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James..[and Reedy..],when I was very young,about 8 or 9 years old,and throughout the 1950's,and living in Hollymount Square,every night at the same time,approximately 9-0pm,we used to hear a thump from the floor..accompanied by a rattle of window panes,an I was learn't by my miner father that it would have been the caunchmen firing the caunch down. As I grew older and went into night shift..[5-0pm start] at the Bedlington Aad pit,it made sense to me why it was usually the same time every night...just how the cycle of operations used ti gaan,in the days of hand-filled coal faces. The AB arc-shearer in the pic was wat we used at the high main/main coal seam at the Aad pit,only they didn't have the cable reels attahed..it was aal muscle power howking cables aroond! One thing that impressed me was the absolute ultimate piece of engineering underground,and the most underrated,and took for granted,bit of gear.....was the "Combined-heads" at the front of the machine to which the cutting jib was mounted upon. Whoever designed the heads,must have had a gud heedpiece on thasell's! If you could have seen these heads with the access plates off,exposing the multi-action sets of gearing...spur..helical..double-helical...worm and pinion..clutches here and there,all gears and head controls operated by one multi-position "Handle"...this guy didn't get a knighthood for this machine design..a bet..,but it was ivry bit as ingenious as putting an engine /gearbox/transmission unit in a minicar!!...come ti think of it..VIC..!..Did ye work on these machines at the workshops? The jib could be rotated on it's spindle through 360 degrees,slewed nearly 250 degrees,lifted from nearly [but not fully] ground level,to a height which was above the height of the body of the machine,to be used as a "Top-cutter"..it would have been great to be able to have a demo video done in the workshops,with gud lighting,to show the capabilities of this amazing machine...we used to balance 15feet long x 8"x6" straight steel girders on the jib after "waffling " a full cut of coal in a 10foot high seam,and slew the jib in a vertical configuration,very slowly,to lift the girders against the roof,leaving us to put the "Enders" [end props] in at each side of the gateway. It could also cut vertically,so you could cut the face with a conventional undercut,then cut the face at the centre of the winnings,floor to roof,so creating a "T" cut,the idea being that you fire the left side first,then the right sideand so reducing the blast effect,by using less "Pooda"-explosives,because of having more free faces to fire off. Mind,these were no ordinary "pit -props"..!,they were 10-feet long x 1 foot thick ,virtual telegraph poles cut to length! We used to use the machine as a haulage engine to pull the conveyor belt boxend in,during belt extensions,as well as other heavy tasks,to save on muscle-power!! We had a saying underground..."ye divvent use these...[biceps flexed like Popeye!]...when ye can use these..[pointing ti wa heed!.."] Pit folklore had it that one of thi lads at thi Aad pit was caught by the Manager cutting he's Initials inti the 10-feet high coalface,the machine was that versatile that Aa cud have cut my Logo WA [with the A spliced over the W],with ease!!...like the AB logo on the side of this machine! This looks like a 10-foot long jib,so this machine would cut a gateway 24-feet wide in one slew,and the picks are set up to cut from right -to-left.

Alan,aav just been studying them two pics of the tandem heedgears,wat we discussed earlier,and thi top pic isn't the Aad pit,that must have been Seaton Delaval heedgears,cos the Heapstead is totally different ti thi Aad pit. Whey ye can see by the top frameworks of the two pits,as weel. When ye went owa thi rail crossings from the baths ti thi lamp and tally cabin,at thi aad pit,ye wud luk owa ti ya reet and see the steps leading up onti the heap. Thi top pic shows a different configuration,where the heap is in front of the heap steps,which ye can just see a few treads in the middle ground,and on thi bottom pic at thi far end of the pit road,ye can see the tally cabin at thi Aad pit. A can just picture me and me marra's sitting on thi grund ootside yon building...waiting for thi buzzer ti blaa..on a luvly reed het summer's day,and then just seeing thi bright sunny sky disappear as the cage went doon past thi horsehole...then it was blacker than neet...aal in thi blink of an eye!!.....wat wi did ti put a loaf o' bread onti thi tyeble for thi wife and kids...!

By the way Alan, a been and seen the mural..it's great! Thanks for offering ti get it ti me anyway!

Hi Alan! Aav got problems wi health at yem,and haven't been able ti come onti the forum as much,a was pleased ti see young Steve Tosney on this pic,he was a canny lad,and a talented lad also! A wonder if he can mind when he did the engraving in colour on glass wine vases etc,he did a lovely set of two glasses in a nice presentation box for my Nephew and he's Fiance as an engagement present from us...a lot of years ago!! Say whatcheor ti Stevie from Billy,thi best deputy at Bates Pit in the 1970's....!![....says he!]...heh heh! No 11 is nagging at me mind wi a "Billy..?" ..either a fitter or a blacksmith..a canna mind...might be totally wrang....just a nagging feeling! Also No 17 looks like a fitter caaled Colin.P.?..again..cud be wrang!