Scaleburn to Rampgill via Cross-Vein

[legendrider]

Last Thursday Mark H and myself floor-boarded the last section, and thereby completed our (with Col H) dig through the collapses on Rampgill Cross Vein.

The digs represented 65ft of horizontal progress over two separate blockages and consumed around 1000 sandbags, 700ft of treated 5x2 timber and several score scaffolding poles and clamps, assorted M24 threaded bar and nuts, and dozens of hours core-drilling stemple holes. Oh, and a 150ft bucket ropeway designed and built by Col H, complete with Bull Rail to lift the bucket off the rope and run on steel channel into the lower, scaff-supported dug section to the forehead.

Space here precludes a full account of everything which was done, but it is now possible to enter Scaleburn to visit the Horse Whim, Top Sill Steps etc, then take the cross-vein for 820ft to arrive at Rampgill Vein just outbye the Norpex Door. A complete circuit from Scaleburn Junction in Rampgill, via the Cross-Vein, outbye along Rampgill Vein to Whisky Bottle Junction and back to Scaleburn is approximately 1 mile!

MARK

 

[PeteHall]

Fantastic job. Look forward to seeing it one day. Not been underground in Nent for too many years now; really need to get back up...

 

[tomferry]

Absolutely brilliant !! This is an area I was talking to Roy about on Saturday, I was actually Saying, I hope he will show me around one day .

 

[snebbit]

That ropeway is something else! Nice work guys and thankyou, hope to get up to see the new stuff as soon as

 

[legendrider]

Thanks for the kind comments. Sorry the photos just dont do justice! The ropeway is Colin's brainchild. It actually cut the labour requirement such that we could fully operate the dig with as few as 2 men! There's nowhere to stack deads in the level but 100ft outbye was a small chamber with a bit of a vein working branching off. Probably about 25 cubic metres. Filled that...

Pics of Colin with the Bull Rail....

MARK

 

[royfellows]

Yes, I had a look last time up, impressive.

 

[Mr Mike]

Aiming to have a look at this in Sept. Great work.... yet again.

 

[legendrider]

Now with signage! (Thank You, Mark H)

MARK

 

[petejackson]

 

[wormster]

Impressive

 

[Mr Mike]

I took my daughter for a loop trip on Monday to have a look. Very impressed with the dig and work. Really liked the sign. Again, well done!!!

Question for the older explorerers, was this always blocked - something from the 1900's, or is it more recent like the 60's or 70's?

 

[Jim MacPherson]

This would have been one example of where AditNow's archive was so handy as over the years people attached numerous articles and reports to mines, possibly John Lawson and/or Roy Fellows would know. There were links relating to aspects of their explorations in WCMRG journals but they may only relate to Smallcleugh and Brownley Hill and I never got round to downloading them anyway. WCMRG seems to be in limbo at the moment.

Jim

 

[Mr Mike]

This would have been one example of where AditNow's archive was so handy as over the years people attached numerous articles and reports to mines, possibly John Lawson and/or Roy Fellows would know. There were links relating to aspects of their explorations in WCMRG journals but they may only relate to Smallcleugh and Brownley Hill and I never got round to downloading them anyway. WCMRG seems to be in limbo at the moment.

Jim

I have those journels, think I have your email, but PM it to me just in case and I can email them to you.

 

[royfellows]

This would have been one example of where AditNow's archive was so handy as over the years people attached numerous articles and reports to mines, possibly John Lawson and/or Roy Fellows would know. There were links relating to aspects of their explorations in WCMRG journals but they may only relate to Smallcleugh and Brownley Hill and I never got round to downloading them anyway. WCMRG seems to be in limbo at the moment.

I

I still have my mineexplorer.com website and it aleady has some archive material. I will seek to upload the digitalisations of the WCMRG to it over the weekend. As such I welcome suggestions on the vein of "Roy might have......"

 

[petejackson]

I took my daughter for a loop trip on Monday to have a look. Very impressed with the dig and work. Really liked the sign. Again, well done!!!

Question for the older explorerers, was this always blocked - something from the 1900's, or is it more recent like the 60's or 70's?

Mike - already blocked by 1964. (My wife keeps saying that I must not claim to be "older")

 

[legendrider]

Mike - already blocked by 1964. (My wife keeps saying that I must not claim to be "older")

The cross-vein is shown on the 1922 VM plan, although the overall distance between Rampgill and Scaleburn Veins is inaccurate, which resulted in a bit more shovel-work than anticipated!

Oh, and whoever took down the signs, please return them. I don't recall your showing up in all weathers to help, so you don't have any right, moral or legal, to interfere with the fabric of the project. Probably the same bobble-hat-and-clipboard-jockey who removed the whiskey bottles.

MARK

 

[undead crow]

The cross-vein is shown on the 1922 VM plan, although the overall distance between Rampgill and Scaleburn Veins is inaccurate, which resulted in a bit more shovel-work than anticipated!

Oh, and whoever took down the signs, please return them. I don't recall your showing up in all weathers to help, so you don't have any right, moral or legal, to interfere with the fabric of the project. Probably the same bobble-hat-and-clipboard-jockey who removed the whiskey bottles.

MARK

Totally agree with you Mark