Lithgow state mine heritage park railwayarchive.lithgow.nsw.gov.au/agendas/16/1121/ITEM15.pdf ·...

The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc

Lithgow state mine heritage park & railway

THE CITY OF GREATER LITHGOW MINING MUSEUM INC

Incorporation No: Y11231-17

ABN: 27 610 414 585

Museum Site: All Correspondence To: 3 State Mine Gully Road (off Atkinson Street) The Secretary, P.O. Box 617 Lithgow N.S.W. Lithgow N.S.W. 2790

Site Phone: (02) 6353 1513 Email: [email protected] Site Fax: (02) 6353 1185 Web: http://www.statemine.org.au

GeneralManagerLithgowCityCouncil180MortStreetLithgowNSW2790Att:NaomiParryDearNaomi,LithgowStateCoalMineskipsatEskbankHouseDuring2015LithgowCityCouncilcommissionedaformalsignificanceassessmentofmachineryandrelatedobjectscurrentlydisplayedoutdoorsinthegroundsofEskbankHouseMuseum.TwocoalskipsincludedinthisgroupwereidentifiedashavingoriginallybeenusedattheLithgowStateCoalMine.ItislikelythattheseitemsweretransferredtoEskbankHouseafterclosureoftheStateCoalMinein1964.Theskipsinquestionare:

• StateMinesteelflatbodiedflatwheelcoalskipNo.68.• StateMinewaterbalingcoalskip.

ThesearetheonlycoalskipsknowntosurvivefromtheLithgowStateCoalMine.HavingsatintheopenbeneathEucalyptustreesforatleast50yearstheskipsarecarryingalargeamountofdecomposedleaflitter.Theyareinadeterioratedstateandareindangeroffallingapart.TheCityofGreaterLithgowMiningMuseumInc.isextremelyinterestedinseekingthereturnoftheseskipstotheLithgowStateMineHeritagePark.WehavethecapacitytoplacethemundercoverimmediatelyandwillbeabletointerpetthemwithinthedisplayareaofournewLampCabinpicnicshelter.WewouldbepleasedifCouncilwouldconsiderthetransferoftheskipstotheLithgowStateMineHeritagePark,eitherasalong-termloanordonation.

The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc

WearealsohappytoarrangerelocationoftheskipsbyHenryPlantHire&EquipmentbutwouldwelcomeanyassistancethatCouncilmaybeabletoarrangeinrelationtothismatter.Pleasecontactmeifyourequirefurtherinformation.Yoursfaithfully

RayChristisonPresident19October2016

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Trinity Newton

From: Christo Aitken <[email protected]>Sent: Saturday, 15 October 2016 12:40 PMTo: Wendy Hawkes; Matthew JohnsonCc: Jim Nichols; Paul CashelSubject: Eskbank House - Moveable Heritage and Machinery

Dear Wendy and Matt I refer to our recent discussion at Eskbank regarding the various pieces of moveable heritage currently on display in the eastern corner of the grounds. I understand that in 2015 Council undertook a heritage significance assessment of this machinery. Background The equipment includes:

A c1912 saddle tank locomotive ‘Possum’ 3 smaller pieces of late 19th C plant and road equipment (a late 19th C Marshall Portable Steam

Engine, a late 19th C Buffalo Pits Engine and a c1920s Barford & Perkins Pioneer Roller) 2 small open timber-framed coal skips / rolling stock (a mid 20th C steel bodied flat wheel coal skip

and a late 19th C wooden bodied coal skip)

Refer to images attached. Current Proposals Lithgow Mine Heritage Park & Railway Museum has contacted Council since undertaking the heritage assessment and expressed an interest in transferring the skips to the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park in the short or longer term. It appears that the coal skips may originally have been originally used at the State Coal Mine in Lithgow and transferred to display at Eskbank after closure of the Mine in 1964. The Museum advised that these two skips are now likely to be the only two that have survived from Lithgow State Coal Mine operations. The Museum has the capacity to conserve the skips and proposes to display and interpret the skips under cover in their new Lamp Cabin picnic shelter. Issues and Recommendations

Council is currently re-considering the display equipment generally in the grounds of Eskbank and now seems an opportune time to also consider alternative interpretation opportunities in Lithgow…which may provide an opportunity to further improve the visitor experience at Eskbank. There does not appear to be a direct association between the machinery and Eskbank House and Council’s original intention in creating the existing machinery display is unclear. If it had been agricultural machinery that might relate to the adjacent stables and outbuildings then there might have been some relevance.

The coal skips on visual inspection do appear relatively fragile in view of their timber construction. They have deteriorated and this will continue as they are stored in the open.

The 2015 significance assessment concluded that the machinery had local historical and technical significance with rarity values.

The offer from the Lithgow Mine Heritage Park & Railway Museum has value because it will (i) return the machinery to a place that has potentially a direct association (ii) enable the skips to be stored undercover which will extend their life (iii) ensure that appropriate interpretation and longer-term care can be carried out by the staff at the State Mine Heritage Park & Railway and (iv)

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reinforce the significance and sense of place that once was the State Coal Mine that has become a visitor destination for Lithgow and the Region.

In conclusion, I support the offer from the State Mine Heritage Park. It is fortunate that Council has been able to provide a relatively safe home for these rare coal skips from the past 50+ years which may otherwise have been lost totally from the region. Regards Christo Christo Aitken L i t h g o w C i t y C o u n c i l Architect · Heritage Advisor p 02 4784 3250 m 0427 375260 e [email protected] PO Box 7299 · Leura 2780 ARB (NSW) 5923 · AIA 22621

Lithgow City Council

Report on moveable heritage

Eskbank House Museum Bennett Street, Lithgow NSW 2790

Prepared by:

116 Hassans Walls Road

Lithgow NSW 2790 (02) 6353 1812

July 2015

Report on Moveable Heritage – Eskbank House Museum

High Ground Consulting 30 July 2015

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Contents

Page

1. Introduction 3 1.1 Task required 3

1.2 Project team 3 1.3 Acknowledgements 3

3. Inventory of movable heritage items 4 2.1 Barford & Perkins Pioneer Roller 4 2.2 Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440 5 2.3 Marshall Portable Steam Engine 6 2.4 Possum – Manning Wardle B/N1802 of 1912 7 2.5 State Mine steel bodied coal skip No.68 8 2.6 State Mine Water Baling Coal Skip 9 3. General recommendations regarding movable items 10 3.1 Burra Charter Principles 10 3.2 Recommendations Regarding Individual Items 10 4. References 12 4.1 Written References 12 4.2 Oral History 13

Appendices: State Heritage Inventory Forms Barford & Perkins Pioneer Roller Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440 Marshall Portable Steam Engine Possum – Manning Wardle B/N1802 of 1912 State Mine Steel Bodied Coal Skip No.68

State Mine Water Baling Coal Skip



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1. Introduction

1.1 Task required This report was prepared to provide a summary of statements of significance prepared for machinery and mining relics currently located in the yard of Eskbank House Museum. It also provides recommendations regarding retention and management. The items covered by this report are (in alphabetical order):

• Barford & Perkins Pioneer roller • Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440 • Marshall portable steam engine • Possum – Manning Wardle B/N1802 of 1912 • State Mine steel bodied coal skip No.68 • State Mine Water Baling coal skip

1.2 Project team The assessment of significance was undertaken by Ray Christison, historical archaeologist and heritage consultant of High Ground Consulting. 1.3 Acknowledgements The assistance of the following people is acknowledged:

• Wendy Hawkes, Cultural Development Officer, Lithgow City Council, • Dick Austen, Hartley, • David Bracey, former President, Lithgow District Historical Society, • Stuart Charlton, Lithgow, • Kurt Bech Frandsen, Lithgow, • Bill Henry, Henry Plant Hire & Equipment, • Bob Morrow, Lithgow, • Eskbank House Museum volunteers.



