Went for an afternoon out around Cwmorthin last weekend to show a couple of friends around. Didn't take a lot of photos, but a few are noteworthy.

Compressor chamber (Chamber 33) lit by the two lights powered by a hydro-electric generator running in the DE drainage channel.

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49758[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49758[/linkphoto][/link]

Caban on G floor (Chamber 35). Lit slightly differently to normal - note how lighting the scene other than from directly behind the camera creates a lot more shadows. I should probably learn to cover my Stenlight when walking back to the camera though 😞

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49762[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49762[/linkphoto][/link]

Looking down the Chamber 34 incline from the G floor landing. H floor is visible at the bottom, with the incline down to I being the 'hole in the floor'.

With the news of the closure of Oakeley, the pumps are likely to be turned off and the water levels will rise, hopefully only as far as just below F - there are marks visible on the right hand wall of this level.

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49761[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49761[/linkphoto][/link]

Stairway in Chamber 30, viewed from H floor, looking up towards G. This will be lost underwater shortly.

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49764[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49764[/linkphoto][/link]

Finally, a slightly curious view of the trucks at the bottom of the back vein incline. Lit almost entirely with a torch held underwater and brightened a bit to bring the colours out.

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49766[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49766[/linkphoto][/link]

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nice pic of the stairway, :thumbdown: sadly Floor H is under water agen

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Nice pics but pity about the imminent flooding.

I assume the underwater torch lit pic was a timed exposure, if so, what sort of settings?

nice pic of the stairway, :thumbdown: sadly Floor H is under water agen

Already?

How deep?

Nice pics but pity about the imminent flooding.

I assume the underwater torch lit pic was a timed exposure, if so, what sort of settings?

F32.6 / 29 seconds / ISO 100

Only the second time out with this camera, but I think I've (finally) got it set up the way its predecessor was.

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was supposed to do the thru trip monday, Speedy went for a reccie yeasterday, water is allready above H and rising :curse: doesnt look like H will be seen agen???

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nice pic of the stairway, :thumbdown: sadly Floor H is under water agen

Already?

How deep?

Nice pics but pity about the imminent flooding.

I assume the underwater torch lit pic was a timed exposure, if so, what sort of settings?

F32.6 / 29 seconds / ISO 100

Only the second time out with this camera, but I think I've (finally) got it set up the way its predecessor was.

My compact camera only has a limited range of aperture settings in manual mode and a shutter time max of 15 seconds.

Tempted to move up to a DSLR for the better lens and setting options.

We shall have to make the most of what is there before the water comes. Cwm is on our agenda Sunday unless a change of plan.

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Vanoord wrote "With the news of the closure of Oakeley, the pumps are likely to be turned off and the water levels will rise, hopefully only as far as just below F - there are marks visible on the right hand wall of this level."

Ah ha! This explains why, on a trip round Cwmorthin last summer (my first for many years), I was puzzled to see no water visible looking down from Floor F along the incline in Chamber 34 in the Back Vein, and why the vertical drops in Chambers 36 and 39 were dry. If I had known that so much workings had been made acessible I'd have gone down for a look... it'll be far too late to see them by the next time I'll be in North Wales, unfortunately.

To which floor did Oakley's pumps dewater the workings?

Was the boundary blasted closed on the floors below Floor F in a similar way to the way it was closed on Floors F, DE and 1?

Good photos by the way!

Today the water level was approx 50ft below the 'G' on (Inclen Ernie) the ch. 34 incline.

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......To which floor did Oakley's pumps dewater the workings?

Was the boundary blasted closed on the floors below Floor F in a similar way to the way it was closed on Floors F, DE and 1?

Good photos by the way!

Oakeley's "natural" i.e. unassisted drainage level is "Lefal Dwr" - The old Floor G tunnel from Sinc Fawr to PenyBont. All the floors rise as one goes westward from that point. Therefore, G floor in the west should remain above water indefinitely.

I am not sure if the reference to the boundary refers to events under McAlpines - certainly the boundary was not "blasted closed" to my knowledge during Ffestiniog Slate Co. days. There was a collapse on DE in wall 28 (I speak without checking) which was , shall we say, deliberately not repaired, but other than that nothing was done to hinder movement between the far west of Oakeley and the more eastern workings.

Cheers

Grahami

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The water level is visible on the wall on the right of the Chamber 34 incline:

🔗Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49761[linkphoto]Cwmorthin-Slate-Mine-User-Album-Image-49761[/linkphoto][/link]

The discharge from Oakeley comes out by the railway tunnel in Blaenau:

🔗Oakeley-Slate-Mine-24-01-2007-Image-001[linkphoto]Oakeley-Slate-Mine-24-01-2007-Image-001[/linkphoto][/link]

The trouble is, it's a bit blocked, although water can pass through.

🔗Oakeley-Slate-Mine-24-01-2007-Image-002[linkphoto]Oakeley-Slate-Mine-24-01-2007-Image-002[/linkphoto][/link]

Given the status quo seems to have existed for some time, the problem is probably not massive at this stage, but things may change in the future.

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Nice photos, but the trucks and stairway lack scale. Are you this is not a miniature model? 😉

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Nice photos, but the trucks and stairway lack scale. Are you this is not a miniature model? 😉

I don't usually take exception but :offtopic: :guns:

Grahami

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Nice photos, but the trucks and stairway lack scale. Are you this is not a miniature model? 😉

I don't usually take exception but :offtopic: :guns:

Grahami

It doesn't even make sense!! Someone trying to be just a tiny bit too clever!! :guns: :guns:

definitely a model..

http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?t=2779 

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http://forum.gn15.info/viewtopic.php?t=2779 

😉

Interesting link there with the model maker. Wish I had the talent to make a good realistic model of a mine.
I have made 3 models. A granite quarry that went straight into the weelie bin as it was bloody awfull. A slate quarry and a 1960's garage which I enjoyed making but are not half top grade by far.
The wagons in Vanoord's photos are not models, or were not last Sunday anyway as I walked past them thru the water to avoid going back the other way. Had a shock to see the fallen boulders in the chamber with the steps on the route in.
The water seems to be about a ft lower than it was a while back at the bottom of the back vein incline.

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Which chamber has boulders in?!

I didn't notice anything when I was there ten days ago, but it's been the better part of 18 months since I last went up the Back Vein so I may have missed something...

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Which chamber has boulders in?!

I didn't notice anything when I was there ten days ago, but it's been the better part of 18 months since I last went up the Back Vein so I may have missed something...

The chamber that you go down the steps from about half way down. At it's bottom you turn right along a tunnel where there are rotting timbers above. You then reach the hurdles.
If you went left at the chamber's bottom you would get to the floating bridges if there were no blockaged.
Someone has made a different route down to avoid the danger. A few new steps have been put in place and rope put in place as a hand rail.
Some sighns stating there is danger have also been put in place. In fact someone have been very buisy.
I will do anything to avoid getting my feet wet as you know, but on this occation I would rather swim than go back the same route. There have been several falls in that chamber over the years.
I will look up the map, then I can give you a chamber number.
But I am sure someone like 'Speedy' might know something about it and tell us about it.

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Ah, sorry, Chamber 8 Old Vein iirc.

The wall was looking very questionable ten days ago.

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