Shallow Adit


	Shallow Adit


		The Trials and Tibulations of Subterranean Railways Written by Rick Stewart - Tamar Mining Group Previously published in ‘The Narrow Gauge’ No.188 (Spring 2005) The Tamar Mining Group have been digging out a blocked/collapsed adit level since 1999. Initially we thought that we could ‘wormhole’ our way through the the, terminal collapse 100 yards in. To move our spoil we used a home made drag bucket made out of a 25 litre plastic drum. Unfortunately it soon became evident that the terminal collapse was not going to yield without a serious fight. We decided that we needed to up the technological ante and so a wheelbarrow was acquired to shift the spoil from the dig to the adit portal. The adit portal is 6 - 8 feet above ground level so we built a rudimentary tipping dock. To shift the spoil from the dock to our spoil dump we decided to lay a two-foot gauge tramway. Materials were donated from local sources and consisted of a mongrel collection of 28lb to 35lb rail and a rather ratty Hudson 1 ton V-skip patched together with conveyor belting.



	The tramway was soon laid from the tipping dock at the adit portal to a convenient hillsaide, which would become our spoil dump. The spoil tip end of the line was laid parallel to the hillside on a timber trestle, and as the spoil heap engulfed the trestle it was extended along the hillside. Between 2000 and late 2002 we shifted between 70 - 100 tons of spoil. Although a huge amount of spoil was shifted this way the inherent weakness of the system soon became apparent: barrowing spoil along 100 yards of five foot high mine level is not good for your back. The problem grew so bad that only one member of the group was prepared to do the barrowing, however when his back ‘went’ for the second time it was decided that something needed to be done. During the latter part of 2002 there had been rumblings along the line of ‘lets build another tramway from the dig to the portal’. We had previously rejected this idea back in 2000 because the level is constricted and contorted; plus laying a tramway along the level would eat up valuable digging time. However two years of barrowing caused us to reconsider and it was decided that laying a tramway down the level was not as impractical as we had first thought. The first problem we had to contend with was finding a minimum of 120 yards of railway. Luckily we just happened to have a 120 yard long 18-inch gauge railway in stock (as one does) The downside was that the majority of this railway was underground in a dig we had last worked in the late 1990s. Also on the downside, the adit portal had collapsed so a new, thankfully short dig was started to reopen this mine. The level was reopened in December 2002 and work began in earnest to lift the tramway and recover the skip which was also lurking underground. By mid December group members had lifted the tramway and transported the track materials up to the current dig.

	Although we had an 18-inch gauge U-skip this was not suitable for the actual building of the tramway: we needed a flat wagon. By a stroke of good fortune we had a pair of 18-inch gauge wheel sets, attached to the last mortal remains of of a terminally rusted out V-skip. The skip was outside framed, whereas we needed an inside bearing set to keep width down (the level is very narrow), not a problem, the outside journals were unceremoniously removed with a large and viscous angle grinder. Inside bearings were constricted from wood (opeppi - a very tight grained hardwood) which sounds bizarre, however they are still in good as new condition after a year’s heavy use. The rest of the flat was cobbled together from odds and ends of timber ‘borrowed from work’. The flat was used throughout the construction of the tramway

So, by early 2003, we had enough rail to lay the tramway and a functional flat wagon; all that remained was to build the tramway. The first job was to replace the barrow tipping dock with something more substantial. Again fortune smiled on us and a couple of fabricated steel trestles were donated by Plymouth University Engineering Department. The trestles were erected, shuttered with boards, and then back filled with spoil to provide an extremely solid tramway tipping dock.


		This done we were able to start track laying. The first few lengths of track were laid on home made steel sleepers bodged from steel shuttering modified with a gas axe to suit. When we ran out of steels we moved onto a mixture of wooden sleepers with rail coach bolted to them, and prefabricated ‘jubilee’ track panels. The jubilee panels are 18-foot long and straight, so their application was somewhat limited given that the mine level meanders back and forth. having said that we managed to find enough straight sections of the level to use five panels.

	Getting the panels in proved to be something of a nightmare; to replicate the experience try threading a needle with a sausage! Initially we rigged up a carrying device on the flat wagon which worked tolerably well, however we still ended up man handling the panels along parts of the level. The straight panels obviously only had a limited application, most of the track needing to be bent.

