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11 comments on Longwall Mining of coal

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Davidh on January 23, 2006 - 1:29pm

If you don't mind me asking, when were you working in the mines? I'm a 20 year old (college) student and I was wondering when ponies would still be used in mines. As enjoyable as the tech talks are, I would also be interested in learning more about what it was/is actually like to work in a mine, from a more personal perspective.

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Heading Out on January 23, 2006 - 6:17pm

I worked in the mines in the early part of the 1960's, but pit ponies have been used until fairly recently in the UK, and I would suspect still are used in some countries.

Every mine is different, I was fortunate in that most of those I worked at were quite warm and dry, but my father worked one that was very wet, and, being shallow, also cold. But in most mines in the US there is enough room to walk upright, and they tend to be quite comfortable as long as you don't have claustrophobia. Most miners are also very friendly and tend to work together well.

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Nick Rouse on January 23, 2006 - 7:55pm

The last pit ponies to work in British Coal's deep mines were retired in 1994. There are a number of claims for the very last one. One claim is for Flax, a grey Welsh Mountain pony, was brought to the surface for the last time in February 1994 from a Nothumberland mine.

A few were employed in small privately owned drift mines for a couple of years after that. The deep mine ponies lived underground. In drift mines the pony would haul the coal to the surface.

A few of the old pit ponies are still alive and cared for in rescue centres

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