The British coal industry

摘要

December 18, 2015 was a significant date - it marked the closure of Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire, the last deep mine in the UK. Although there had been no surface locos at any mines in recent years, there were a significant number in use underground. However, there are still a number of small drift mines in use throughout the UK, including in the Forest of Dean, South Wales and in Cumbria; most of these are very small mines with just a few staff. The mine in Cumbria, Ayle Colliery, is right on the Cumbria/ Northumberland border and still has a railway system to bring the coal to the surface. The mine uses a variety of locos, mainly battery electrics built by Clayton and Wingrove & Rogers. Following the closure of Kellingley Colliery, Ayle obtained two fairly modern Clayton Pony locos, but these are 2' 6" gauge and will have to be re-gauged to 2' 0" before they can be used.