, we do have plans. Watch out for the Temple founder shaft sinking and associated headframe.......
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10 years ago
"exspelio" wrote:

Obviously an incline worker, would be wonderful to see it in operation, but Temple Mine ????



It's moved from one spar mine to another....
Follow the horses, Johnny my laddie, follow the horses canny lad-oh!
rufenig
10 years ago
I bet with some oil and a bit of persuasion (hammer)
it would run or at least turn over on a reasonable size compressor. 😮
staffordshirechina
10 years ago
It in better condition that you might think for something that has been outdoors for around 15 years.
Boy Engineer
10 years ago
Quote:

It in better condition than you might think for something that has been outdoors for around 15 years.


That sounds like the wording that my wife will use on the rehoming advert for me in the Post Office window, unless I catch up on the wrapping list.
Looking forward to seeing it in action. Hope the idea of a shaft isn't a wind-up. Or down.
Morrisman
10 years ago
having spent 40 years at sea I think "RUFENIG" is quite correct that it was originally a ships winch. Although the motive power for the ones I sailed with were normally electric or hydraulic powered the actual winch system was the same. Direct drive of the drums or a sliding dog clutch to take the drums off and put capstans on end of shaft (missing from one in photo) in. Ropes can then be tightened or slackened as required before wrapping around the bits to hold them.

Happy Christmas all.:thumbsup:
Morlock
10 years ago
I would suspect the two section drum puts the Long Rake machine firmly in the 'winder' category?


Phil Ford
10 years ago
I saw this type of haulage engine down No1 pit at Cronton Colliery when No1 shaft was being filled, We went to inspect the steelwork that had been erected at the shaft bottom to enable the shaft to be filled. The haulage engine was a Main and Tail engine, compressed air driven. One rope would couple to the front of a journey of tubs and the other would be coupled to the back. I understand that driving that type of engine was a fine art. Keeping a steady tension on the jorney was not easy so that there where only a few experienced engine men that where authorised to opperate them. No1 pit was closed when the loco tunnel from No2 pit intersected its workings. No1 was mainly using compressed air equiptment closing its shaft and sending the coal out to No 2 enabled moderisation. All the big comp air haulage engines where left down pit.
staffordshirechina
10 years ago
This type of engine could do several jobs.
Whilst it could have been used at sea, it never had the additional capstan ends that many marine winches had.
It could and did work as a shaft winder but would have been equally at home as a main and tail haulage engine.
Morlock, have a look at the main and tail haulage system and you will see that two drums are required, one pulling and one braked.
B Eng, whilst the actual shaft may be imaginary, the headframe (visible from the A6 ), is not.
Morlock
10 years ago
"staffordshirechina" wrote:


Morlock, have a look at the main and tail haulage system and you will see that two drums are required, one pulling and one braked.



Thanks, I'm now much more clued up on main & tail systems. I assume (perhaps incorrectly) the Long Rake Winder is one divided drum?
Brakeman
10 years ago
I think the shaft at Long Rake is a two cage shaft, so I presume one drum to each cage would have been used at some time, although it appears only one was in use towards the end of the mines days.

The management thanks you for your co operation.
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