THE LINK

Series

Series Name: Mining Review 16th Year

Issue

Issue No.

Date Released

Jul 1963

Length of issue (in feet)

984

Stories in this Issue:

1THE LINK

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 1

Summary

BFI synopsis: two Scottish pits, Valleyfield and Kinneil, which face each other across the waters of the Forth, are anticipating a productive future through an under-river link.
NCB Commentary - At the centre of Scotland are the Scottish coalfields - rich in coal, but difficult to work ...
... and at the centre of the Scottish coalfields - on either side of the River Forth is the Alloa Area. Two of the most important developments in Scotland face each other across the river - Valleyfield Colliery and Kinneil.
To discuss the future of these collieries not so long ago the Alloa Area General Manager had got together a meeting of all those concerned.
Much water had flowed down the Forth since the decision to sink two new shafts at Valleyfield Colliery, as part of a plan to develope the colliery into one of the most important in Scotland.
"And over the water, across the Forth, what was happening to that other bright prospect Kinneil Colliery?"
Kinneil Colliery had touched bottom and pulled itself up by its own bootlace ...
In the meantime, what was happening on the other side of the water, at Valleyfield?
So Valleyfield, like Kinneil, had seen the worst and turned the corner. And now the Area General Manager had a plan to link the two collieries together by a tunnel far below the Forth - so that Valleyfield coal, as well as Kinneil coal, could be wound up Kinneil shaft.
Two pits - once to be two kingpins in the reconstruction of the Scottish coalfield - plumbed the depths and were almost closed down. Two pits are now once again in the forefront of Scottish coal production. That is the shape of things to come.

Researcher Comments

Numbered 383 by the NCB.

Keywords