Eastern United Colliery

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Eastern United Colliery was a colliery in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England served by the Great Western Railway Forest of Dean Branch.

The colliery was one of the seven areas of deep gales - as a result of the Dean Forest (Mines) Act in 1904.

There were six veins of coal in the area containing 41,000,000 long tons (41,700,000 t) of coal which would give the colliery a working life of around 200 (at an extraction rate of 200,000 long tons (203,000 t) per annum. [1]

The principal coal seam was the Coleford High Delf, a steam coal much in demand and said to be up to 5 ft 0 in (1.524 m). This demand led to the discussions with the GWR over the provision of a railway.[2]


History

The first gale was granted on 19 March 1906 to Mr. J. R. Brown.[3]

Henry Crawshay & Co. Ltd. was offered the gale in October 1907 but did not complete the purchase before 21 November 1906. On 24 December 1907 the company officially took ownership.[4][5]

The purchase of the gale took place because Henry Crawshay & Co. were aware that the coal reserves at Lightmoor Colliery would even last ten years, let alone the predicted twenty.[6]

The construction of the railway connection began in 1908 and this, along with the sidings were completed with haste, however these facilities were basic, having just a two lever ground frame allowing access to the complex.[7][8]

The signal box at located at Eastern United was not provided until late 1913.[9]

In early 1914 it was announced that Eastern was not at that time the success everyone would thought be as the western portion of the gale could never be achieved due to the geological position.[10]

By 1916 the fortunes had changed, the coal seam had leveled out after it was found that the rock strata turned over into the vertical position. By April 1919 the output was up to 250 long tons (254 t) per day. [11]

Unfortunately the profit/loss account showed that the colliery was running at a loss until 1923, except a small profit was made in 1919.[12]

The expenditure at Eastern was due to the modernization of the facilities (including the repair and replacement of the boilers, the fitting of electricity and pumping equipment) and the provision of railway vehicles.[13][14]

In 1914 twenty new 12 long tons (12.2 t) wagons were purchased from the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (at a cost of £16 5s 6d per wagon) to compliment thirty 10 long tons (10.2 t) earlier wagons.[15]

The earlier wagons had been rented and subsequently purchased (at a cost of £8 16s per wagon) from the Ince Waggon & Ironworks Co. of Wigan, through their broker - the Lincoln Wagon Co. of Doncaster.[16]

The colliery was nationalized in 1947 and became part of the National Coal Board South Western Division.[17]

The colliery was finally closed on 30 January 1959.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 133. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  2. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 135. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  3. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  4. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  5. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  6. ↑ Pope, Ian (2002). Private Owner Wagons Of The Forest Of Dean. Witney: Lightmoor Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-899889-09-4. 
  7. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  8. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 167. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  9. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  10. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  11. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 143. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  12. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 162. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  13. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 135. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  14. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  15. ↑ Pope, Ian (2002). Private Owner Wagons Of The Forest Of Dean. Witney: Lightmoor Press. p. 65. ISBN 1-899889-09-4. 
  16. ↑ Pope, Ian (2002). Private Owner Wagons Of The Forest Of Dean. Witney: Lightmoor Press. p. 66. ISBN 1-899889-09-4. 
  17. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 163. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 
  18. ↑ Pope, Ian; Karau, Paul (1992). The Forest of Dean Branch - Volume 1. Didcot: Wild Swan Publications Ltd. p. 165. ISBN 1-874103-05-4. 

Coordinates: 51°48′00″N 02°30′37″W / 51.80000°N 2.51028°W / 51.80000; -2.51028

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