Head torch suggestions please?

[Retired]

Hi,

Pit lamps would certainly bring back lots of memories if I was to see one now roys; on the old B&W movies showing workers underground the workers always wear their lamp on their safety helmet; during my time working underground I would walk to the job with the lamp in one hand tool bag in the other hand. Coming away from the job those at the bunker feeding the coal would drop my tool bag onto the conveyor belt shortly after I had jumped on for a ride to the pit bottom. 

One day whilst I was working underground at Hartley Bank Colliery during snap time I saw a young guy take his lamp to bits and was playing around with the bulb; immediately I came back on top I headed for the managers office to report the guy but the young guy had already been sacked and escorted from the colliery; This young guy had gone through the safety training before being allowed to work underground; he because of his actions put all our lives at risk and well deserved sacking.

Working beneath our bungalow is rather like working underground so some kind of light is essential; its nice to have a bit of nostalgia thrown in for interest.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[Evans Electric]

Was this due to the danger of igniting gases then ?   

From non Miner.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for asking the question Evans Electric. Yes because Methane gas is ever present in a coal mine and highly dangerous; every person employed underground by the National Coal Board went through strict training not only in relation to health and safety but also in relation to understanding the real danger of gas in a mine;

https://www.clarke-energy.com/coal-gas/working-mine-methane/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firedamp

Methane is a specific gas but "Firedamp" covers group gases both are extremely dangerous and a spark is all that is needed to cause an explosion if the gas is present in sufficient quantity. As an apprentice mechanical engineer working underground a lot of emphasis was placed on the dangers of gas in a coal mine and this was further backed up under "Mining Science" which was one of the subjects taught at Wakefield Technical College; mining engineering is quite different to general engineering in that greater dangers are involved which could lead to multiple deaths so as I said this National Coal Board training was thorough to say the least. 

The young guy who was rightfully sacked for taking his cap lamp to bits is very lucky he didn't end up in hospital because miners were not known for being gentle; I used to get beaten up for being cheeky in calling mechanical engineers "fitters" if I couldn't outrun them?

Every coal mine had a lamp room and this was a serious place; the guy looking after all the lamps and batteries had to know what he was about because every life underground depended upon him; miners lamps were security sealed and must never ever be tampered with this being a fundamental law of survival; also in the lamp room were two big boards of brass identification discs; those of us who worked underground were identified by one of these discs each; depending on which board my disc hung displayed clearly whether I was on top or underground.

Only specifically tested torches/lamps were allowed down a coal mine; the fear of explosion was ever present.

Just a bit of information because all the old skills are dying out with dinosaurs like me who are no longer being replaced.

Kind regards, Col.

 

[ruston]

I have a gas test miners lamp and a few old 'Davy lamps'. Not the bonneted type with glass, although I have a few of those too, the mesh type .

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks ruston; it's amazing where a simple question leads isn't it; from head torch suggestions to miners lamps; I do so love forums because I never know what will crop up; it's nice though to know there are others still around with interests in coal mining. Both my late father and grandfather were coal miners; I've not seen my birth certification for years but on it I believe my father is included as  "Coal Hewer". My father used to work in a drift mine in his latter years underground and I can still smell the carbide from his lamp; imagine working at a coal face with pick and shovel these days with a naked carbide flame; the health & safety lot would call the army out?

What's a carbide lamp? Please see;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqXnBXmPQ3U

Kind regards, Col.

 

[Tony S]

We made carbide lime Ca(HO)2. In the days of wooden backed lories a fair number caught fire if the driver didn’t sheet the load before leaving the cover of the plant.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks Tony S; I'm not at all surprised a number of the lorries caught fire whilst transporting carbide lime; such loads would go down well here in West Yorkshire where we are virtually living under a constant cloud. One job I held for about six months many years ago was mechanical engineer in a nitro benzene plant; I used to stink of the stuff; I used to have to lean into a big drum filter head and shoulders to replace the filter securing ring whilst holding my breath; I've enjoyed some wonderful jobs just to earn a crust?

Kind regards, Col.

 

[ruston]

It's no bother. I will post some  photos of some of them tomorrow, I have quite a bit of mining memorabilia, including a tally as you spoke of  . I also have figures of miners carved out of coal , one in particulars are four miners back to back depicting four era's of mining. 

 I worked in opencast mining and we were referred to as 'Sunshine Miners'  . On one of the sites I was on we dug into some old workings , wooden pit props , very very little head room, you could just imagine what a shift was like in there.

  We also dug out a Monks bell hole , so called by the way it was dug out.  They would work it in the shape of a bell until it became unstable and unworkable . It was young boys that dug them not the monks : I think you probably knew that.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks ruston; so many coal miners have died taking their skills with them. Yes opencast mining is totally different to deep shaft mining at least you could see daylight in opencast? Apprentices were broken into the job steadily and we were responsible for loading all the timber products like pit props ready for them to go underground; one bit of training I remember is that a standard wooden pit prop would support 60 tons of weight before yielding. The colliery I started at Grange Ash near Grange Moor closed a year after I started; what a truly horrible job the miners had; the coal face was running out and had become very low indeed; I'm built like a stick insect but found crawling down the face difficult; I'm in awe of the miners working in such dreadful conditions.

Wonderful; my new headlight has just arrived and it's brilliant; I'll look forward to using this shortly; thanks again guys for your suggestions and information.

Kind regards, Col. 

 

[phil d]

My grandfather on my mothers side was a miner, my fathers people originated from the Rhondda Valley, they were all miners, I remember having to dig out under a floor once, for some reason I instinctively laid on my side, genetics perhaps?

Near me there used to be several mines, there was a bad explosion at one when an electrician created a spark using a megger to try and find a fault underground. nobody knew why he did what he did, he was a good electrician and had worked below ground for years, maybe it was a brain fart. Anyway I don't think they ever let him below ground after that.