| COLLIERY | PARK LANE | ||||||
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| LOCATION | Immediately west of LNWR Pemberton branch and approx. ½ mile north of Brynn Junction. | ||||||
| OWNERS |
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Shafts
Workmen at rest c1900
Deep (or Arley) Pits, No.1, downcast and winding, sunk 1877 to Arley Mine at 687 yards, 16 feet dia.
No.3 Pit, 16 feet diameter, upcast ventilation, sunk 1877 to 687 yards.
Orrell Five Feet Pits, No.2 downcast and winding, 16 feet diameter.
Upcast pit, 16 feet diameter. Both shafts sunk to Orrell Five Feet Mine at 414 yards.
Pemberton Pits, two shafts sunk to Pemberton Mines at 220 yards, downcast and winding 12 feet diameter, upcast ventilation shaft 12 feet diameter.
Ince Pits, two shafts 12 feet diameter, 80 yards to Ince “New Mine”, – Downcast and winding and upcast ventilation.
Ince Pumping Pit, 100 yards to Ince Seven Feet Mine.
Winding
No.1 Pit, Twin cylinder horizontal engine 40 inches x 84 inches, Cornish valves, parallel drum 24 feet diameter, of cast iron, wrought iron barrel lagged with wood. Two brake paths, one for steam brake, one for foot brake. Built by R.,J., & E. Coupe, Worsley Mesnes Ironworks, Wigan. Six tubs wound, three tubs per deck. Three wire rope conductors to each cage. Headgear pulleys 16 feet diameter.
No.2 Pit (Orrell Five Feet), – Twin cylinder horizontal engine 24 inches x 60 inches, Cornish valves, Diabolo drum 12 feet diameter at sides, 10 feet 6 inches diameter at centre. Winding (1892) from Wigan Nine Feet horizon. Also winding Wigan Four Feet from this horizon by rise tunnel connection. Three 8 cwt tubs wound one per cage deck.
No.3 Pit (upcast) – small engine in reserve for emergency winding and inspection.
Pemberton (downcast) Pit, – Twin cylinder horizontal engine 20 inches x 54 inches, Cornish valves, conical drum 13 feet diameter at centre and 11 feet 6 inches diameter at the sides. Two 8 cwt tubs raised per cage in a single deck.
Ince (downcast) Pit, twin cylinder horizontal engine, slide valves, 14 inches x 30 inches, diabolo drum 7 feet diameter at sides, 5 feet at centre, locked coil winding ropes.
Ince Pumping Pit, 13 inches twin cylinder horizontal used for shaft and pump repairs and inspection.
Underground Haulage
Arley Mine, single cylinder horizontal engine sited near No.1 Pit bottom. 20 inches x 36 inches, geared 1:4, twin drums for main and tail haulage.
Orrell Five Feet Mine, twin cylinder horizontal engine 12 inches x 20 inches, geared 1:4, double drum for main and tail haulage.
Wigan Four Feet, twin cylinder horizontal engine geared 1:4, 12 inches x 24 inches, double drum for main and tail haulage.
Wigan Nine Feet, twin cylinder horizontal engine geared 1:4, 12 inches x 18 inches, double drums for main and tail haulage.
Pemberton Mines, single cylinder horizontal engine, geared 1:4, 20 inches x 36 inches, single drum, single rope direct haulage.
Ince Mines, Single cylinder horizontal engine, 16 inches x 36 inches, geared 1:4, single drum, single direct rope haulage. Single cylinder horizontal engine, geared 1:20 for endless rope haulage. 18 inches x 36 inches.
Wigan Four Feet Tunnel, endless rope self-acting.
Pumping
Pumping engine located at surface at Ince Pumping Pit. Single cylinder horizontal engine 14 inches x 36 inches, geared 1:4 to second motion shaft. Two flat rods to two L-legs over shaft. Bottom lift 12 inches bucket pump at 105 yards, lifting 50 yds., top lift, 12in. bucket lifting 55 yards. Eight strokes per minute, 24 hours per day.
Compressed Air
1892 – Single air compressor 26 inches (air), 26 inches (steam) by 54 inches stroke. Steam at 60psi.
