Good Video!!

[John]

Good video of the mechanisation of the UK coal industry, some good shots of the Meco-Moore Slicer Loader, and an early AB "disc" cutter.


www.liveleak.com/view?i=6a2_1486208822#sTPgzd7p0YI2ZCPM.01

[colly0410]

Very interesting. Can see why the only ones to see extensive use were the shearer, trepanner & plough, all the others seem to be very complicated - 'slicer loader, bottom & top cutter etc'. The more complicated they are the more likely they are to go wrong & of course if it can go wrong sooner or later it will..

[John]

Feb 13, 2017 9:24:19 GMT -5 colly0410 said:

Very interesting. Can see why the only ones to see extensive use were the shearer, trepanner & plough, all the others seem to be very complicated - 'slicer loader, bottom & top cutter etc'. The more complicated they are the more likely they are to go wrong & of course if it can go wrong sooner or later it will..

The Meco-Moore had a long run though Steve, and was designed during the private enterprise years, I believe the first ones were used back in the 1930's and were developed through the years from a cyclic to bi-di versions after 1947. They were phased out in the mid 50's. They were the first power loaders. I never saw them, but I recall seeing an NCB film on Planned Maintenance and the Meco-Moore "starred" in it. I may be wrong about the phasing out dates. Sadly not one single Meco-Moore has been saved, although someone did mention they think they saw one in a basement of either Dosco or one of Joy repair plants that were closed a few years back..Never heard anymore on this, so probably if it was in storage, it's been long scrapped by now..

Trepanners are now long gone, although many still exist in museums, and I doubt any of the early Anderton power loaders survived the scrap yards, Daz could probably answer that one.

[eleceng]

Good video, brought back many memories. I worked on meco's as an apprentice mech-elec at Bestwood. You're right John, they were phased out around 1960.
From them I went on to Trepanners & BJD Shearers. Did a very little on the Plough. Only had one face with it, in narrow Main Bright seam. Not very successful.

[colly0410]

Feb 15, 2017 10:37:11 GMT -5 eleceng said:

Good video, brought back many memories. I worked on meco's as an apprentice mech-elec at Bestwood. You're right John, they were phased out around 1960.
From them I went on to Trepanners & BJD Shearers. Did a very little on the Plough. Only had one face with it, in narrow Main Bright seam. Not very successful.

Did they use a plough in the Main Bright at Bestwood? I can remember they had an experimental plough face in the Deep Soft at Hucknall, B1's or B2's IIRC, it wasn't a success though..

[John]

Feb 16, 2017 16:10:32 GMT -5 colly0410 said:

Feb 15, 2017 10:37:11 GMT -5 eleceng said:

Good video, brought back many memories. I worked on meco's as an apprentice mech-elec at Bestwood. You're right John, they were phased out around 1960.
From them I went on to Trepanners & BJD Shearers. Did a very little on the Plough. Only had one face with it, in narrow Main Bright seam. Not very successful.

Did they use a plough in the Main Bright at Bestwood? I can remember they had an experimental plough face in the Deep Soft at Hucknall, B1's or B2's IIRC, it wasn't a success though..

I think they tried a plough at Wollaton not too long before it closed, I'm pretty sure a couple of the ex Wollaton lads mentioned they'd tried one. Coal was too hard for them, I think Wollaton finished in the Tupton seam.

[bulwellbrian]

Hucknall used ploughs in the Main Bright, a thin but very clean seam. I cannot remember if they tried a plough in the Deep Soft. I cannot remember a plough at Wollaton but they did finish with the Tupton seam.

[eleceng]

Feb 16, 2017 16:10:32 GMT -5 colly0410 said:

Feb 15, 2017 10:37:11 GMT -5 eleceng said:

Good video, brought back many memories. I worked on meco's as an apprentice mech-elec at Bestwood. You're right John, they were phased out around 1960.
From them I went on to Trepanners & BJD Shearers. Did a very little on the Plough. Only had one face with it, in narrow Main Bright seam. Not very successful.

Did they use a plough in the Main Bright at Bestwood? I can remember they had an experimental plough face in the Deep Soft at Hucknall, B1's or B2's IIRC, it wasn't a success though..

[eleceng]

The Plough was never used in Main Bright seam.