Steam Crane - Overton, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 38.552 W 001° 37.270
30U E 591151 N 5944633
This steam cane was used at North Gawber Colliery in Barnsley to haul coal and is now on display at the National Coal Mining Museum at Overton.
Waymark Code: WM175Q5
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/19/2022
Views: 1
The museum offers guided underground tours where visitors can experience the conditions miners worked in and see the tools and machines they used as the industry and the mine developed through the years.
Above ground, the museum sits on a 45-acre (18 ha) semi-rural site, with over a dozen galleries documenting the social and industrial history of the mines.
This steam train is near to the car park entrance, at the rear of the museum buildings and next to the road. There is an information board in front of it.
STEAM
CRANE
Cranes were used to load railway wagons and lorries and to move material around on the surface of the pit.
The pit top was a hive of activity with materials being delivered and unloaded. Mined coal was often stored in piles on the surface before being loaded for transport.
This mobile steam crane was made by Thomas Smith and sons of Rodley in Leeds and worked at Northh Gawber Colliery in Barnsley, West Yorkshire. It moved around on wheels.
Steam was the main form of power throughout the 19th and early 20th century. Steam powered machinery was common and was used for longer at collieries due to the readily available supply of coal as fuel. This engine continued to work into the 1970s.
HOPE PIT
Discover the mechanics of mining
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Steam power needs fire to heat water to produce the steam. can you guess where the fire would have been on the crane?
The crane also has the manufacturer's plate on it
THOMAS SMITH & SONS (RODLEY) LTD
RODLEY NR LEEDS
Entrance to the museum is free, but there are a number of places around the site where voluntary donations can be made if you wish.
It is open Wednesday to Sunday and it is a large site with a mixture of inside exhibits and outside like this one. You can explore the site by yourself and there are also tours available including trips down the mine itself.
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