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2. Inventory of items The items covered by this study have been assessed as follows.

2.1 Barford & Perkins Pioneer roller Item Barford & Perkins Pioneer roller Description The roller is built on a steel and cast iron frame. The deep setting of the frame indicates that it may have been manufactured in the 1920s. It is equipped with a petrol engine feed from an elevated fuel tank. The engine drives a sprocket connected by chain to a sprocket on the back roller. The machine is steered by chains connected to the front roller. A fertiliser spreader is mounted behind the driver’s seat. The roof covering the machine appears to be original. The machine contains friable asbestos. Image

(Photo Ray Christison)

Statement of Significance Tweed Mill Terrace was constructed in the 1850s to accommodate employees of Houston & McCormick’s newly constructed Cooerwull Woollen Mill. In the post World War II period this worker accommodation was in a poor state and was described by mill workers as hovels. Despite this the terrace was pressed into service to house newly arrived migrants. A number of those allocated to this housing were quite distressed by the conditions with which they were faced. By the late 1950s the decision was made to demolish the century old terrace. Lithgow Woollen Mills Ltd owner Harry Rosen purchased a second hand Barford and Perkins roller to undertaken this task. It is one of few surviving pieces of plant associated with the former Lithgow Woollen Mills and is representative of the modification of second hand plant and equipment to undertake tasks for which it was not manufactured. The roller has local historical significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.



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2.2 Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440 Item Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440 Description The engine is a standard Buffalo Pitts two cylinder 14 horsepower traction engine. Its production number is 10440. A winch has been fitted above the smokebox. This winch, mounted on the brackets supporting the base of the water, is apparently an unusual arrangement. It is assumed that this was added to the machine after its relocation to the Neubeck sawmill at Blackmans Flat in 1924. The engine contains friable asbestos. Image


Statement of Significance The Buffalo Pitts traction engine at Eskbank House Museum is one of the surviving elements of the coalmining industry that developed in the Lidsdale-‐Blackmans Flat area in the late 19th century. The engine was used to haul coal from Neubeck’s Commonwealth Colliery from 1917 and was retired from this work after the completion of the Wallerawang Colliery Banchline in 1924. It was subsequently used at Neubeck’s sawmills at Lidsdale until 1969. The Buffalo Pitts engine had been purchased by brothers Francis (Frank) and William Neubeck in 1917 and remained in use by Neubeck family businesses until 1969. The engine is a standard Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower engine constructed at the company’s plant in Buffalo New York. In its present form it reflects modifications undertaken during its 65 year working like in the Neubeck sawmills. It is one of few Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower engines preserved in collecting institutions in the Central West of New South Wales. The traction engine is representative of the devices used to haul coal from mines to rail loading facilities in the Western Coalfield. It is also representative of machines used to power sawmills in the Lithgow region. The engine has local historical, historical association and technical/research significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.



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2.3 Marshall portable steam engine Item Marshall portable steam engine Description The engine has been butchered to the point that it is little more than a boiler on wheels. The boiler tubes are in place. The following equipment is missing from the engine: maker’s plates; steam cylinders; flywheel; stack. The smokebox door appears to be lying on the ground underneath the boiler. The engine contains friable asbestos. Image


Statement of Significance The Marshall portable steam engine appears to have been used to provide power to the Neubeck family sawmills at Lidsdale until replaced by a Buffalo Pitts traction engine some time after 1924. The engine was subsequently cannibalised. It was relocated to Eskbank House Museum prior to 1979. It is representative of portable steam engines used for pastoral, agricultural, forestry and industrial purposes across Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has local historical and historical association significance, representativeness and a low degree of integrity.



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2.4 Possum – Manning Wardle B/N1802 of 1912 Item Possum – Manning Wardle B/N1802 of 1912 Description Possum is an 0-‐4-‐0 saddle tank locomotive designed for use in industrial environments with tight curves. It has outside cylinders with straight link motion. The headstocks on the locomotive are quite large, providing limited clearance from the ground. This is intended to reduce the distance the locomotive falls if it derails, making re-‐railing easier. The locomotive contains friable asbestos. Image


Statement of Significance Manning Wardle 0-‐4-‐0 saddle tank locomotive No.1802 of 1912 originally carried the name Cyclops while working at Vickers Limited in its Barrow-‐on-‐Furness Shipyard, United Kingdom. The locomotive was purchased by Hoskins Bros in 1919 to support expanded operations at their Lithgow iron and steel works. On arrival in Lithgow it was renamed Possum to reflect a practice of naming Hoskins Bros locomotives that dated from around 1914. Possum worked at Lithgow until 1928 when it was transferred to the new iron and steel works being developed at Port Kembla. It worked the lines at Port Kembla until retirement in 1967 and was donated to the Lithgow District Historical Society in 1969. Possum is a physical manifestation of the historical link between the Lithgow and Port Kembla iron and steel works. It is also an important artefact of the development of Australia’s iron and steel industry. Possum has direct associations with the growth of the Australian iron and steel industry from the end of the Great War until the late 1960s. It is one of two surviving steam locomotives that worked at the G & C Hoskins iron and steel works in the Lithgow Valley. It is also one of only three surviving Manning Wardle industrial locomotives in New South Wales. Possum is representative of the steam locomotives that worked the industrial rail lines within the G & C Hoskins iron and steel works in Lithgow and the Hoskins Iron and Steel/Australian Iron and Steel complex at Port Kembla. It has state historical and historical association significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.



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2.5 State Mine steel bodied coal skip No.68 Item Steel bodied flat wheel coal skip Description The skip is built on a timber frame with a body fabricated from galvanised steel sheet. The ends of the skip are fitted with a horizontal brace and bracket for mounting limmers to which horses were harnessed. The cast iron wheels are mounted on cast iron bearings. The flanges have been ground off the wheels to allow the skip to be used in street parades. Image


Statement of Significance The steel bodied skip on display at Eskbank House was relocated from the former Lithgow State Coal Mine in the mid to late 1960s. It was one of a batch of skips purchased by the State Coal Mine after the disastrous underground fire of August 1953. It is an example of the types of larger capacity coal skips introduced into Western Coalfield collieries as part of the modernisation of the coal industry that occurred after the Second World War. It is representative of this era of government led modernisation. This skip has been modified for use in street parades. This modification has been undertaken by grinding the flanges off the cast iron wheels. The skip is one of the few surviving flat wheel skips that were used in horse and skip competitions in Lithgow. These competitions are fondly recalled by older citizens. This skip is the only Lithgow State Coal Mine coal skip known to have survived, most being scrapped after closure of the mine. It is also one of only two flat wheel skips in collecting institutions in the Lithgow district and is the only surviving coal skip capable of holding limmers. The skip has local historical, social and technical/research significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.



