Godkin OCCS


Topic author
Dah
Posts: 395
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:45 pm
Real name: Dave
Has thanked: 18 times
Been thanked: 68 times
Flag: Great Britain

Godkin OCCS

Post #1 by Dah » Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:14 am

Hi,

I thought that I would follow Mark’s example and write down my memories of Godkin OCCS. I was very young so a bit sketchy.

My first memory of the site was seeing the Demag H241 shovel sitting up on the surface, presumably opening-up the initial cut. The RH300 then arrived from Donnington with three 170C Wabco trucks. The H241 (acquired from the McErlain purchase) was transferred to Ryefield OCCS (Denby) and several RH75C backhoes were brought to site – one of which was branded Socmin (likely from NSM’s work in Belgium). All of the 75’s were matched with 33-11C’s.

After a large bench was made at the far side of the site the two W700 draglines were assembled by two Scott Greenham crawler cranes. This bench and the first cut for the draglines would eventually become tip 19 (the largest tip on site). There was a large wash plant on site and lots of Magirus Dutz tippers carrying slurry around. All of this was to re-process old deep mine waste I believe.

Eventually the W700 drags were parked (apparently due to a different mine plan due to the geology) and the RH75’s left site (sold abroad I think). A yellow RH120C backhoe was purchased to work with the RH300, closely followed by a red RH90C backhoe and a second RH120C backhoe (this time red).

Towards the end of the site the Wabco’s were sold and the RH300 loaded Cat 785 trucks from Roughcastle for a while (interestingly they had previously been loaded by the Demag H485 and all had damaged skips). The 785’s then disappeared and the RH300 was parked alongside the draglines (the W700’s were sold and the RH300 was scrapped on site). Just before the RH300 was parked the Demag H241 returned from Ryfield and was put to work taking tip 19 down.

The site offices were moved to work the last cut – by this time there was only the H241 and one RH120C remaining I think. Some other interesting bits of kit were a Komatsu 375A dozer, the O&K G350 grader and a Cat 245ME backhoe.

My last memory is of the H241 being removed from site by Hills Heavy haulage and the place being covered in TS24’s and 631’s. Many of which were from Fitswize.

Dave


Mark Williams
Posts: 108
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:55 am
Real name: Mark Williams
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 59 times

Re: Godkin OCCS

Post #2 by Mark Williams » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:00 pm

Hi Dave,
Excellent story,
You can see a lot of photos of this contract in the Book Opencast Images.From what I see Coal Contractors used a big fleet of Caterpillar 631Cs on that job & a Cat D9H can be seen pushing them.That actual Cat D9H was first owned by McErlain & it ended up down in South Wales on the Helid Colliery O.C.C.S,for Coal Contractors.My late friend,Mike Lewis was the operator on this & the McErlain motif,could faintly be seen on the dozer.When Helid Colliery was completed,Coal Contractors were awarded the contract for RGB Mining to back fill the Llanilid site & the Cat D9H went to that job.
The Caterpillar 777s from Godkin also came down to the 2 x South wales sites.
@ the Helid Colliery contract,which was the extension to the F Shephard'Hill,Pen Bryn Oer site,Coal Contractors purchased a new O&k RH120C front shovel.This was different to any other that I have seen,as It had 2 x Caterpillar 3412 engines as power & was made slightly longer to allow them to fit.This shovel clearly had more power,than the normal Cummins powered Machines.
Also on site was a relocated Demag H185 shovel,a Demag H55 backhoe,an O&K RH30D backhoe,Caterpillar 773Bs & the 4 x previously owned early Shephard'Hill Komatsu 785 trucks.A Terex TS14 scraper was converted in to a water bowser & a Cat 14G grader was on site.There was also an RB22 rigged up as a crane & a new Komatsu 155 dozer with draw bar attachment.
All this plant followed down to the Llanilid contract,with most of the operators.
On site @ the start of the Llanilid contract,was a relocated Demag H285 shovel.This was parked up for the longest time with a blown engine & never went back to work there,as far as I know.I don't know what happened to the machine.
I can remember the trucks travelling down hill to the void there & the roads were appallingly rough,because of the wet & soft back fill.
Coal contractors were then awarded a short contract to back fill part of the,Taylor Woodrow Brynhenllys site.The O&K Rh120C & the Caterpillar 777 trucks were relocated here from, the now finished Llanilid job.I had left Taylor Woodrow @ this time to come to Canada.
Coal Contractors,have only just finished operating an O.C.C.S in the last 2 years out in Pennsylvania.They had Komatsu excavators & Caterpillar 785 & 777 trucks,as their prime movers.I know the Plant manager quite well.
Hope this is of some interest,
Regards,
Mark Williams.


Return to “Mining equipment”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests