Victoria Colliery

Shafts
Two shafts sunk approx. 100 feet west of LNWR main line. Both shafts 20 feet finished diameter.
No.1 (North) Pit, Upcast, – Sinking commenced 15 May 1900 passing through wet clay and running sand. Timber supports crushed. Caisson method then adopted. Sunk to 601 yards from surface. Stranger Fault struck at 464 yards.

No.2 (South) Pit, Downcast – Sinking commenced 25 June 1900 by caisson method. Sunk to 627 yards. Stranger Fault struck at approx. 490 yards. Arley Mine accessed by tunnel at 607 yards from surface.

Coal Seams intersected
Riding Mine, Park Yard, Ince Yard, Bulldog, Deep Yard, Ince Four Feet, Ince Seven Feet, Pemberton Yard, Pemberton Five Feet, Pemberton Four Feet, Wigan Five Feet, Wigan Four Feet.

Seams worked but not intersected (accessed by tunnels)
Cannel, King, Haigh Yard, Smith, Arley.

Lower Mountain Mine and Lower Foot Mine (in Lower Coal Measures) proved by tunnelling through Great Haigh Fault from Smith Mine. Lower Mountain Mine worked briefly from 1954.

Whole area worked by Victoria Colliery very extensively faulted.

Winding
No.1 (North) Pit – Twin cylinder horizontal engine by Haigh Foundry, 1881. Built for Giant’s Hall No.2 Pit and transferred to Victoria Colliery. Cylinders 36 inches x 78 inches, later linered down to 33 inches (1939). Cornish valves, Gooch link motion, parallel winding drum 18 feet diameter, centre brake path 20 feet diameter. (Engine had two reels for flat ropes at Giant’s Hall). Latterly fitted with Melling brakes, reversing engine and pneumatic controller.

Headgear, pitch pine, 71 feet high to pulley centres, 16 feet dia. pulleys.

No.2 (South) Pit – Twin cylinder horizontal engine by Markham of Chesterfield. 36 inches x 78 inches, parallel winding drum 20 feet diameter, brake paths each side. Markham steam reverser, latterly Melling brakes and pneumatic controller.

Power
Westinghouse mixed pressure turbo-alternator, 500kW, 2200 volts, 3-phase, 50 cycles, 3000rpm., direct coupled exciter. Leblanc jet condenser with 800gpm. circulating pump and 80hp. 500 volt motor with oil cooler and air filter.

Duplex horizontal 2-stage air compressor by Walker Bros., 1000cfm, 70/80psi., 130rpm., steam cyls. 15 inches x 18 inches, air cylinders 19 inches + 28 inches x 18 inches

Duplex inverted vertical 2-stage air compressor by Walker Bros., 2000cfm., 80psi., 170-262rpm., steam cyls. 19 inches x 13 inches stroke, air cylinders. 17½ inches + 28 inches by 13 inches stroke. electrically driven cooling water pump 100gpm. Three exhaust steam accumulators and a wooden cooling tower 72 feet high.

Ventilation
Walker Bros., “Indestructible” fan (No.11391 – 14/3/04). 20 feet dia. x 7 feet wide, fan pulley 7 feet 6 inches dia., 9 – 1¾ inches ropes. Cross-compound horizontal engine 18 inches + 32 inches x 42 inches, Meyer expansion slide valves on both cylinders, piped for separate working, steam 100psi., non-condensing.

Pumping
Ince Seven Feet to Surface, 492 feet head, 6 inches x 9 inches 3-throw ram pump (c.1950) by Tickle Bros., Wigan, 40rpm., 25hp motor, 720rpm.

Pemberton Four Feet to Surface – 914 feet static head, 8-stage centrifugal pump, Mather & Platt, 470gpm., 1460rpm., 250hp motor, 2200 volts, Mather & Platt 6-stage centrifugal pump 250gpm., 2930rpm., 142hp. motor, 2200 volts.

Wigan Five Feet to Pemberton Four Feet – 519 feet static head, 6-stage centrifugal pump, Mather & Platt, 90gpm., 2940rpm., 30hp. motor, 500 volts. – plus – identical standby pump.

Boilers
Eight Lancashire boilers 8 feet x 30 feet, two boilers fitted with superheaters, Goodbrand of Stalybridge economisers, two steam receivers above boilers, 41 feet x 3 feet, and 52 feet x 3 feet. Feed water heater 7 feet dia. x 32 feet high plus 10 feet chimney. Three boiler feed pumps. Octagonal chimney 204 feet high.

Seams Worked (1954)
Pemberton Yard (Ince Furnace), Ince Seven Feet, Ince Yard, Wigan Four Feet, Wigan Five Feet, Bone, Smith, Lower Mountain Mine. (this last in Lower Coal Measures.)

Workforce (1954) – U/G 701, S/F 160

CLOSURE – 13 June 1958. Formally abandoned 30 May 1959.

Copyright © NMRS Records: G. Hayes Collection