1904 – Walker Bros. (Works No.11666/20-10-04), cross-compound two-stage air compressor, 26 inches + 46 inches (steam), 26 inches + 42 inches (air) x 54 inches stroke. Corliss valves, Dobson valve gear. Horizontal condenser, steam 90psi., air 80psi. Flywheel 16 tons approx.
Ventilation
1892 – Entirely by furnace.
1895 – Chandler fan installed, made by Bumstead & Chandler, Hednesford, Staffordshire. 10 feet diameter x 3 feet 6 inches wide, double inlet, 196rpm., 70,000cfm., 1 inch wg. Single cylinder horizontal engine 14 inch cylinder, 70rpm., belt drive to fan.
Workshops
Low pressure air compressor, 12 inches (steam), 18 inches (air), for blowing blacksmiths’ hearths.
Steam hammer.
Boilers
Eight Lancashire boilers 7 feet x 24 feet, 60psi, and four Lancashire boilers serving the Ince Pits.
Middle Place Pits
Two shafts sunk to Arley Mine at 198 yards and intersecting the Orrell Five Feet at 136 yards.
Winding Arley Pit, twin cylinder horizontal engine 16 inches x 36 inches.
Orrell Five Feet Pit, twin horizontal engine 18 inches x 42 inches.
Ventilation
Prior to 1896/97 by furnace.
1896/97 – Heenan fan by Messrs Heenan & Froude installed. 11 feet diameter by 5 feet wide, double inlet, 200rpm., 118,000cfm. at 3 inches wg. Single cylinder horizontal engine, 18 inches, 60rpm., cotton rope drive to fan.
Ashton Pits
Two shafts located west of and adjacent to LNWR St Helens – Wigan line, approx. 3/8 mile south of Bryn station.
Downcast shaft
13 feet diameter, upcast shaft 12 feet diameter. Wigan Mines intersected at 73 yards (Five Feet), 114 yards (Four Feet), and 145 yards (Nine Feet). Shafts brought into use 1888.
Winding
Downcast shaft, twin cylinder horizontal engine 22 inches x 57 inches, slide valves, 9 feet diameter parallel drum, two tubs, 10 cwt capacity wound in single deck cages.
Upcast shaft, small engine in reserve.
Underground Haulage
Main haulage engine located at the surface. Twin cylinder horizontal 16 inches x 36 inches, geared 1:20 to third motion shaft fitted with 6 feet diameter Clifton pulley. Endless power rope down shaft.
Twin cylinder horizontal engine at shaft bottom, 12in.x 20in., operating a single rope direct haulage.
Compressed Air
Single compressor, 16 inches (steam), 11 inches (air), by 48 inches stroke.
Pumping
Twin cylinder horizontal engine 14 inches x 24 inches, geared 1:4 to second motion shaft. Flat rods to shaft-top L – legs. Two bucket lifts from 150 yards, bottom lift 12 inches x 48 inches, lifting 77 yards, top lift 14 inches x 52 inches lifting 73 yards.
Tangye steam pump at shaft bottom 21 inches x 42 inches x 7 inches, lifting 150 yards to surface.
Three inbye Tangye compressed air pumps:
Wigan Five Feet – 12 inches x 24 inches x 6 inches
Wigan Four Feet – 6 inches x 12 inches x 3¾ inches
Wigan Nine Feet – 9 inches x 15 inches x 5 inches.
Ventilation
Capell fan 10 feet x 4 feet 10 inches, single inlet, 240rpm., 98,000cfm., 1 inch wg. Six cotton driving ropes from single horizontal engine, 18 inches x 30 inches, 80rpm.
CLOSURES
Ashton Pits ceased production 1907/08. Pumping only to 1910. Abandoned 1910
All other pits taken over by Garswood Hall Collieries Co. Ltd., 6 May 1929, and abandoned 30 June 1929
. Two Park Lane Pits re-opened 1930s by Landgate Colliery Co. Ltd and worked to shallow depth.
Taken over by National Coal Board 1 January 1947. Closed 1961/62.
NOTE – Steel headgear 40 feet high complete with pulleys supplied by Walker Bros., 1908. Pit not stated. Seams Worked
Landgate, Middle Place & Moor Lane Drift. (1954)
Yard, Ince Four Feet, New Mine, King, Wigan Five Feet.
Workforce – U/G 213, S/F 61
Copyright © NMRS Records: G. Hayes Collection
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