BOWHILL ON TOP

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 7th Year

Issue

Issue No.

8

Date Released

Apr 1954

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1ANTHRACITE FIELD
2. 2TIME OUT
3. 3BOWHILL ON TOP
4. 4IDEAS MAN

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: Bowhill Colliery’s reorganistion station. Continues the story of Bowhill Colliery, Fife, modernisation (as featured in Mining Review 7th Year No 3). Looks at the changes on the surface including coal handling
NCB Commentary - Bowhill Colliery is one of the big pits in Fife. Not long ago we showed you how it had been modernised underground. They have done the same thing on top, too.
Here’s the way coal used to be handled at the surface - backbreaking work for a large team of men at the two shafts - and the coal only came up in 15 cwt. tubs. But to-day the tubs have gone and in their place is one man at each shaft handling 900 tons a shift in big 2 1/2 ton mine cars.
Here’s how the layout works at Bowhill No. 1. The full waggons are emptied in a tippler and the empties take a short ride back to the shaft. The banksman, Jimmy Gilfillan, rides in an enclosed cab and works the whole system with two levers. As he gets to the shaft, up go the doors and in goes the empty car. On the other side, out comes the full one. As the cage goes down with the empty, so the full car is driven across ready to be rammed into the tippler. Safety devices watch over the whole system. The movement of the transporter starts the tippler turning. The ram looks the transporter in position and works catches that hold a car in the cage. There’s even an electric eye which prevents a banksman ramming in a car until the cage is properly in position. Jimmys ets the compressed air operated shaft doors as he passes on the movement is times to fit in with the speed at which the cages are whisked up and down the shaft. The coal from the tippler slides gently down on to an apron feeder to avaoid breaking it up, and then tumbles on to the main conveyor belt which will take it off away to be graded and screened. From the bunkers it’s a short step to the screening tables and out to the railway waggons beneath.

Researcher Comments

According to bfi records, this story was made from footage used int he production of ‘Mind Car Handling at Bowhill’ (1954). Commentary recorded 8 March 1954.

Keywords

Railways; Transport; Mining

Locations

Scotland; Fife

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for Synopsis
Film User   Vol.8 No.95 September 1954, p436.
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Sponsor

National Coal Board