Milwr Tunnel & Olwyn Goch news· Page 5

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John Lawson
50.2% (Neutral)
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7 years ago

#81

This Halkyn Mines information, has been a real eye opener for me!
Thanks everyone, keep the stuff coming in and reporting it.
Changing the topic slightly, is the earlier Halkyn Deep Level accessible,or is it shrouded in the mystery that has begun to be uncovered in the Milwr tunnel thread?

RAMPAGE
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7 years ago

#82

"John Lawson" wrote:
This Halkyn Mines information, has been a real eye opener for me!
Thanks everyone, keep the stuff coming in and reporting it.
Changing the topic slightly, is the earlier Halkyn Deep Level accessible,or is it shrouded in the mystery that has begun to be uncovered in the Milwr tunnel thread?

The HDL is open at the portal (which is on private land) and you can follow it a fair distance through lovely cast iron arching to a collapse with high-pressure water hissing out.

There are various sections you can get into along its length much further inbye.

For instance you can, if you are quite brave, get to its connection in the South Llyn-y-Pandy workings. You can also meet it at Olwyn Goch Shaft and follow it a fair distance in both directions.

Quite a fascinating level actually, very big bore and very long for its day. Shame it is blocked at numerous points.

Extremely high radon levels at some points though.

Beneath my steely exterior beats the heart of a dashing hero

Morlock
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7 years ago

#83

Seems to be open in 2015.

simonrl
51% (Neutral)
Administration

7 years ago

#84

There are some photos of the portal of the Hakyn Deep level, including the very fine plaque, here:

https://www.aditnow.co.uk/Album/Photographs-Of-Halkyn-Deep-Level_57538/

my orders are to sit here and watch the world go by

ant89
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Newbie

7 years ago

#85

The Halkyn deep can be accessed at its portal. where you can either walk through water waist deep or maybe more, or sail in the SS Halkyn* to the collapse.

*UCET installed a boat to aid the movement of men and materials as part of a dig, which was called off due to the amount of work that was determined to be required.

A Short section of the southern end can be explored, accessible via SRT, but that comes to a collapse (long term UCET dig), but that area is prone to bad air so progress has been slow.

many bits in between can be explored, but are hard to get to, Need one of the following:-
1. Secret handshake.
2. willingness to walk miles and miles.
3. SRT down 600ft minshafts.

RAMPAGE
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Newbie

7 years ago

#86

"ant89" wrote:
Need one of the following:-
1. Secret handshake.
2. willingness to walk miles and miles.
3. SRT down 600ft minshafts.

1: No problem.
2: Begrudgingly
3: F**k off

Beneath my steely exterior beats the heart of a dashing hero

Edd
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Newbie

7 years ago

#87

My personal "worst bit" of the HDL is the connection between Lewis's shaft and the Great Halkyn Lode. 95% of the tunnel is 5ft high due to back filling to put a railway in so for a 6ft person its a nightmare :guns: The connection to Crockfords is ok just very a narrow drainage tunnel in comparison. Good trip if your after playing on 180m of rope in a shaft :blink:

I believe there is also now a connection to Taylors shaft as well but i have yet to get down that way to investigate.

'I started reading it with full intention to read it all and then got bored and went and got beer instead!'

Morlock
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Newbie

7 years ago

#88

This may be of interest if it includes Milwr.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/173889/response/436969/attach/3/Rhydymwyn.pdf

Edd
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

7 years ago

#89

A few of us camped over night in the limestone workings a few years back and 2 of us have had children since then so no lasting effects :lol:

'I started reading it with full intention to read it all and then got bored and went and got beer instead!'

staffordshirechina
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

7 years ago

#90

It Doesn't.
That stuff is for the 'Mustard Gas Mine'.

RAMPAGE
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Newbie

7 years ago

#91

"The Fresh Prince of Portreath" wrote:
Just out of interest, what is the level of radon causing excitement?

Is it like 100x background, or are we talking "proper" levels?

I wouldn't say it was causing excitement.

