# Slate mine North Wales



## mistericeman (Jan 29, 2012)

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## Seahorse (Jan 29, 2012)

Love that first atmospheric shot.

Strange to think the peeps that carved those dates are probably long dead by now. :/


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## Pincheck (Jan 29, 2012)

very nice shots mate


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## flyboys90 (Jan 29, 2012)

Some cracking old equipment there!


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## romanian1 (Feb 13, 2012)

Nice to see you found the cooke boring machine tests


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## borntobemild (Feb 18, 2012)

Love those little engines.

I'm not surprised the boring machines failed. I would have thought slate was much too hard for them.


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## 4201Chieftain (Feb 18, 2012)

I like the 1st pic of the TBM tunnel, looks almost like rifling with the spiralling grooves


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## AndyC (Feb 18, 2012)

romanian1 said:


> Nice to see you found the cooke boring machine tests



Indeed - I have never found it .. yet. I have not been there for a couple of years, as I understood that due to the untopping in was a no go area. Maybe if I get let out again this year.

In all fairness in the last couple of years local historians.enthusiasts have been in talks with the owners to try and preserve what is left. I think it fair to say that the owners no longer cuase damange to the remains.

However it has been bad news in the last few years. The problems baing:

1. Natural degredation: Holes in the roofs have appeared in the last few years. Also a couple of years ago a massive amount of collapse happened in the mine. The once famous Cooke's Level has gone (and I never got to visit it). You can see much of the collapse in the large untopped hole you see of walking directly from the town.

2. Intended destruction - metal theft - the turbine or whatever in the first colour photo is a good example. This and other equipment was pulled apart for the copper wire a couple of years ago. I think I have before and after pictures. Theft of artefacts - a truck was delibrately stolen a while back. And then mindless vandalism, from breaking things to rolling trucks out of the mill so they are exposed to the elements.

One last thing - absolutely lovely pictures.


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## mistericeman (Mar 8, 2012)

AndyC said:


> Indeed - I have never found it .. yet. I have not been there for a couple of years, as I understood that due to the untopping in was a no go area. Maybe if I get let out again this year.
> 
> In all fairness in the last couple of years local historians.enthusiasts have been in talks with the owners to try and preserve what is left. I think it fair to say that the owners no longer cuase damange to the remains.
> 
> ...



They are beyond the main mill areas around to where the BVI is open to the air ....The "turbine" is/was a rotary convertor for transforming AC/ to D/C current ....the BVI was run i believe on D/C current to allow effective speed control ....effected by the raising/lowering of metal plates into wooden (latterly plastic) barrels filled with a conductive brine solution.The conductive plates are still visible albeit eaten away by carrying current through salt laden water .

It truly breaks my heart to see the loss of important and unique history AND the rate with which it is happening


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## kevsy21 (Mar 9, 2012)

Looks very interesting,i wouldn't mind a look around there.


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