COAL-CORER

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 17th Year

Issue

Issue No.

2

Date Released

Oct 1963

Length of issue (in feet)

895

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1STEAM UP!
2. 2COAL-CORER
3. 3MERCHANTS OF VENICE
4. 4LIDICE LIVES

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: a new coal winning machine at Bolden colliery, the Trepan Shearer, which produces large coal
NCB Commentary - At Boldon Colliery is the Durham Division another machine has proved itself - the Trepan Shearer Loader.
Cutting from the tailgate to the maingate - like a giant apple-corer it flings out a core of coal as it goes.
Behind follows the picked drum which wins the rood and floor coal.
At the end of the cutting run it stops. Then it flits back to load the rest of the coal. Meanwhile roof supports are repositioned behind it.
So successful was the machine when first tried at Boldon the coal flowed like a black river and threatened to swamp the haulage and winding systems. Now the face crew are ready for anything.
Back at the maingate the machine stops, is repositioned together with the conveyor - and off it goes again, yet another example of mechanisation paying-off in the drive for large coal.

Keywords

Mining; Engineering; Energy resources

Locations

England; County Durham; Whitburn

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
The British National Film Catalogue   Vol.1 1963, p.56
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963

Credits:

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Production Co.

National Coal Board Film Unit