I couldn't give you figures because I don't know them, I doubt they are Cornish Uranium Mine levels.

The chap who'd done the readings explained that lingering at one point in the HDL for a 5 minute rest would give you your whole annual exposure in one hit. So it's significant enough to make you want to think carefully about your camping spot.

Beneath my steely exterior beats the heart of a dashing hero

dwarrowdelf
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

7 years ago

#92

Interesting - does anyone one know what's generating the radon in this particular case? :smartass:

'I wonder how many breakfasts, and other meals we have missed inside that nasty clockless, timeless hole?'

'The Hobbit'
J R R Tolkien.

RAMPAGE
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

7 years ago

#93

"dwarrowdelf" wrote:
Interesting - does anyone one know what's generating the radon in this particular case? :smartass:

No, I must admit I was only half listening and it was 10+ years ago. Something about the limestone shales there containing something radioactive. He also talked about all the sea-shell fossils in the roof being upside down, some natural event killed them all so the floated to the bottom of the see upside down dead. There was some connection to that event and the radiation. But I'm only saying what I heard, it's not my field.

Beneath my steely exterior beats the heart of a dashing hero

Blober
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Newbie

7 years ago

#94

Its probably not nearly as bad as it was anymore now they've started reconditioning the shafts?

FILTH - Think this is a playground? Think again...

ttxela
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7 years ago

#95

"ChrisJC" wrote:

"ttxela" wrote:

Still not been down Milwr tunnel or the associated working though……

You should organise a trip for WCMS Alex.

Chris.

That could be a plan 🙂

ant89
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Newbie

7 years ago

#96

"RAMPAGE" wrote:

"dwarrowdelf" wrote:
Interesting - does anyone one know what's generating the radon in this particular case? :smartass:

No, I must admit I was only half listening and it was 10+ years ago. Something about the limestone shales there containing something radioactive. He also talked about all the sea-shell fossils in the roof being upside down, some natural event killed them all so the floated to the bottom of the see upside down dead. There was some connection to that event and the radiation. But I'm only saying what I heard, it's not my field.

A quick look on wikipedia suggests that it's uranium, as Radon occurs at some point as uranium decays to lead.

ant89
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Newbie

7 years ago

#97

"ttxela" wrote:

"ChrisJC" wrote:

"ttxela" wrote:

Still not been down Milwr tunnel or the associated working though……

You should organise a trip for WCMS Alex.

Chris.

That could be a plan :)

wait until the summer, likely to be less water to walk through (likely, but not garenteed), and a train may be fully functional by then too 😎

BertyBasset
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Newbie

7 years ago

#98

Just had a proper look at Cris's mine site, and it's got tons of useful stuff.

Also done a bit of radon research...

The N Wales limestones (and Derbyshire) contain hydrocarbon masses that are enriched in uranium. Both the hydrocarbons and lead would have been present in the brines leached from sedimentary basins and precipitated within the limestone.

Robin

John Mason
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Newbie

7 years ago

#99

"dwarrowdelf" wrote:
Interesting - does anyone one know what's generating the radon in this particular case? :smartass:

The lodes carry bitumen in places in solid black lustrous masses to several centimetres, usually embedded in calcite. The bitumen in turn contains small inclusions of uraninite. Bitumen content varies strongly from lode to lode but I wouldn't sleep in an unventilated heading near a rich patch! I imagine the air fairly blasts through the main tunnels down there though, thereby flushing the system constantly.

John Mason
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Newbie

7 years ago

#100

These references may be of interest:

Parnell, J., 1983 The distribution of hydrocarbon minerals in the Welsh Borderlands and adjacent areas. Geological Journal, 18, 129-139.

Parnell, J., 1988 Mineralogy of uraniferous hydrocarbons in Carboniferous-hosted mineral deposits, Great Britain. Uranium, 4, 197-218.

Eakin, P.A. & Gize, A.P., 1992 Reflected-light microscopy of uraniferous bitumens. Mineralogical Magazine, 56, 85-99.