Draycott Cross Tunnel & Colliery
It was way back in September 2012 that I last posted a report
In that time I (and Markymark too incidentally!) have become a Dad and moved, so me running off for UE was way down the families list of priorities for a while!
That’s not to say that the fire wasn’t still burning inside…
Visited with Markymark and Montstar
We visited this site as part of a “Crimbo Limbo” tour around the Midlands whilst we all had some time off from work.
So expect a few reports to be popping up from me in the next few days.
In about 1983 a privately owned drift mine, known as Draycott Cross Colliery commenced production from adits just inside the southern portal of the old railwaytunnel.
A new two foot gauge tramway was laid in the tunnel with mine tubs hauled by cable.
Prior to 1988 Draycott Cross Mine was owned by the Costain Group. In July 1988 Europa Minerals bought two Staffordshire Coal Mines from Costain in a £3.3 million cash and share deal.
The mines were Draycott Cross and Acres Nook Collieries.
The two mines were expected to add 1 million tons of extractable coal to the company's reserves.
Europa already owned the Ormondcroft Drift Mine.
By 1989 they was hoping to increase production from 500 tons a week to 1400 tons a week (65,000 tons a year)
Draycott Cross was, however, short lived.
The colliery closed early in 1991 and the land in the vicinity of the colliery was sold and the adits were sealed.
The final stop on our Crimbo Limbo Midlands trip.
A nice location to end on, after a heartbreaking fail on the roadtrips “raison d’etre” earlier in the day.
Not many pics, but you'll still get a feel for the place…
Thanks for looking,
Kinger.
It was way back in September 2012 that I last posted a report
In that time I (and Markymark too incidentally!) have become a Dad and moved, so me running off for UE was way down the families list of priorities for a while!
That’s not to say that the fire wasn’t still burning inside…
Visited with Markymark and Montstar
We visited this site as part of a “Crimbo Limbo” tour around the Midlands whilst we all had some time off from work.
So expect a few reports to be popping up from me in the next few days.
In about 1983 a privately owned drift mine, known as Draycott Cross Colliery commenced production from adits just inside the southern portal of the old railwaytunnel.
A new two foot gauge tramway was laid in the tunnel with mine tubs hauled by cable.
Prior to 1988 Draycott Cross Mine was owned by the Costain Group. In July 1988 Europa Minerals bought two Staffordshire Coal Mines from Costain in a £3.3 million cash and share deal.
The mines were Draycott Cross and Acres Nook Collieries.
The two mines were expected to add 1 million tons of extractable coal to the company's reserves.
Europa already owned the Ormondcroft Drift Mine.
By 1989 they was hoping to increase production from 500 tons a week to 1400 tons a week (65,000 tons a year)
Draycott Cross was, however, short lived.
The colliery closed early in 1991 and the land in the vicinity of the colliery was sold and the adits were sealed.
The final stop on our Crimbo Limbo Midlands trip.
A nice location to end on, after a heartbreaking fail on the roadtrips “raison d’etre” earlier in the day.
Not many pics, but you'll still get a feel for the place…
Thanks for looking,
Kinger.