The joys of Jim Crowing track in a confined space have to be experienced to be believed. The first problem is that the rail has to be bent and laid seriously accurately otherwise rolling stock will foul on overhanging walls. Secondly when bending the inside rail of a curve the whole rail has to be lifted to the opposite side of the level to get the Jim Crow in, not fun when you are working on your own.


	By November 2003 we had laid about 90% of the tramway and had it up to a standard where we could run the flat along it’s length without too many problems. At this point we decided to try the skip to see how it fitted; it didn’t. The skip fouled the overhanging ‘hanging wall’ in a number of places. This meant we had to ‘modify’ the hanging wall. On the face of it this did not present too many problems, we had been using an air chisel to modify the level during the initial laying of the tramway so we already had a compressor on site and an air line laid up the level.

	At first work went well and the skip progressed up the level, projections being removed as and when. However things were too good to last; we came across an overhanging section comprising quartz shot through with iron pyrite and chlorite, in layman’s terms seriously hard rock. The air chisel just bounced off it; in the end we had to resort to our heavy guns, a miners rock drill which eventually did the job. Unfortunately we hit a similar projection twenty or so yards further along the level, whilst we were demolishing this the compressor died on us. The only option was to resort to hand tools and a miserable couple of weeks ensued as we battered away at the hanging wall with chisels and sledge hammers.

Eventually we removed the offending section of hanging wall and we were able to run the skip the full length of the tramway, which constituted a minor victory. However, this was not the end of our trials and tribulations; whilst the flat would run the length of the tramway with no problems, the skip was another matter; it kept derailing in unexpected places. Given our overwhelming confidence in our tracklaying abilities we were convinced that the problem lay in the track and we spent several weeks tweaking it. Whilst this did solve the majority of problems the skip would still derail for no apparent reason. Eventually it dawned on us that the problem might lie with the skip and sure enough it turned out to have a bent axle; to say the least we were not impressed.

Whilst laying plain track underground is problematical enough we had the added complication of a ninety-degree bend in a tight section. The only solution appeared to be a turntable. After some careful measurements we concluded that it was just possible to turn the skip in the very confined space. A basic turntable was fabricated and hauled down the level. Given the extremely tight clearances it was not surprising that it took a while to get the turntable fitted satisfactorily. We did eventually get things right and it became possible to turn the wagon around the bend. This having been achieved it was just a simple matter of laying track up to the dig face, which we duly did.

By early February 2004, after a years work, the tramway was complete and we were ready to start digging again. Then disaster struck. A section at the far end of the level passed through some very loose ground, which we had reopened and supported with large quantities of timber. Unfortunately January had been rather wet and this caused untold tons of clay and rock to slump on top of the timbered section. Whilst the timbers had held the weight many had cracked and the timber roof was bulging in an ominous manner; the place had become a potential death trap. With heavy hearts we decided that the only safe option was to abandon the dig.


	All that remained to do was lift the tramway and make the level safe; a melancholy job. Although the outcome was disappointing the group were not too dispirited and we have found another mine level to dig; and yes we most certainly will be laying another tramway.


	Additional photographs from Shallow Adit kindly provided by Colin West (below) give a good feel for the way the project evolved.

Early days - laying 2’ gauge tramway for transporting spoil from the adit portal to dump.

The first phase of the portal tipping dock - at this stage spoil removal from the dig to the tipping dock was by wheelbarrow.

Rick Stewart at the tipping dock at the end of the 2’ tramway.

Yes - the tramway and tipping dock run right across the landowners driveway and garden!

Construction of the new tipping dock is well underway - this will allow tipping from a U-Skip straight into the V- Skip once the adit tramway is completed.

The completed tipping dock. Note the overhead cables for hauling.

Rick in the level measuring for placement of new timbers to support the hanging wall.........

....and the new stulls in place.

Distinctive box sections cut from solid rock along the adit - probably for ventilation trunking.

There is typical of the loose ground both in this level and the one below. A gloopy mix of clay, killas, load material and rotten timber doing it’s best to hold up the roof and walls.

Rick cheerfully posing under the timbers that would eventually put an end to the project.

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