Mam Tor Engine shaft

Goydenman

Goydenman

Well-known member
If I was still in still living down there I'd be pushing Mam Tor Engine shaft. After opening it I descended to shale chamber where I made a poor attempt to dig down. Just as I got to the limestone the shale collapsed in on me owing to insufficient boards. Would provide a 'back door' into the far reaches of Odin and possibly caves.
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
Goydenman said:
If I was still in still living down there I'd be pushing Mam Tor Engine shaft. After opening it I descended to shale chamber where I made a poor attempt to dig down. Just as I got to the limestone the shale collapsed in on me owing to insufficient boards. Would provide a 'back door' into the far reaches of Odin and possibly caves.
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How deep was the shale drive to the blockage, I presume the ginging was deemed acceptable at the time! What is the shaft cap like these days - perhaps a better design would improve the air quality? Sounds like there are pelnty of options for more work in there
 
bograt

bograt

Active member
If I'm remembering the right place, it was capped with concrete sleepers and we created a small access entry down one side of these, someone will correct me if my memory is faulty.
 
Goydenman

Goydenman

Well-known member
At the time of opening it was covered by just a metal sheet but may well have been capped by concrete sleepers later. There was no bad air at that time but yes it was either 1979 or 1980!!!!
Shaft was about 80ft (guess - a long time ago) to deep pool. Swim over to side is passage. Water flows along the passage and then turns left into a passage with low airspace (did not push this). This water flows out the ground further down the hill on the surface. Straight ahead shale shaft only about 20ft??? (requires jammed scaffold pole for anchor) into sizeable shale chamber (approx. 25ft square??). Walk down steep shale slope to bottom (left) is where I dug alone. Did not dig properly really needed poles and boards but did manage to see top of the limestone briefly. It was good old Trevor Ford who gave me the info on it.
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
is the drainage you describe from the outfall of the short engine sough, ie below the road, or just in the broken ground below the shaft? Wonder if there would be any point in looking at the sough tail if it was all driven in shale? Is any special access required for the shaft top do you know, or just common sense!
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
Mam Engine has a blue metal hinged lid that is locked.  TSG hold the key IIRC.  Its right on one of the busy paths of the honeypot tourist spot that is Mam Tor.  I walked over to it at the weekend.
Any activity there I would suggest needs to be fairly low key.
 
Goydenman

Goydenman

Well-known member
Brains said:
is the drainage you describe from the outfall of the short engine sough, ie below the road, or just in the broken ground below the shaft? Wonder if there would be any point in looking at the sough tail if it was all driven in shale? Is any special access required for the shaft top do you know, or just common sense!
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outfall is in the broken ground approaching the shaft. It was all driven in shale. Useful info from Sam T
 
bograt

bograt

Active member
I suspect the land is NT, and their attitude to access at Odin at the moment is not encouraging ---.
 
K

Kevlar

New member
SamT said:
Mam Engine has a blue metal hinged lid that is locked.  TSG hold the key IIRC.
Click to expand...

I think I've seen the key in the TSG library, looks like a chunk of bent metal!
Might go on a hunt for it tomorrow if time permits.
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Here's the lid. The key is indeed in the library. And here's the SUSS survey from 79 - there is a page of text too, but it's too large to post on here. Chris, I do have a page from the TSG logbook which I think details your visit - maybe with Nigel B? I'll dig it out. It's also possible that the outfall is indeed the original shale-gate sough that was driven to dewater the damp slopes way back in 1709 or something like that. So it would be likely to be as evil and dangerous as the Trickett Bridge sough, but at least it goes straight into the interesting part rather than a mile-long trudge of death.
 

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pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Here you go - it was done on 28/02/80. Does anyone have a large black tent to put over the shaft? Once it was dark, you'd just disappear. I've often thought about one ;)
 

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Brains

Brains

Well-known member
pwhole said:
Here you go - it was done on 28/02/80.
Click to expand...

Link says I am not permitted to view it - the ones in the previous post all load easily :(

UPDATE - Now working  ;)
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
It was a PDF, but then I thought - some might not be able to see it - so changed it to a JPG ;)
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
Looks an interesting place... Any idea how this relates to currently known features from below? Get the impression the explored bits are all further east? Wonder how long before access is permitted to the usual cavers entrance again?!
Do you have any figures that show how long the blockage is from the old Cartgate portal near the crushing circle to the ineer end of blockage near the crosscut to the Bell chamber, ie would sinking a new access to the west of the road be an option?
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
No, this has always been a bit confusing. John Royse sank a shaft in the 20s in the gorge right outside the Widowers Vein entrance - the blocked  lower one that is, at the gorge floor. It's hidden behind a large tree-trunk on the right as you're heading in. That was reputed to go through the cartgate roof, but his description didn't tally with the current cartgate section. I always assumed that he landed on the wrong side of that blockage and was stuck between collapses - that how his description read, anyway.

I measured out two meers from the Gank Mouth once on surface, and it stopped pretty much there too, just before the gorge begins to steepen. I would guess that's more or less where the collapse is underground. It's not been radio-located as far as I know, and would have been a doddle, as it's only about 10m underground, if that.
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
While I remember, a few years ago I decided to find out just what was left in Widowers Vein, so crawled right in as far as possible - it's actually backfilled, and the roof eventually meets the floor about 15m in. What I don't understand is why sometimes this passage is bone-dry, and other times it's so full of water you can only just get into the entrance. I've been in the mine proper when this was wet, but saw no wetness on the inside.

Just to save anyone crawling in again ;)
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
Dont seem to be able to open the 3d survey, what is a good downloadable prog to let me see it?
 
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