Hi, can anyone tell me a few details re the Blondin at this slate mine please. There is a collapsed timber blondin tower but does anyone have a drawing/pic of it when it was standing? also how was it held up at its base, I get there would have been guide wires but could not see how it was mounted on the ground over the pulley pit? :flowers:
🔗Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Visit-Image-50299[linkphoto]Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Visit-Image-50299[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Visit-Image-50293[linkphoto]Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Visit-Image-50293[/linkphoto][/link]

Also can anyone give me the details of the steam engine such as builder and size. :flowers:
🔗Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Visit-Image-50283[linkphoto]Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Visit-Image-50283[/linkphoto][/link]

And I know this is alot to ask but does anyone have a general arrangement of how the blondin operation here would have looked linked to the steam engine... :flowers:

All help will gratefully be received. :thumbsup:

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The engine is one of John M Henderson`s own-they would have supplied the whole system and possibly installed it with the tower as well.The engine would work two drums-one to lift or lower the fall block,and one to position the carriage or as it was known in some welsh quarries,the `ceffyl` (horse) along the main cable.Hendersons are still active,though now they make items such as coke kilns and winches for heavy industry.I have an old catologue of hendersons showing a steam operated blondin in Aberdeen,with a horizontal boiler and a very similar engine.If it helps there is a picture of a model henderson type carriage in my pesonal album,based on the penrhyn type (just made it to figure out how it would work).Needles to say the henderson type of cableway is quite complex and must have been a nightmare to rig up,with the heavy cable and getting the button ropes right.Check out Dave Sallerys Penmorfa.com for the crane inspectors visit to Pen yr orsedd in the 1970s-quite amusing!

I could have sworn I posted diagrams of the blondin machinery. However I can't see them at the moment! There's one at least in the Penyrorsedd album I think - I;'ll have a look on my drives as soon as I get a memoent to myself.


CHeers

Grahami

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I thought somebody had too... but just can't find em either.
Thanks for the response

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OK - here are some illustrations. The first two were already on here.
Carriage:
🔗Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-030[linkphoto]Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-030[/linkphoto][/link]
Steam Winder
🔗Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-016[linkphoto]Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-016[/linkphoto][/link]
Plan:
🔗Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50383[linkphoto]Blaen-y-cae-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50383[/linkphoto][/link]
Detailed drawing
🔗Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50384[linkphoto]Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50384[/linkphoto][/link]
Detailed frame drawing
🔗Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50385[linkphoto]Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50385[/linkphoto][/link]
Miscellany drawings:
🔗Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50386[linkphoto]Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50386[/linkphoto][/link]

Most of my photos show the bases of the girder type masts as at PenyrOrsedd, though there is one of a wooden arrangement at Cilgwyn, though I don't think it shows details of the ground! I'll have look and see what I can find.

Enjoy

Grahami

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Wow... you are a star.... thinking of building a model based on the Blaen-y-cae stuff. The base of the felled timber tower there is interesting as I cant see how it was held up... perhaps there was a timber across the base held to it by the metal brackets, that base in turn pinned ti the slate base with the pulleys in... just guessing...
Many thanks again... It was good to see the stuff close up and appreciate the engineering involved. Given the position of the winder in relation to the wire across the pit it appears to have worked at 90 degrees to it. was that normal?
Regs IC

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In haste - have a look at the various photos of the PenyrOrsedd towers. The sheaves at the base could be placed at various angles to the actual line of the cableway to direct the working cables to wherever the winding house ahppened to be - it is quite clear from the remains that the towers were moved rather than the winders! I think you are right in that the timber towers had a timber across the base which was bolted down to massive slabs, with a pit under it to house the sheaves and/or cable runs. I've found another drawing which I think shows the arrangement, - I'll dig it out tomorrow.

Cheers

Grahami

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Having seen the engineering in close up for these things they are certainly fascinating... I look forwards to anything you can provide.

regs IC

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A bit more - here's the plan of the cableway showing the anchorages:
🔗Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50392[linkphoto]Penyrorsedd-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50392[/linkphoto][/link]
And a couple of shots of the timber tower at Cilgwyn - sadly little detail, I didn't realise at the time how important such things might be.
Wooden Tower at Cilgwyn
🔗Cilgwyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-001[linkphoto]Cilgwyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-001[/linkphoto][/link]

Paler View
🔗Cilgwyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50395[linkphoto]Cilgwyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50395[/linkphoto][/link]

From a different Angle:
🔗Cilgwyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50396[linkphoto]Cilgwyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-50396[/linkphoto][/link]

There are some more bits and pieces of wooden towers in the Henderson Catalogue images I have, back soon.

Cheers

Grahami

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Finally (for now) there are of course the timber towers of Penrhyn Quarry:

🔗Penrhyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-016[linkphoto]Penrhyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-016[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Penrhyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-017[linkphoto]Penrhyn-Slate-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-017[/linkphoto][/link]

That should keep you going with ideas...

Grahami

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Fantastic .... we should start some Albums on here for equipment type pictures (Can we do that Simon?) as I think a section on equipment would provide an amazing resource! This sort of stuff is hard to find...

Totally blown away by your response so thanks again ... lots to work on now!
Ta :thumbup:

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I came accross this this video on youtube of a similar type of winch working. Imagine the steam and fumes when this type of winch was working underground.
If i am correct many winches that were originally steam powered would have been worked by compresed air in later years.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPGZE_HpvWU&feature=related 

That is a bit leaky!

I suppose the exhaust gasses could have been passed through some kind of condensing system, a bit like the Metro tanks and panniers on London Underground.