Dear SimonJ (& Carnkie)
In considering Ormonde and Loscoe collieries we also need to tie in Bailey Brook as well.
There were large number of small collieries around Heanor which lasted well into the late 1800's but ultimately coal mining was to be dominated by the Mundy family (Shipley collieries Ltd) and Butterley Co.
Loscoe CollieryThis was sunk by Goodwin and Griffin in the early 1830's to work the Deep Hard and Deep soft seams. It was taken over in 1840 by E.D.Whittingstall and then by the Butterley Co in 1856 as part of their ever growing empire of coal workings ranging from Riddings to Ripley and Heanor. It continued work in these seams until they were exhausted and in an attempt to keep the mine going Roof coal and Ell coal were also worked but the mine closed in 1933.
Bailey Brook CollieryThis was sunk in 1847 by Butterley Co to work the Deep Hard and Deep Soft seams. The mines shafts were deepened in 1918 in order to work the Kilburn seams but this also gave access to the Piper and Low seams too.
Given the proximity of newer Ormonde Colliery nearby Butterley co decided to concentrate all its efforts there and closed the colliery in 1938.
Ormonde Colliery This was started by Butterley Co in 1908. Two shafts were sunk through the old Loscoe Colliery workings in the Deep Soft and Hard seams to reach the Kilburn seams, but this also gave the colliery access to great reserves in the Piper, Low, Blackshale and Mickley seams. in 1922, £33,000 was spent on a Rheolaveaur Coal washing plant to process 4" coal efficiently. Coal was hand cut, loaded and trammed unti the 1930s when the first coal cutting machines arrived, the first conveyor was fitted in 1938 in the kilburn seam.
the Kilburn seam was becoming exhausted in the late 30's so in the early 40's the Blackshale Seam (aka Silkstone) was developed and a false bottom was added in No1 shaft for winding purposes according to a local report.
The mine transferred to government ownership (nationalisation) on the 1st Jan 1947 becoming part of NCB area No 5 managed from Eastwood Hall HQ. This area gained a reputation as being one of the most efficient and achieved 2 Tons per man per shift in output. In 1963 it was estimated Ormonde had 12 years of reserves but this was optimistic. The other mine in the area closed before 1966 leaving Ormande as last man standing but reliant on continued pumping of now closed collieries such as Woodside to protect its workings.
The mine was transferred into Derbyshire Area 4 based around Huthwaite in 1966 but during 1967 after a major NCB re-organisation came under North Derbyshire Area managed from Bolsover.
Reserves were now fast running out and drives were made into the Blackshale (Silkstone) seams below Shipley and Langley but these were uneconomic and discontinued. As a last ditch effort drifts were made up into the Roof Soft coal which was worked below Loscoe Grange and surrounding other areas. It was all to no avail and the colliery closed on the 25th September 1970.
An unusual experiment took place by the NCB when a coal face in the Piper seam was to be worked using Switchgear in the roadways and automated equipment. This was ROLF... Remotely Operated Longwall Face. It was never a success and did not achieve much but the NCB gained invaluable experience on automation in mining.
RailwaysPlease see my piece on the Loscoe tramway given by Carnkies in the link above.
The Midland railway ran a branch off to the colliery which itself split from the Langley Mill to Heanor and Ripley branch just behind the bus garages at Langley Mill. It crossed Mansfield road on a level crossing next to the bus garages and was MR property just a few hundred yards on when it became the Collieries (Butterley later NCB) property. The route followed the valley West to Bailey Brook and then Nth when it turned West just Sth of what was to become Ormonde colliery. It then passed under Taylor Lane Bridge (carrying the MR Heanor to Ripley Line) and under the Heanor to Ripley Road into Loscoe colliery. When Ormonde was built the line was just carried on into the new pit.
When loscoe colliery closed the main Heanor - Ripley Rd was modified and the line truncated in a yard where the Loscoe recycling centre now stands. This yard was a NCB landsale yard and had abandoned wagons in it in which I played as a kid right up to the mid 70s at least. Taylor lane overbridge stood until recently. The line from Langley Mill crossing Nth is a footpath now. The crossing gates were certainly standing in the 1980s and I got my first MR boundry post from there after several hours of digging.
The langley end of the route from Loscoe terminated in Langley exchange sidings where the route met BR. No trace really can now be found of the line there, though 2 bridges of the MR Ripley branch survive.
Sorry if this is rather a long response but you did ask :smartass: :thumbsup:
I will add the above descriptions to the DB in due course.
EDIT Descriptions added to DB. Please note if you look up Ormonde on the DB all the Heanor and area collieries come up .... there were dozens of small collieries originally.
Oh and I forgot this...
New Winnings Footrill CollieryThis was opened by Butterley Co in 1887 and was just above Bailey Brook Colliery to reach the Deep Soft seam, it only operated a short time closing in 1890.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh Creeper!!!!!