opencast mining images

Quarry workers warm themselves around a brazier as Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 saddle tank No.19 (W/No.2101 of 1940) waits whilst iron-ore tipplers are loaded in the Storefield Ironstone Quarry, Newton, near Kettering in the 1960s. The Barclay was sent for scrap at Cohen’s at Cransley in October 1969 and the quarries ceased production shortly after that, in September 1971.

Photo by Gordon Edgar

Portrayed in a lunar-like landscape, Hunslet 0-6-0 saddle tank ‘Jacks Green’ (W/No.1953 built in 1939) heads a Locomotive Club of Great Britain railtour in the Nassington Barrowden Mining Co. Nassington ironstone quarry on 19th December 1971

Photo by Gordon Edgar

Hunslet 0-6-0 saddle tanks ‘Ring Haw’ and ‘Jack’s Green’ ‘top and tail’ a loaded train in the quarry of Nassington Barrowden Mining Company Ltd in the early 1960s. Nassington ironstone quarry was opened in 1939 when the impending war increased the demand for iron-ore. As an independent quarry, owned by Nassington Barrowden Mining Company, it escaped the rapid Dieselisation which the nationalised steel industry inflicted on the majority of the East Midlands ironstone quarries in the late 1960s, and became the last ironstone quarry in the country to use steam traction and the last privately-owned ironstone quarries in the country. However, its ‘celebrity’ status did not last for long, as the quarry was closed at the end of 1970. The principal working locos for the quarry’s entire working life were two Hunslet 0-6-0 saddle tanks named after local spinneys – ‘Ring Haw’ (W/No.1982 of 1940) and ‘Jacks Green’ (W/No.1953 of 1939). Since closure, the quarry, like most former ironstone quarries in the area, has been in-filled and returned to agriculture.

photo by Gordon Edgar



The final full year of operations at the South Durham Iron & Steel Co. Irchester Quarries, with one of the two 1952-built ex-Cargo Fleet Steelworks chunky Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 saddle tanks ‘9’ (W/Nos.2323) hauling a train of empty tippler wagons on 10th May 1968, its sister ‘7’ (W/No.2324) standing outside the loco shed, also in steam. Upon being taken over by the British Steel Corporation, the quarries were closed on 27th June 1969, and most of the track had been lifted by March 1970.

photo by Gordon Edgar

Longhills Pit, Corby. Looking E. Working face, looking north-east. Northampton Ironstone next railway, overlain by Lower Estuarine and Lincolnshire Limestone, with some Boulder Clay. 1933

BGS photo archive

Longhills Pit, Corby. Looking E. Working face, looking NE. Northampton Ironstone (next railway), overlain by Lower Estuarine clays and Lincolnshire Limestone. On the right the limestone fills a channel in the clays, resting directly upon the ironstone. 1933

photo BGS archive

Deene Pit, Corby. Looking NW. Closer view of steam digger.
1936

photo BGS archive

Loddington showing the Whittaker .

A donated image suspected to of been a wellingborough pit .

Ruston 300 ton steam shovel working in Wembley pit Irchester

The above two donated images both have printed in the lower corner Warren east ,this is suspected to be the surface mine name .

a stunning image of a Loddington pit , the gentleman in the foreground appears to have a whip for the horses ?

The plank and barrow method in the two above images, are from the Burton Latimer pits .

Easton men at a ironstone pit 1914

A original photo with cardboard backing, showing a once typical scene.

Here is a transformed stripping shovel which has been changed into a rock drilling machine at the Cowthick surface mine . Photo by David James

Cowthick surface mine photo by David James .

Cowthick surface mine Photo by David James

Rockingham surface mine . Photo by David James

A stunning image on a glass slide , scanned by Northants archive services . The further images are all Glass slides scanned by Northants archives .

a steam navy and track / surface mining works.

A unique style machine in the above image purpose unknown.

The water feed to the steam navy , Also note the wooden wheel barrow.

A  5360 series stripping shovel, note the man on top gives real scale to the image .

Multiple rakes of wagons , suspected to be corby .

No 21 Ruston loading a row of wagons.

A large bucket clearing the Northamptonshire clay over burden .

A scan by Northants archives , showing a rake of wooden tubs and 2 early steam shovels .

A blast of the ironstone in a working surface mine , has been captured in this image .