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2.6 State Mine water baling coal skip Item Wooden bodied coal skip Description The skip is built on a timber frame with a body fabricated with timber planks bolted to an iron frame. Holes were drilled through the lowest planks of each side of the skip to act as slack filters, allowing small coal to leak out of the skip during transit from coalface to pit top. The sides of the skip have been blanked off with galvanised steel sheet to block the slack filters. The cast iron wheels are mounted on cast iron bearings. Image


Statement of Significance The wooden bodied water baling skip is a surviving example of coal skips used in the Western Coalfield from the earliest days of coalmining. It has been lined with galvanised steel sheet to enable it to carry water and appears to have been used at the Lithgow State Coal Mine. The skip is an example of an early style coal skip that has been modified to carry water and is representative of such skips. It has local historical and technical/research significance, rarity, representativeness and a moderate degree of integrity.



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3. General recommendations regarding movable items

The following general recommendations are made in relation to the items covered by this report.

3.1 Burra Charter Principles The Burra Charter guides all cultural heritage management practices in Australia. It establishes the following principles for the management of heritage places. They are equally applicable to movable heritage:

Article 2. Conservation and management 2.1 Places of cultural significance should be conserved. 2.2 The aim of conservation is to retain the cultural significance of the place. 2.3 Conservation is an integral part of good management of places of cultural significance. 2.4 Places of cultural significance should be safeguarded and not put at risk or left in a vulnerable state.

Article 3. Cautious approach 3.1 Conservation is based on a respect for the existing fabric, use, associations and meanings. It requires a cautious approach of changing as much as necessary but as little as possible. 3.2 Changes to a place must not distort the physical or other evidence it provides, nor be based on conjecture.

Article 4. Knowledge, skills and techniques 4.1 Conservation should make use of all the knowledge, skills and disciplines, which can contribute to the study and care of the place. 4.2 Traditional techniques and materials are preferred for the conservation of significant fabric. In some circumstances modern techniques and materials, which offer substantial conservation benefits may be appropriate.

3.2 Recommendations regarding individual items

The following recommendations are made for each of the items included in this report. 3.2.1 Barford & Perkins Pioneer Roller The following recommendations apply to this machine:

• Conserve in a local museum following asbestos removal or sealing. • It should be stored under cover. • The machine should not be repainted. • Interpret as part of the story of the Lithgow Woollen Mills. • List on the Lithgow City LEP Heritage Schedule.



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3.2.2 Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440 The following recommendations apply to this machine:

• Conserve in a local museum following asbestos removal or sealing. • Reconstruct the engine using components stored around and beneath it.

This may involve some reconstruction of mounting brackets and other mounts.

• The smokebox could be reconstructed. • New corrugated galvanised iron cladding could be fixed to the roof frame

to replace the heavily corroded sheets currently in place. • It should be stored under cover. • Interpret as part of the story of the Commonwealth Colliery and Neubeck

family. • List on the Lithgow City LEP Heritage Schedule.

3.2.3 Marshall Portable Steam Engine The following recommendations apply to this machine:

• May be conserved at Eskbank House Museum following asbestos removal or sealing.

• Alternately it could be offered for sale and restoration following de-‐accessioning from the Eskbank House Museum collection, and removal or sealing of asbestos.

3.2.4 Possum – Manning Wardle B/N1802 of 1912 The following recommendations apply to this machine:

• Conserve at Eskbank House Museum following asbestos removal or sealing.

• It should be stored under cover and repainted to match the existing colour scheme.

• Interpret as part of the story of the Lithgow Iron and Steel industry. • List on the NSW State Heritage Register.

3.2.5 State Mine steel bodied coal skip No.68 The following recommendations apply to this item:

• Conserve in a local museum. • It should be stored under cover. • This skip could be offered to The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum

Inc for display at the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park following de-‐accessioning from the Eskbank House Museum collection.

• Interpret as part of the story of the Lithgow State Coal Mine. 3.2.6 State Mine water baling coal skip The following recommendations apply to this item:



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• Conserve in a local museum. • It should be stored under cover. • This skip could be offered to The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum

Inc for display at the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park following de-‐accessioning from the Eskbank House Museum collection.

• Interpret as part of the story of the coal mining industry and issues relating to payment of contract miners.



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4. References

4.1 Written References Australia ICOMOS Incorporated, 2000.

The Burra Charter. Burwood, Australia ICOMOS Inc International Council for Monuments and Sites.

Barford & Perkins [Online] Available: http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/Barford_%26_Perkins (2015, July 25) Barford & Perkins A Series Seat and Toolboxes [Online] Available: http://beamishtransportonline.co.uk/2015/03/barford-‐perkins-‐a-‐series-‐seat-‐and-‐tool-‐boxes/ (2015, July 25) Brown, J., Undated. Bent Backs. Lithgow, Industrial Printing Co. Buffalo Pitts in Australia. [Online] Available: http://www.farmcollector.com/steam-‐traction/sole-‐survivor-‐50-‐hp-‐road-‐locomotive.aspx (2015, July 21) Christison, R., 2009.

Tyldesley the village that disappeared. Lithgow, The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc.

De Belle, Desmond & Dorothy, 1985. The Neubeck Family 1855-‐1985. Department of Mines Annual Report 1910. Sydney, NSW Government Printer. Grace’s Guide British Industrial History [Online] Available: http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im1879v48Er-‐Marsh.jpg#filelinks (2015, July 25) Heritage Collections Council, 2000.

ReCollections: Caring for Collections Across Australia. Canberra, Heritage Collections Council, Collections Council Secretariat, Department of Communications, Information, Technology and Arts.

Heritage Collections Council, 2001.

(significance): A guide to assessing the significance of cultural heritage objects and collections. Canberra, Heritage Collections Council, Collections Development Section, Department of Communications, Information, Technology and Arts.



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Heritage Office, 1996. NSW Heritage Manual. Sydney, Heritage Office & Department of Urban Affairs and Planning.

Holt, I. 1999. Letter to Mudgee District Historical Society Inc. Lithgow District Historical Society Inc. McKillop, B. et al, 2005.

Furnace Fire and Forge. Lithgow’s Iron and Steel Industry 1874-1932. Surrey Hills, Light Railway Research Society of Australia.

Manning Wardle Locomotives in Preservation, Australia [Online] Available: http://www.australiansteam.com/nswgrframe.htm (2015, July 19) Marshall, Sons & Co. Ltd. [Online] Available: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/1cf4abc1-‐93d0-‐44c4-‐93e3-‐ddc12e4ebf5b (2015, July 25) NSW Heritage Office, 2000.

