Acland No. 2 Colliery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Acland No. 2 Colliery
Acland No. 2 Colliery, 2006
Location	2 Francis Street, Acland, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Acland No. 2 Colliery (former)
Type	state heritage (archaeological, built)
Designated	29 June 2007
Reference no.	602599
Significant period	1929-1984
Significant components	store/s / storeroom / storehouse, pit - machinery, hut/shack, loading bay/dock, workshop, tramway, office/s, ventilation system, bathroom/bathhouse, shed/s
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The Acland No. 2 Colliery is a very old coal mine located in Acland, Queensland, Australia. It's considered a special historical place. This mine was once a busy hub for digging up coal, a fossil fuel used for energy. Today, it helps us understand how coal mining used to work in Queensland.

The site still has many of its original buildings and machines. These include the mine entrances, the tracks for moving coal, and the equipment used to process the coal. It was officially added to the Queensland Heritage Register on June 29, 2007, meaning it's protected for its historical importance.

History of Acland No. 2 Colliery

The Acland No. 2 Colliery is a small underground coal mine. It is found near Oakey, Queensland, in the Darling Downs area. Most of the buildings and machines you see above ground today are from when the mine was active. The mine entrances are now filled in, but you can still see the piles of leftover rock and dirt.

Coal was one of the first minerals mined for money in Queensland. However, the coal mining industry grew slowly at first. Until the 1950s, coal was mostly used locally. It powered steamships and later, steam locomotives (trains).

Trains and Coal: A Close Connection

There was a very important link between Queensland's railway system and the coal industry. The railways needed a lot of coal to run their steam trains. This made them the biggest customer for coal mines. At the same time, coal mines needed trains to transport their coal to customers. A mine couldn't make money unless it was connected to the railway network. So, as the railway grew, so did the coal industry in Queensland.

After the late 1950s, the coal industry changed a lot. Queensland Rail started using diesel trains instead of steam trains. Also, more coal was being sent overseas. Big open-cut mines, which dig coal from the surface, became very popular. By the end of the 1900s, Queensland was Australia's top coal producer. More than 90% of the state's coal came from open-cut mines.

Early Mining in Acland

People first started looking for coal in the eastern Darling Downs because the train depot in Chinchilla, Queensland needed it. Around 1913, a new railway line opened between Oakey and Cooyar, Queensland. This led to mining starting in the Acland area, close to the railway. Some of the first mines there were Sugarloaf Colliery and Balgowan Colliery. The Acland Coal Company Limited Mine also opened. The Acland No. 2 Colliery itself opened in 1929.

At first, coal mining in Acland was done by hand. Miners dug coal from the mine face using hand tools. They loaded the coal into small carts called "skips." These skips were pushed by hand along underground tracks. Then, they were hooked to a steam-powered cable system. This system pulled the skips up to the mine entrance.

Weighing the Coal

When the skips reached the mine entrance, they went over a weighbridge. Until the 1950s, miners were paid based on how much coal they dug. They used a tag system to show which skips belonged to them. The weighbridge and a special desk for counting the coal's weight are still at Acland today.

Modernizing the Mine

In the late 1940s, electricity came to the Oakey area. This helped mines become more modern. Acland No. 2 Colliery started using more machines in the early 1950s.

In 1951, the underground train tracks were made wider. The tunnels were also made bigger for small diesel locomotives. In 1952, two Jenbach 15 locomotives were brought in. Larger steel skips were also used. Mechanical "tipplers" were installed at the mine entrance. These machines would tip the coal out of the skips into the processing plant. These tipplers are still there today.

In 1953, a new screening plant was put in place. This plant helped clean the coal. It also sorted the coal into different sizes. The screen itself has been removed from the mine site.

The new plant also had two steel elevators and a long "picking belt." Workers stood by the picking belt to remove rocks from the coal by hand. They could also break large pieces of coal with hammers. While these methods became old-fashioned elsewhere, Acland continued to use them until the mine closed. The elevators carried the cleaned coal to the top of large storage bins. From there, the coal was loaded into train wagons. The picking belt and elevators are still at the mine.

Seven new electric motors powered the screening plant. An electrical switchboard was installed to provide power to these motors.

In 1954, the system for pulling coal was changed from steam to electricity. A powerful 90-horsepower electric motor winch was installed. The old steam system was kept as a backup. The steam plant is gone, but the room with the electric winch and its machines is still there.

More improvements were made between 1955 and 1959. These included a new storage bin with a conveyor belt under one of the tipplers. A new blacksmith's shop was also built. The loading platform was rebuilt, and its roof was raised.

