Chatterley Whitfield Colliery - Hesketh Shaft winding engine

Image: © Chris Allen Taken: 5 Feb 1984

This was when the site was open as a museum and before its closure. The site still exists in a poor condition and is open for limited visits at Heritage Open Days. These book up very quickly. This shows the horizontal duplex winding engine that serviced the Hesketh Shaft. It was built by Worsley Mesnes Ironworks of Wigan in 1914. The cylinders are 36" x 72" with drop steam (inlet) valves and Corliss exhaust valves. The reversing is by Gooch link motion. The bi-cylindro-conical drum rises from 14' to 20' diameter. I dread to think what condition this will be in by now. I do hope that it can be saved but have my doubts. It's a huge and deteriorated site. This view shows the Gooch link reversing gear. The two eccentric rod on the left oscillate the link around a pivot fixed at its centre. The steam reversing raises and lowers the rod on the right (using the vertical rod coming up from below the floor). This puts the engine in forward or reverse gear. The governor is seen to the right and adjusted the cut-off of the steam in the cylinders to ensure more economical working. The cylinder top right is for the brake gear. The brakes were only used for final 'spot' positioning of the drum under normal circumstances, the driver being able to precisely control the engine. The brakes also held the engine between winds.

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