Industrial Railway Society Bulletin no.960, September 2015, pp.11-13, contained updates on narrow gauge rail sites in the Forest of Dean. This included the following mines:

Reddings Level, Ruardean: “reopening this roadside mine is being considered by a freeminer”.

Monument Mine: working “there are plans to work the coal nearer to the surface using the new second exit”.

Phoenix Mine: maintanined but “no coal has been worked for sonme time now”.

Hopewell Mine: under new ownership, not working but “the track up from the mine entrance was very shiny”.

Hopewell Museum: “open again at weekends offering mine tours through to Furness level”.

Cannop Mine: “a considerable quantity of small coal under the grader, shiny track on the incline up out of the mine, and two tubs by the grader showed this to be operational”.

Morses Level, Mallards Pike: “still maintained but had not seen much activity recently”.

Wallsend Colliery, near Mallards Pike: “a new mine has been opened up by a team of freeminers, utilising the concrete lined tunnel that ran to Howbeech Colliery. It is estimated that there are significant amounts of coal. Work was well advanced but as yet there is no railway here”.
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Had great fun in Morses level during the Coalpit Heath NAMHO conference having a go at getting the coal with a pick :thumbsup:

No mention of Heywood,sounds like that`s been knocked on the head,maybe the Hardings are back in Cannop Drift,although there is not much left there without a new drift being driven.

There was another Mine that was opened a few years back,a Son of one of the owners of Monument was involved with it,cannot remember its name,believe it was going to work the High Delph seam,same as Heywood.

I was lucky enough to be on a trip into Morse's last night with the guys who work it. Very interesting. We also had a look at Wallsend which I didn't have time to go down. I can confirm however, that there are rails there.

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Interesting - whereabouts is Wallsend drift mine? Is it in the same location as the colliery with the same name?

Approximately yes

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