Can one tell me the the "use" or purpose of the anchors on top of the concrete slabs

Photograph:

🔗28839[linkphoto]28839[/linkphoto][/link]

Hello,
The concrete blocks with the metal attachments look like the tensioning weights for a bicable ropeway. A bit of background:
There are two types of ropeway (1) Monocable - in which the buckets ride on and are moved by an endless loop of rope that passes round large sheeves at either end (driving - generally at the bottom and return - usually at the top). The rope passes over pulleys that are mounted either side of the intermediate supporting trestles and the bucket hangers have a saddle that grips the rope by friction. Tensioning of the line is applied by a heavy weight which acts upon the return sheeve which is usually arranged so that it can slide to and fro as required.
(2) Bicable - this utilises separate track ropes (generally locked coil). The buckets are hung from two or four wheeled carriages which ride on the stationery rope. They have a gripping system which is arranged to engage/ disengage with a separate loop of moving rope - this supplies the power to move the buckets along the line.
Tensioning of the track rope can be arranged at any point in the line - a special station is constructed which allows the buckets to transfer to/ from a steel rail. The track ropes are run over a large vertical sheeve and terminated in large concrete or steel weights weighing many tons. I think this arrangement is what we can see here.
Colin.

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There are no bicable ropeways left in the UK but still lots on the Continent and elsewhere. Probably one of the best is the double line (two rows of trestles/ four track ropes) that carries coal/ coke from Savona Docks (Italy) running about 15 miles inland to a distrubution point. This dates from the early 1900s but has recently been extensively rebuilt.
The only surviving UK ropeway is the monocable system run by Hanson at their Claughton brickworks near Lancaster. This brings shale down from a quarry on the fellside. This was idle for around three years during the recession but has been running again for about 18 months. Plenty of Youtube footage and well worth a visit too! Colin.

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I know nowt about ropeways, but does the following photo which shows part of the ropeway bottom left help confirm the hypothesis ?

🔗88795[linkphoto]88795[/linkphoto][/link]

No, sorry I can't make out any of the detail. If the concrete blocks at either side of the road in the original post are free standing then they would definitely have been tensioning weights and, the fact that they are mid-line would mean that the ropeway was a bicable design.
A picture of one of the trestles would nail it - no cable pulleys, only track cable saddles = bicable design.
Been meaning to have a look at this myself for some time - might do so next time I'm over at Nenthead and will confirm one way or the other.
Ropeway design is something of an exact science. There was a 7 mile monocable type built from Tilmanstone Colliery to Dover Docks in the late 20's; each bucket carried 15cwt and there were around 800 buckets (Youtube - Coal Cable Car). It was never satisfactory and wasn't used much after 1935. It stood idle throughout the war and was dismantled in the early 50s. You have probably guessed, ropeways are a particular interest of mine! Colin.

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You have probably guessed, ropeways are a particular interest of mine! Colin.

In which case you need to get yourself over to the Pyrenees.
Some fabulous ones there.

🔗101650[linkphoto]101650[/linkphoto][/link]

Somewhere, I have a photo of the top station at Wellhope (circa 1974) which may answer the question. I will try and dig it out.....

Les

Hello Les, I'd love to go to the Pyrennes - I think the site you may have in mind is 'Pic du Liena' from memory or something similar?
Chris, looking more carefully at your photo of the Mill, the structure on the left hand side looks like an Angle Station to change the direction of the line.
For Cumbria, the original member who raised the question, here (hopefully) is a photo of a bicable ropeway double tension station - each rope is tensioned in each direction, hence four weights. I'd imagine the installation at your site would have worked in the same way. Best wishes, Colin.
🔗101660[linkphoto]101660[/linkphoto][/link]

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In the recent past ropeways partially survived at Cwm Bychan nr Beddgelert & Silverband. The former (upper end only) I assume is still there, the latter not sure about.
Can remember plenty of ropeways operating in the South Wales coalfield, often to take waste to hilltop tips, but I guess they will all be long gone now.

Whilst we are discussing this topic, I believe that the ariel rope way did not work too well.
It seems to have been prone to freezing up, and by building a small mill opposite, Hagg's entrance, all the ore could be treated there.
Does anyone know how long it was used for?
Incidentally, one of the last miners, from the Anglo-Austal days, told me, at the end of their shift, they sat in a tub, at Wellope shaft, gave it a push, jumped on board, and hoped, no traffic was on the road, outside, since they came down at such a speed they shot across the road into the mill site!
You cannot do this now!

Can remember plenty of ropeways operating in the South Wales coalfield, often to take waste to hilltop tips, but I guess they will all be long gone now.

Still a few bits of towers and foundations about.

I can remember the pre H&S days when someone would ride in the bucket to adjust the tripping gear at Blaengarw, (Ocean Colliery).

Looking for something else (minor ship fetish) and found this lovely photo:

http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/furness/intro.htm 

In the background the aerial ropeway from Billingham Anhydrite Mine top middle) crosses Haverton Hill Road.

My old boss at P.I.P. Road/Rail Lab, N.Tees (Steve Burns) recalled that when he started work at the Phillips-Imperial refinery in the late 60's the ropeway was still in operation, and Haverton Hill Road was always messed up with spilled anhydrite.

MARK

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This one at Claughton used to fascinate me as as kid as we drove under it on the way to our holiday destination ....

http://www.industrialgwent.co.uk/blackwood/index.htm#cwmfelinfach  :- http://www.industrialgwent.co.uk/blackwood/index.htm#cwmfelinfach 

Looking for something else (minor ship fetish) and found this lovely photo:

http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/furness/intro.htm 

In the background the aerial ropeway from Billingham Anhydrite Mine top middle) crosses Haverton Hill Road.

My old boss at P.I.P. Road/Rail Lab, N.Tees (Steve Burns) recalled that when he started work at the Phillips-Imperial refinery in the late 60's the ropeway was still in operation, and Haverton Hill Road was always messed up with spilled anhydrite.

MARK

When I was very young ( very late 60s early 70s) my mother used to take me to Billingham just to watch the ropeway - apparently it would keep me happy four hours. I guess nothing much changes.

I saw the Brightling to Mountfield ropeway working. I wish I had paid a bit more attention to it. I was more interested in the mineral that had fallen out of the buckets than in the mechanics.

If you download "aerialorwirerope00wallrich.pdf" from the Internet Archive website all will be revealed. Where ever your downloads end up will have a copy of "Aerial or Wire Rope-Ways, their construction and management by A J Wallis-Tayler", published in 1911. Being a digital Luddite Tiny URLs etc are beyond my analogue brain and not helped by trying to get the better of Win 10. The file has plenty of diagrams and pictures to make things easier.

regards Phil

If you download "aerialorwirerope00wallrich.pdf" from the Internet Archive website all will be revealed. Where ever your downloads end up will have a copy of "Aerial or Wire Rope-Ways, their construction and management by A J Wallis-Tayler", published in 1911. Being a digital Luddite Tiny URLs etc are beyond my analogue brain and not helped by trying to get the better of Win 10. The file has plenty of diagrams and pictures to make things easier.

regards Phil

The Archive is down for maintenance at the moment, but the link *should* be this...

https://archive.org/download/aerialorwirerope00wallrich 

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NewStuff thanks for getting me out the digital doodoo

Regards Phil