Roger - the mobile emergency winding apparatus that I referred to in my posting was a unit designed to be quickly transported to any colliery or mine shaft - in the instance that I mentioned anywhere in Northumberland & Durham. The trailer carried a diesel generator and the towing vehicle carried the winding gear. I recall it being used for shaft inspections and shaft maintenance at a number of locations. My experience of it was at Silksworth Colliery where the shaft was probably the deepest in the county and the depth to the Harvey Seam was 2032 feet, therefore the winding gear had to be provided with a rope which could lift a two or three tons from this depth. We were using it during modernisation of the colliery when the brattice that sub-divided Nos 2 and 3 shafts was removed and the existing transverse buntons and cage guides were renewed and re-positioned so that the shaft could use skip winding equipment.
Hope this helps.
Alan Vickers.
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