Assessing Heritage Significance. Parramatta, NSW Heritage Office. Simpson, M. 2009. Buffalo Pitts Traction Engine. [Online] Available: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=211529 (2015, July 21) Sydney Morning Herald, The – various issues. Sydney Stock & Station Journal, The. 5 October 1923. 4.2 Oral History Austen, Dick. Pers. comm.. Ray Christison 28 July 2015 Charlton, Stuart. Pers. comm. Ray Christison 25 July 2015 Curry, Ned. Pers. comm. Ray Christison 1996 Frandsen, Kurt Bech. Pers. comm. Ray Christison 5 February 2014 Henry, Bill. Pers. comm. Ray Christison 27 July 2015 Kempa, Wolfgang & Edward. Pers. comm. Ray Christison 19 December 2013 Morrow, Bob. Pers. comm. Ray Christison 27 July 2015

NSW State Heritage Inventory form

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ITEM DETAILS

Name of Item

Barford & Perkins Pioneer Road/Grass Roller

Other Name/s Former Name/s

Item type (if known)

Movable/Collection

Item group (if known)

Transport - Road

Item category (if known)

Road Vehicle

Area, Group, or Collection Name

Street number

Street name

Bennett Street

Suburb/town

Lithgow Postcode 2790

Local Government Area/s

Lithgow City

Property description

Location - Lat/long

Latitude

Longitude

Location - AMG (if no street address)

Zone

Easting Northing

Owner


Current use

Static display

Former Use

Statement of significance

Tweed Mill Terrace was constructed in the 1850s to accommodate employees of Houston & McCormick’s newly constructed Cooerwull Woollen Mill. In the post World War II period this worker accommodation was in a poor state and was described by mill workers as hovels. Despite this the terrace was pressed into service to house newly arrived migrants. A number of those allocated to this housing were quite distressed by the conditions with which they were faced. By the late 1950s the decision was made to demolish the century old terrace. Lithgow Woollen Mills Ltd owner Harry Rosen purchased a second hand Barford and Perkins roller to undertaken this task. It is one of few surviving pieces of plant associated with the former Lithgow Woollen Mills and is representative of the modification of second hand plant and equipment to undertake tasks for which it was not manufactured. The roller has local historical significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.

Level of Significance

State

Local X


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DESCRIPTION Designer

-

Builder/ maker

Barford and Perkins, Peterborough, United Kingdom

Physical Description

The roller is built on a steel and cast iron frame. The deep setting of the frame indicates that it may have been manufactured in the 1920s. It is equipped with a petrol engine feed from an elevated fuel tank. The engine drives a sprocket connected by chain to a sprocket on the back roller. The machine is steered by chains connected to the front roller. A fertiliser spreader is mounted behind the driver’s seat. The roof covering the machine appears to be original.

Physical condition and Archaeological potential

The machine is generally complete and in remarkably good condition given the fact that it has possibly been in the open for 60 years. The rollers have been set into a concrete slab.

Construction years

Start year Finish year 1920 Circa X

Modifications and dates

Further comments


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HISTORY Historical notes

Woollen Mills were constructed on Andrew Brown’s Cooerwull by Scottish weavers Houston and McCormick in 1857. The Cooerwull Woollen Mills operated successfully until after The Great War. During that conflict the mills had been effectively commandeered by the Defence Department and all production was geared to the output of khaki cloth for the armed forces (The Sydney Morning Herald 26.2.1915). After the death of Andrew Brown’s son John Laurence Brown in 1919 the mill seems to have drifted into decline. It was put on the market in 1923 (The Sydney Stock and Station Journal 5.10.1923) and by the end of 1924 the mill announced that “owing to comparative dullness in trade” it was closing for urgently required maintenance (The Sydney Morning Herald 29.11.1924). For the remainder of the decade the mill worked intermittently and closed down in 1930. The Cooerwull Textile Mills struggled through the early 1930s but recovered as demand for textiles increased during the decade. The mills were restarted by new operators in 1931 after sitting idle for 12 months. The mills apparently worked on a co-operative basis until this arrangement was black banned by the Textile Workers Union. In 1932 new owners took over and renamed the enterprise Braemar Woollen Mills. When reports of a possible re-opening circulated numerous local unemployed people applied for work. (Sydney Morning Herald 6 .8.1932) The mill finally re-opened in December 1932 with all hands employed on a co-operative, profit-sharing, basis (The Sydney Morning Herald 19.12.1932). The Braemar Co-operative Woollen Mills were purchased by Lithgow Woollen Mills Pty Ltd who took over in January 1938. Approximately fifty people were employed at the mill in 1937. (The Sydney Morning Herald 9.10.1937) The Lithgow Woollen Mills appear to have been a mecca for newly arrived migrants, with their owner, Mr Rosen, actively seeking employees from within the Commonwealth Government’s migrant hostels. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the woollen mills employed workers from many backgrounds, including large numbers of Italian workers. Rosen, a man of Polish and Jewish backgrounds, spoke five languages and appears to have been quite comfortable dealing with people from many European countries. During the 1950s the woollen mills employed approximately 100 people who worked in two shifts. The workforce consisted of Lithgow locals, people who commuted from Sydney and newly-arrived migrants recruited from the government migrant hostels. Some of the mill workers were housed in company dwellings close to the plant. This worker accommodation included Tweed Mill Terrace, two rows of terrace houses constructed in timber and some very old brick cottages located close to Farmers Creek. Former mill worker Kurt Frandsen described the brick cottages as hovels and remembers a young Italian couple with a baby who were devastated when given one of these cottages. Accommodation for mill workers was also available in two blocks located behind Caroline Avenue. (pers comm. Kurt Bech Frandsen 2014) Many more woollen mill employees were housed in a hostel located within the Lithgow City Council Commercial Centre adjacent to the Lithgow Showground. (pers comm. Wolfgang & Edward Kempa 2013) This is described as the Outer Recreation Reserve Hostel in the section covering post war hostels. In addition, the original section of the Lithgow Woollen Mills was destroyed by fire in 1963. Work continued in a more modern building on site but the enterprise eventually closed around 1965. By the time the mill closed most of the Lithgow Woollen Mills’ Italian workers had relocated to Rosen’s other woollen mill located at Mascot or to other similar enterprises in Sydney. (pers comm. Kurt Bech Frandsen 2014) The Barford and Perkins Pioneer grass roller was purchased by Harry Rosen in the mid to late 1950s to demolish the substandard workers’ cottages of Tweed Mill Terrace. A blade was fitted to the machine and it was used as a bulldozer to break down brick walls, crush the bricks and crush blackberries growing on the site. Bob Morrow, who was a boy at the time, recalls riding on the front of the machine as it did its work. (pers. comm. Bob Morrow 2015) After completing this demolition work the machine lay idle near the woollen mills and became a focus of play for local children. Stuart Charlton recalls it being the venue for many rock fights. He also remarked that the what remained of Tweed Mill Terrace after the roller had done its work was progressively demolished by local youngsters. (pers comm. Stuart Charlton 2015) The machine was eventually donated to Eskbank House Museum and relocated there by Henry Bros. Earthmoving in about 1970 (Pers. Comm. Bill Henry 2015).


