Since my initial posting some additional data has come to light.
The colliery in question is almost certainly Denby Drury-Lowe and the photos are thought to date from the late 1950s having been taken by someone apparently quite keen on photography
The photos show two angles of the same engine and it is now likely, but not certain, to be a Robey E-class. I have a query out with a specialist who might be able to throw more light on that angle as this is likely to have been an early example of that particular model of Robey.
Hand written notes, not in my possession, record that such an engine was bought second-hand from Ireland and installed for an unknown purpose. The 2nd photos shows that it cannot be a winding engine. There is no reversing gear and there is insufficient space between the cylinders for a winding drum
An additional comment records that the engine had a flywheel of 8 to 10 ft diameter and drove via a 20 inch flat face belt. The engine was replaced during the 1960s with a 40 hp motor. Its difficult to guess at what such an engine would be doing in a colliery into perhaps the early 1960s but my best guess is that it perhaps drove a fan.
Meanwhile, another note records that there was a winding engine made by Fraser and Chalmers Ltd of Erith which seems to be quite reasonable.
Re the photos I'll see if I can make them available to others but obtaining that permission might take a while longer.
Paul Stephens
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-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Howard Sprenger
Sent: 26 March 2007 23:31
Subject: Re: Denby drury-Lowe Colliery
I don't feel I can add much, but here is a random selection of notes that I have...
There were several collieries around this area, two carrying the Denby name - Denby Colliery (Drury-Lowe) and Denby Hall Colliery (Butterley Co).
There were also Ryefield and Salterwood pits, owned by the Denby Iron Co.
Ryefield was later (I presume) owned by Bourne & Sons and worked for fireclay for their Denby Pottery - it became known as Denby Pottery Colliery. However, I think both of these would have ceased production quite early - before WW2 at a guess.
There was a £100,000 Surface Development Scheme at Drury-Lowe in 1962 - could the photos have been taken in connection with that work?
In recent years Denby Hall colliery became a huge opencast site, closing around 1999.
Not sure if any of this helps, but in connection with some research I'm doing on the railways and pits in the area, I'd certainly be interested in seeing the photographs.
I also have a query of my own (which I might have posted on here some time ago). There was a plan drawn up by the Butterley Co (on the run up to Nationalisation in 1947) for a £500,000 scheme to link their pits, so that all output could be conveyed to the Denby Hall washery via underground feeder and trunk conveyors. The savings were estimated to be of the order of 1,300 men, while doubling the output per shift.
Question is... did this actually happen...?
Cheers, Howard.
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