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Barford and Perkins were a family firm that manufactured road construction rollers/compactors, agricultural rollers, and other agricultural machinery. The company’s history goes back to 1860 when the firm was founded as Blacksmiths. After 3 generations Barford and Perkins Merged with Aveling & Porter in 1934 to form Aveling-Barford. Frank Perkins worked for the firm for several years before going on to invent a high speed diesel engine and found F. Perkins Engines Ltd, with Charles Chapman, whilst working for Aveling & Porter. (Barford & Perkins Online)

THEMES

National historical theme

Developing Local, Regional and National Economies Building Settlements, Towns and Cities Marking the Phases of Life

State historical theme

Industry Accommodation Persons


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APPLICATION OF CRITERIA Historical significance SHR criteria (a)

Tweed Mill Terrace was constructed in the 1850s to accommodate employees of Houston & McCormick’s newly constructed Cooerwull Woollen Mill. In the post World War II period this worker accommodation was in a poor state and was described by mill workers as hovels. Despite this the terrace was pressed into service to house newly arrived migrants. A number of those allocated to this housing were quite distressed by the conditions with which they were faced. By the late 1950s the decision was made to demolish the century old terrace. Lithgow Woollen Mills Ltd owner Harry Rosen purchased a second hand Barford and Perkins roller to undertaken this task. The roller has local historical significance.

Historical association significance SHR criteria (b)

-

Aesthetic significance SHR criteria (c)

-

Social significance SHR criteria (d)

-

Technical/Research significance SHR criteria (e)

-

Rarity SHR criteria (f)

The roller is one of few surviving pieces of plant associated with the former Lithgow Woollen Mills. It has local significance in relation to rarity.

Representativeness SHR criteria (g)

The roller is representative of the modification of second hand plant and equipment to undertake tasks for which it was not manufactured.

Integrity

The machine has a high degree of integrity.


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HERITAGE LISTINGS Heritage listing/s

INFORMATION SOURCES Include conservation and/or management plans and other heritage studies.

Type Author/Client Title Year Repository Written Tractor &

Construction Plant Wiki

Barford & Perkins Online: http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/Barford_%26_Perkins

Written Beamish Transport Online

Barford & Perkins A Series seat and tool boxes …

Online: http://beamishtransportonline.co.uk/2015/03/barford-perkins-a-series-seat-and-tool-boxes/

Written The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Morning Herald 26 February 1915

1915 Online: National Library of Australia – Trove

Written The Sydney Stock & Station Journal

The Sydney Stock and Station Journal 5 October 1923



The Sydney Morning Herald 29 November 1924



The Sydney Morning Herald 6 August 1932



The Sydney Morning Herald 19 December 1932



The Sydney Morning Herald 9 October 1937


Oral History Stuart Charlton Pers. Comm. Ray Christison 25.7.2015

2015

Oral History Bill Henry Pers. Comm. Ray Christison 27.7.2015

2015

Oral History Bob Morrow Pers. Comm. Ray Christison 27.7.2015

2015

Oral History Kurt Bech Frandsen

Pers. Comm. Ray Christison 5.2.2014

2014

Oral History Wolfgang & Edward Kempa

Pers. Comm. Ray Christison 19.12.2013

2013

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations

Conserve in a local museum following asbestos removal or sealing. It should be stored under cover. The machine should not be repainted. Interpret as part of the story of the Lithgow Woollen Mills. List on the Lithgow City LEP Heritage Schedule.

SOURCE OF THIS INFORMATION

Name of study or report

Heritage Assessment of movable items, Eskbank House Museum Year of study or report

2015

Item number in study or report

Author of study or report

Ray Christison


7

Inspected by

Ray Christison

NSW Heritage Manual guidelines used?

Yes X No

This form completed by

Ray Christison Date 27 July 2015


8

IMAGES - 1 per page Please supply images of each elevation, the interior and the setting. Image caption

The eastern side of the roller showing the petrol engine, and sprocket and chain drive.

Image year

2015 Image by Ray Christison Image copyright holder

Ray Christison


9


The machine viewed from the front. The original pinstriping is clearly visible.

Image year


Ray Christison


10


The roller viewed from the front.

Image year


Ray Christison


11


The rear of the machine showing the inside of the roof, stone crusher and back roller.

Image year


Ray Christison


12


Forward & reverse control lever near the sprocket drive.

Image year


Ray Christison


1

ITEM DETAILS

Name of Item

Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower double cylinder traction engine


Buffalo Pitts Engine No.10440


Movable/Collection


Transport - Road


Road Vehicle


Street number

Street name

Bennett Street

Suburb/town



Lithgow City


Location - Lat/long

Latitude

Longitude


Zone

Easting Northing

Owner


Current use

Static display

Former Use

Traction engine/sawmill engine


The Buffalo Pitts traction engine at Eskbank House Museum is one of the surviving elements of the coalmining industry that developed in the Lidsdale-Blackmans Flat area in the late 19th century. The engine was used to haul coal from Neubeck’s Commonwealth Colliery from 1917 and was retired from this work after the completion of the Wallerawang Colliery Banchline in 1924. It was subsequently used at Neubeck’s sawmills at Lidsdale until 1969. The Buffalo Pitts engine had been purchased by brothers Francis (Frank) and William Neubeck in 1917 and remained in use by Neubeck family businesses until 1969. The engine is a standard Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower engine constructed at the company’s plant in Buffalo New York. In its present form it reflects modifications undertaken during its 65 year working like in the Neubeck sawmills. It is one of few Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower engines preserved in collecting institutions in the Central West of New South Wales. The traction engine is representative of the devices used to haul coal from mines to rail loading facilities in the Western Coalfield. It is also representative of machines used to power sawmills in the Lithgow region. The engine has local historical, historical association and technical/research significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.


State

Local X


2


-

Builder/ maker

Buffalo Pitts Company, Buffalo, New York, USA


The engine is a standard Buffalo Pitts two cylinder 14 horsepower traction engine. Its production number is 10440. A winch has been fitted above the smokebox. This winch, mounted on the brackets supporting the base of the water, is apparently an unusual arrangement. It is assumed that this was added to the machine after its relocation to the Neubeck sawmill at Blackmans Flat in 1924.


The engine appears to be generally complete. The smokebox door is missing and the steam cylinders have been partially dismantled. The engine has suffered from being stored in the open air under eucalypt trees for 45 years. The corrugated iron roof of the engine is badly corroded and sheet steel sections of the boiler cladding are failing. The smoke box is full of leaf litter, which is holding moisture. Timber elements of the engine are also badly deteriorated. Friable asbestos boiler lagging has been exposed. The wheels of the engine have been set into concrete slabs.

Construction years

Start year 1911 Finish year Circa X


Installation of a winch attachment. The original roof has been replaced with corrugated galvanised iron.

Further comments


3


The Buffalo Pitts Company of Buffalo, New York State began manufacturing traction engines in 1880. Production of these engines was discontinued after the Buffalo Pitts merged with the Springfield Roller company in 1916. From 1904 the International Harvester Company began importing Buffalo Pitts steam traction engines, known as road engines, into Australia. These Buffalo Pitts engines were sold in direct competition to British built engines manufactured by companies such as Marshall and Ruston & Proctor. (Buffalo Pitts in Australia Online) “Steam traction engines … undertook numerous jobs on Australian farms from about the 1880s until the 1930s. They operated threshing machines, hauled ploughs, ran chaffcutters, undertook land clearing, ran well boring equipment and hauled trailers of wheat and wool. Most of the traction engines used in Australia were heavy, well-built English ones but some from America were popular because they were much lighter and less expensive to purchase and used less water and fuel. Probably the most popular American make used in Australia were made by in Buffalo, New York, by the Buffalo-Pitts Co.” (Powerhouse Museum Engine Online) Francis (Frank) Neubeck was born at Blackmans Flat on 2 October 1889. After an education at Blackmans Flat Frank took on various labouring jobs and in 1910 he acquired land on the western side of Coxs River at Lidsdale. (De Belle 1985:71) This land contained the Commonwealth Colliery that had been commenced adjacent to John Maddox’ Folly Colliery by Mr Wallace in the 1890s. Frank and his brother William obtained approval to operate the mine with Frank as Colliery Manager. (Dept. of Mines 1910:174) According to Jim Brown Bert Case recalled that, in the early days of the mine, Frank Neubeck would cut coal in the mine at night then load into onto a horse cart for transport to Wallerawang where he would shovel it into rail trucks (Brown 279). As the mine expanded an improved method of moving coal to the railhead at Wallerawang was required. In 1917 Frank and William purchased a Buffalo Pitts traction engine from Gulgong. This was driven from Gulgong to Lidsdale, the journey taking one week. Frank rode ahead of the engine on a pushbike, cutting wood to feed the firebox. While the brothers were camped on Cherry Tree Hill the water in the engine froze. From then on it was drained each night. Frank explained that he had acquired the engine to reduce the cost of coal transport to Wallerawang. Horses required expensive feed while the traction engine used coal from the mine and water from the river. The traction engine continued to undertake coal haulage until the completion of the Wallerawang Colliery Branchline in 1924. The construction of a rail siding at the Commonwealth Colliery ensured that coal could be loaded directly from the mine. (De Belle 1985:71-72) Following its retirement from coal haulage the traction engine was relocated to the Neubeck’s sawmill located in Wolgan Road, Lidsdale. It was later relocated to a new sawmill developed where Maddox Road crosses the Cox River (Holt 1999). The traction engine was finally retired when an electricity supply was connected to the sawmill in 1969. It was subsequently relocated to Eskbank House and transported there by Norm Henry.

THEMES


Developing Local, Regional and National Economies Marking the Phases of Life


Forestry/Mining/Transport Persons


4


The Buffalo Pitts traction engine at Eskbank House Museum is one of the surviving elements of the coalmining industry that developed in the Lidsdale-Blackmans Flat area in the late 19th century. The engine was used to haul coal from Neubeck’s Commonwealth Colliery from 1917 and was retired from this work after the completion of the Wallerawang Colliery Banchline in 1924. It was subsequently used at Neubeck’s sawmills at Lidsdale until 1969. The engine has local historical significance.


The Buffalo Pitts engine was purchased by brothers Francis (Frank) and William Neubeck in 1917 and remained in use by Neubeck family businesses until 1969. It has local historical association significance.


-


-


The engine is a standard Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower engine constructed at the company’s plant in Buffalo New York. In its present form it reflects modifications undertaken during its 65 year working like in the Neubeck sawmills. It has local technical/research significance.


The engine at Eskbank House is one of few Buffalo Pitts 14 horsepower engines preserved in collecting institutions in the Central West of New South Wales. It has local significance in relation to rarity.


The traction engine is representative of the devices used to haul coal from mines to rail loading facilities in the Western Coalfield. It is also representative of machines used to power sawmills in the Lithgow region. It has local representative significance.

Integrity

The engine has a high degree of integrity.


5



Type Author/Client Title Year Repository Written Desmond &

Dorothy De Belle The Neubeck Family 1855-1985

1985 Eskbank House Museum

Written Department of Mines

Annual Report 1910 1910 Trade & Investment NSW

Written Jim Brown Bent Backs - Lithgow Regional Library Written Ian Holt Letter to Mudgee Historical

Society Inc 10.9.1999 1999 Eskbank House Museum

Written Buffalo Pitts in Australia Online: http://www.farmcollector.com/steam-traction/sole-survivor-50-hp-road-locomotive.aspx

Written Margaret Simpson Buffalo Pitts Traction Engine 1912, 1907-1917

2009 Online: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=211529

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations

Conserve in a local museum following asbestos removal or sealing. Reconstruct the engine using components stored around and beneath it. This may involve some reconstruction of mounting brackets and other mounts. The smokebox could be reconstructed. New corrugated galvanised iron cladding could be fixed to the roof frame to replace the heavily corroded sheets currently in place. It should be stored under cover. Interpret as part of the story of the Commonwealth Colliery and Neubeck family. List on the Lithgow City LEP Heritage Schedule.




2015



Ray Christison

Inspected by

Ray Christison


Yes X No




6


The Buffalo Pitts traction engine viewed from the northeast. A winch attachment has been fitted to the front of the engine.

Image year


Ray Christison


7


The eastern side of the Buffalo Pitts traction engine.

Image year


Ray Christison


8


The front of the Buffalo Pitts traction engine.

Image year


Ray Christison


9


The rear of the Buffalo Pitts traction engine.

Image year


Ray Christison


10


The traction engine’s water tank stored on the western side of the machine.

Image year


Ray Christison


1

ITEM DETAILS

Name of Item

Marshall Portable Steam Engine



Movable/Collection


Farming & Grazing


Other – Farming & Grazing


Street number

Street name

Bennett Street

Suburb/town



Lithgow City


Location - Lat/long

Latitude

Longitude


Zone

Easting Northing

Owner


Current use

Static display

Former Use

Portable steam engine


The Marshall portable steam engine appears to have been used to provide power to the Neubeck family sawmills at Lidsdale until replaced by a Buffalo Pitts traction engine some time after 1924. The engine was subsequently cannibalised. It was relocated to Eskbank House Museum prior to 1979. It is representative of portable steam engines used for pastoral, agricultural, forestry and industrial purposes across Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It has local historical and historical association significance, representativeness and a low degree of integrity.


State

Local X


2


Marshall Sons & Co., Gainsborough, Lincolnshire

Builder/ maker


The engine has been butchered to the point that it is little more than a boiler on wheels. The boiler tubes are in place. The following equipment is missing from the engine: maker’s plates; steam cylinders; flywheel; stack. The smokebox door appears to be lying on the ground underneath the boiler.


The engine is heavily degraded and missing key components. The smokebox has rusted out completely and the firegrates and firebox floor have been removed.

Construction years

Start year Finish year Circa


Further comments


3


“Marshall, Sons & Company was founded in 1848 by William Marshall at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. At first they manufactured mill gearing but soon began to make agricultural machinery such as thrashing machines. In 1856 manufacture of portable steam engines and boilers began. This was soon followed by the construction of stationary steam engines. In 1870 the company began making tea preparing machinery and soon after road rollers. In the 1900's they began making oil tractors but World War I interrupted normal production which was resumed in 1919. In 1930 the first diesel tractor was produced and Marshalls took over the company of Clayton and Shuttleworth Limited. In 1937 the Marshall-Richards range of wire and tube drawing machinery was introduced before World War II again interrupted production. After the war the company soon returned to normal and in 1946 took over John Fowler & Company (Leeds) Ltd. In 1968 the Marshall group of companies became part of the Thos. W. Ward Group and in 1969 Marshalls and Fowlers began trading under the name of Marshall Fowler Ltd. In 1975 the company was sold to British Leyland and was renamed Aveling Marshall Ltd. Between 1979 and 1982 it was sold off to Charles J Nickerson and was re-registered as Marshall, Sons & Company Ltd. In 1986 Marshalls was sold to an American company and then almost immediately was bought by Theakston brothers of Driffield, Yorkshire.” (The National Archives Online) The maker’s plate of the Marshall portable steam engine on display at Eskbank House Museum has been removed, making it very difficult to identify the year of manufacture. This machine was photographed at the former Neubeck sawmill at Lidsdale prior to its relocation to Eskbank House. When photographed it was incomplete and in poor condition. This photograph is evidence that the Marshall engine was probably used at the sawmill. It assumed that it was replaced as motive power for the sawmill by the Buffalo Pitts traction engine that is also at Eskbank House.

THEMES


Developing Local, Regional and National Economies Marking the phases of Life


Forestry Persons


4


The Marshall portable steam engine appears to have been used to provide power to the Neubeck family sawmills at Lidsdale until replaced by a Buffalo Pitts traction engine some time after 1924. The engine was subsequently cannibalised. It was relocated to Eskbank House Museum prior to 1979. The engine has some local historical significance.


The Marshall engine was used at Neubeck family sawmills at Lidsdale until replaced a Buffalo Pitts traction engine that had been used for coal haulage prior to 1924. It has local historical association significance.


-


-


-


-


The engine is representative of portable steam engines used for pastoral, agricultural, forestry and industrial purposes across Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Integrity

The portable steam engine has a low level of integrity.


5



Type Author/Client Title Year Repository Written The National

Archives (UK) Marshall, Sons & Co. Ltd. Online:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/1cf4abc1-93d0-44c4-93e3-ddc12e4ebf5b

Image Photograph of Marshall portable steam engine

Lithgow Regional Library, Lithgow District Historical Society Collection

Image Graces Guide British Industrial History

File:Im1879v48Er-Marsh.jpg

1879 Online: http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im1879v48Er-Marsh.jpg#filelinks

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations

The engine should be de-accessioned and disposed of after being made safe.




2015



Ray Christison

Inspected by

Ray Christison


Yes X No




6


The engine viewed from the east.

Image year


Ray Christison


7


The western side of the engine.

Image year


Ray Christison


8


The eastern side of the engine.

Image year


Ray Christison


9


The heavily rusted smokebox and boiler front.

Image year


Ray Christison


10


The smokebox photographed through the incomplete firebox.

Image year


Ray Christison


11


The Marshall portable steam engine photographed at Lidsdale prior to its relocation to Eskbank House Museum. (Lithgow Regional Library, Lithgow District Historical Society Collection)

Image year

Unknown Image by Unknown Image copyright holder

Unknown


12


Diagram of a complete Marshall portable steam engine. (Graces Guide British Industrial History)

Image year

Image by Image copyright holder


1

ITEM DETAILS

Name of Item

State Mine steel bodied flat wheel coal skip No.68



Movable/Collection


Mining and Mineral Processing


Other – Mining and Mineral Processing


Street number

Street name

Bennett Street

Suburb/town



Lithgow City


Location - Lat/long

Latitude

Longitude


Zone

Easting Northing

Owner


Current use

Static display

Former Use

Flat wheel coal skip


The steel bodied skip on display at Eskbank House was relocated from the former Lithgow State Coal Mine in the mid to late 1960s. It was one of a batch of skips purchased by the State Coal Mine after the disastrous underground fire of August 1953. It is an example of the types of larger capacity coal skips introduced into Western Coalfield collieries as part of the modernisation of the coal industry that occurred after the Second World War. It is representative of this era of government led modernisation. This skip has been modified for use in street parades. This modification has been undertaken by grinding the flanges off the cast iron wheels. The skip is one of the few surviving flat wheel skips that were used in horse and skip competitions in Lithgow. These competitions are fondly recalled by older citizens. This skip is the only Lithgow State Coal Mine coal skip known to have survived, most being scrapped after closure of the mine. It is also one of only two flat wheel skips in collecting institutions in the Lithgow district and is the only surviving coal skip capable of holding limmers. The skip has local historical, social and technical/research significance, rarity, representativeness and a high degree of integrity.


State

Local X


2


-

Builder/ maker

-


The skip is built on a timber frame with a body fabricated from galvanised steel sheet. The ends of the skip are fitted with a horizontal brace and bracket for mounting limmers to which horses were harnessed. The cast iron wheels are mounted on cast iron bearings. The flanges have been ground off the wheels to allow the skip to be used in street parades. The skip carries the number 68 on its ends.


The skip body is in fair condition. The frame is heavily degraded with advanced rot affecting the timbers. Wheels and bearings appear to be intact.

Construction years

Start year Finish year 1946 Circa X


Further comments


3


Prior to World War II the New South Wales coal industry had operated for a long period in an environment characterised by “prevailing conditions of overcapacity”, a workforce in excess of requirements and primitive working conditions. The post-war period saw tremendous change in the Australian coal industry. The government extended its wartime control of the industry and established authorities such as the Joint Coal Board to oversee improvements in production, efficiency, health and safety. During the same period unions energetically pursued campaigns to improve general working conditions. By 1960 the Joint Coal Board was able to claim that the New South Wales coal industry was “a new modern industry, rating technically second only to the United States”. The modernisation of the coal industry that occurred in the 1950’s was accompanied by an ongoing downturn in local demand for coal. These two factors led to chronic overproduction and the eventual closure of older and less efficient mines. (Christison 2009:66) Skips of varying capacities had been used in Western Coalfield mines since at least the 1860s. Coal skips, known in Wales and elsewhere as tubs, consist of a box mounted on a rigid timber frame. Cast iron bearings bolted to the frame hold cast iron wheels that allow the skip to be run along light railway lines underground and on the surface of the mine. All collieries in the Western Coalfield used wooden bodied skips with a capacity of approximately one ton of coal. Modernisation of coal production after the Second World saw some collieries introduce steel bodied skips. In most cases these skips had a larger capacity than the traditional wooden skips. Oral history evidence indicates that the Lithgow State Coal Mine was using skips of 1.5 ton capacity in the 1950s (pers. comm. Ned Curry) This was confirmed by Dick Austen who has advised that the Lithgow State Coal Mine purchased steel bodied skips after the 1953 underground fire. These large capacity skips, designed to follow Northern Coalfield practice, were fitted with bracing and brackets to accommodate limmers. Limmers were sets of bars into which a horse could be harnessed. They allowed the horse to push back against the skips. According to Dick the Lithgow State Coal Mine was the only Western Coalfield colliery to use such skips. (pers comm. Dick Austen) Photographs taken at the former Lithgow State Coal Mine during demolition works in 1966 show a number of identical skips lying around the colliery headworks. Flat wheel skips were used in Eight Hour Day and Six Hour Day street parades as part of horse and skip competitions that date back to at least the 1920s. Trophies were awarded for the best horse and skip and the award of such trophies was considered a great honour.

THEMES


Developing Local, Regional and National Economies Working


Events/Mining Labour


4


The steel bodied skip on display at Eskbank House was relocated from the former Lithgow State Coal Mine in the mid to late 1960s. It was one of a batch of skips purchased by the State Coal Mine after the disastrous underground fire of August 1953. It is an example of the types of larger capacity coal skips introduced into Western Coalfield collieries as part of the modernisation of the coal industry that occurred after the Second World War. This skip has been modified for use in street parades. This modification has been undertaken by grinding the flanges off the cast iron wheels. The skip has local historical significance.


-


-


The skip is one of the few surviving flat wheel skips that were used in horse and skip competitions in Lithgow. These competitions are fondly recalled by older citizens. It has local social significance.


The skip is an example of the improved steel bodied coal skips introduced into the Western Coalfield after the Second World War. It has local technical/research significance.


This skip is the only Lithgow State Coal Mine coal skip known to have survived, most being scrapped after closure of the mine. It is also one of only two flat wheel skips in collecting institutions in the Lithgow district and is the only surviving coal skip capable of holding limmers. It has local significance in relation to rarity.


The skip is representative of the era of government led modernisation of the coal industry that occurred from 1945 onwards. It has local significance in this regard.

Integrity

The skip has a high degree of integrity.


5



Type Author/Client Title Year Repository Oral History Dick Austen Pers. comm. Ray Christison

28 & 30 July 2015 2015 The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc.

Oral History Ned Curry Pers comm. Ray Christison 1996 The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc. Photo - Demolition of Lithgow State

Coal Mine 1966 The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations

Conserve in a local museum. It should be stored under cover. This skip could be offered to The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc for display at the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park. Interpret as part of the story of the Lithgow State Coal Mine.




2015



Ray Christison

Inspected by

Ray Christison


Yes X No




6


Steel bodied flat wheel coal skip. The bracing bar and attachment point for limmers is mounted about half way up the end of the skip.

Image year


Ray Christison


7


Side view of the steel bodied skip

Image year


Ray Christison


8


End of the steel bodied coal skip.

Image year


Ray Christison


9


Photograph taken during demolition of surface structures at the former Lithgow State Coal Mine in 1966. The skips on the left appear to be identical to the steel bodied skip located at Eskbank House.

Image year

1966 Image by Unknown Image copyright holder

Unknown


1

ITEM DETAILS

Name of Item

State Mine water baling coal skip



Movable/Collection


Mining and Mineral Processing


Other – Mining and Mineral Processing


Street number

Street name

Bennett Street

Suburb/town



Lithgow City


Location - Lat/long

Latitude

Longitude


Zone

Easting Northing

Owner


Current use

Static display

Former Use

Coal skip


The wooden bodied water baling skip is a surviving example of coal skips used in the Western Coalfield from the earliest days of coalmining. It has been lined with galvanised steel sheet to enable it to carry water and appears to have been used at the Lithgow State Coal Mine. The skip is an example of an early style coal skip that has been modified to carry water and is representative of such skips. It has local historical and technical/research significance, rarity, representativeness and a moderate degree of integrity.


State

Local X


2


-

Builder/ maker

-


The skip is built on a timber frame with a body fabricated with timber planks bolted to an iron frame. Holes were drilled through the lowest planks of each side of the skip to act as slack filters, allowing small coal to leak out of the skip during transit from coalface to pit top. The skip has been lined with galvanised steel sheet to allow it to carry water. The cast iron wheels are mounted on cast iron bearings. The gauge of the wheels is consistent with the gauge of coal skips used at the Lithgow State Coal Mine.


The skip body is in fair condition. The frame is heavily degraded with advanced rot affecting the timbers. The skip has a layer of moisture retaining leaf litter in which weeds are growing. Wheels and bearings appear to be intact.

Construction years

Start year Finish year Circa


Lining of the sides with galvanised steel sheet.

Further comments


3


Skips of varying capacities have been used in Western Coalfield mines since at least the 1860s. Coal skips, known in Wales and elsewhere as tubs, consist of a box mounted on a rigid timber frame. Cast iron bearings bolted to the frame hold cast iron wheels that allow the skip to be run along light railway lines underground and on the surface of the mine. All collieries in the Western Coalfield used wooden bodied skips with a capacity of approximately one ton of coal. Many skips were lined with galvanised steel sheet to allow them to hold water. These skips were used by water balers who ensured that coal miners’ bords were dry at the start of each day. Former miner Jack Kearns shared his experience of water baling in the Tyldesley Colliery in the late 1930s. “Each morning from 4:00am, before the miners commenced work, water bailers worked in the mine to bail water into skips and remove it from the mine. The water bailers also set up brattice stoppings, brushed out the roadways and set timber baulks as required. The miners generally set their own timbers as they worked.33 Jack Savage recalled that the heavy brown brattice tacked up to the mine timbers to direct the ventilation airflow collected the moist air of the mine and became very heavy. He “felt sorry for the shiftmen that used to have to put them up and drag them everywhere”. These men were quite poorly paid, only earning about 19 shillings and sixpence per day. Jack Kearns worked as a water bailer at Tyldesley for six months in 1939. Jack recalled that he would ride his pushbike from Portland each day to commence work at 4:30am. His job was to bail the bords in one of the northern production districts. He worked with a shovel and bucket to clear water that had collected in the bords during the night. In some places the water could be almost up to 500mm deep. Water was collected into a 44 gallon drum mounted on a skip pulled by two Shetland Ponies. ... When the water drum was filled it would be wheeled out to the flat and emptied into the mine’s main heading where it drained away towards the entrance. According to Jack water bailing was hard work that had to be done thoroughly. Miners were known to go home if their bords were wet. (Christison 2009:82-83) The water baling skip held at Eskbank House Museum appears to have been used at the Lithgow State Coal Mine. The gauge of its wheels is identical to that of the a steel bodied skip also displayed at Eskbank House. The steel bodied skip has been identified as a State Coal Mine skip. The gauge of skipways at Lithgow State Coal Mine was unique in the Western Coalfield.

THEMES


Developing Local, Regional and National Economies Working


Mining Labour


4


The wooden bodied water baling skip is a surviving example of coal skips used in the Western Coalfield from the earliest days of coalmining. It has been lined with galvanised steel sheet to enable it to carry water and appears to have been used at the Lithgow State Coal Mine. The skip has local historical significance.


-


-


-


The skip is an example of an early style coal skip that has been modified to carry water. It has local technical/research significance.


The skip is the only modified wooden bodied coal skip currently held by collecting institutions in the Lithgow district. It has local significance in relation to rarity.


The skip is representative of coalmining practices of the mid 20th century. It has local representativeness.

Integrity

The skip has a moderate degree of integrity.


5



Type Author/Client Title Year Repository Written Ray Christison Tyldesley the village that

disappeared 2009 The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc.

Oral History Dick Austen Pers. comm. Ray Christison 28 & 30 July 2015

2015 The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations

Conserve in a local museum. It should be stored under cover. This skip could be offered to The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc for display at the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park. Interpret as part of the story of the coal mining industry and issues relating to payment of contract miners.




2015



Ray Christison

Inspected by

Ray Christison


Yes X No




6


Side of the coal skip showing the slack filters drilled into the lowest plank.

Image year


Ray Christison


7


Interior of the wooden bodied skip.

Image year


Ray Christison


8


End of the wooden bodied coal skip.

Image year


Ray Christison


9


One side of the wooden bodied coal skip

Image year


Ray Christison

Lithgow state mine heritage park railwayarchive.lithgow.nsw.gov.au/agendas/16/1121/ITEM15.pdf ·...

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Transcript of Lithgow state mine heritage park railwayarchive.lithgow.nsw.gov.au/agendas/16/1121/ITEM15.pdf ·...