In 1955 and 1956, a new Jenbach diesel locomotive, a Sampson coal cutter, and a Sampson coal loader were added. By 1958, the mine could service its machines underground. A Minesmobile Loader was bought in 1973.

Today, two Jenbach locomotives and a Sampson coal loader used in the mine are on display. A coal cutter on the site was put together from spare parts.

Mine Closure

From the late 1950s, small coal mines in the Acland area started to close. This was due to big changes in the coal industry. Queensland Rail, a major customer, needed much less coal. This was because they switched from steam to diesel trains in the 1960s. Also, larger, more efficient open-cut mines became popular. By 1971, Acland No. 2 Colliery was the only coal mine left in the Darling Downs.

The mine kept operating until November 1984. It supplied coal to the Toowoomba Hospital. When the mine closed, Kath and John Greenhalgh bought the mine structures. They owned the farm where the mine was located. The Greenhalghs kept the mine as it was and opened it as a museum. In 2000, they sold the mine to the Rosalie Shire Council. It stopped being a museum at that time.

The mine has survived almost completely intact. Besides the tramway and most of the coal processing plant, many other buildings are still there. These include the workshops, manager's office, and the crib room (where miners ate). The lamp room with battery chargers and miners' lights is also there. Other surviving structures include the explosives store, ventilation shafts, fan rooms, a bathroom, a switch room, and a miner's hut.

Description

The former Acland No. 2 Colliery has almost all the original buildings and machines from when it was working. These include the mine entrances, the tramway, the pithead, and the coal handling and processing plant. Most of the other support buildings are also still there.

The pithead buildings are close to the main road from Acland. The other structures spread out to the north and east of the pithead. The first mine entrance (number 2 portal) is east of the pithead. The number three portal is about sixty meters to the north.

Tramway

The underground parts of the mine were reached through two entrances, or portals. These portals are still on the site, but they have been filled in. The tramline tracks connect the underground areas to the pithead. They also run to the workshop. The switches for the tramway are still in place.

Metal tramway wagons, called skips, were used to carry the coal. These skips are still on the site, inside the pithead building. They are simple metal bins on tram wheels. The skips were pulled along the tramway by a cable and pulley system. This system is still there, but the cable is gone. Underground, away from the main pulling road, diesel locomotives pulled the skips. These locomotives are also still at the mine.

The winch house for the cable system is just north of the pithead. It's a brown wooden hut with a corrugated iron roof. Inside, there's a large electric motor connected to a belt-driven pulley system. The pulleys turn a large metal winding drum. A small piece of cable is still attached to the drum. Old signs and chalk notes from the early 1980s are still on the hut walls.

Pithead, loading gantry and picking belt

The pithead, loading gantry, and picking belt form a large, multi-level structure. It's made of timber and corrugated iron and is a main feature of the site. This structure holds most of the coal handling machines. The tramway goes up a ramp and enters a large opening on the south side. The railway siding passes underneath the western end. The loading gantry and picking belt stick out from the northern side. The pithead floor is made of wood. Short wooden slats are fixed to the floor between the rails. These helped workers get a grip when pushing the skips.

Inside the pithead, one of the tramlines crosses a weighbridge. A metal weighing machine is on the north side of the tracks. It has a curved, white scale that faces the track. A wooden stand is just west of this machine. The top of the stand is flat and sloped to hold an open book.

After crossing the weighbridge, the tramlines go into two tipplers. A tippler is a section of track between two metal hoops. The whole thing can pivot. When a skip is in the tippler, it can be tipped on its side to empty the coal. The first tippler empties onto the picking belt. The second tippler, at the western end of the pithead, empties coal into a storage bin. From there, it goes into a wagon parked on the railway siding.

The picking belt is a long conveyor belt. A raised platform runs along the south side of the belt. Workers stood on this platform to sort rocks from the coal. The gears and electric motor are at the northern end of the belt. An electric control panel for the belt is next to the platform. A second belt is under the picking belt. This one carries the coal back towards the pithead.

From the picking belt, the coal goes to an elevator. The elevator has a chain loop with metal buckets attached. The coal falls into the buckets and is carried up to the top of the loading gantry. From there, the coal drops into a large storage bin. This bin then feeds the coal into the train wagons parked on the siding.

Ancillary buildings

Workshops

The workshops are northeast of the pithead. They are two gabled sheds joined together. A tramline runs into the western side of the mechanical workshop. This is a brown building made of corrugated iron. Two large hinged doors, also made of corrugated iron, allow train access through the western side. A wooden door opens to the south. Another wooden door opens on the opposite side. The building has no windows.

A smaller wooden shed is attached to the north side of the mechanical workshop. This is the electrical workshop. A small wooden alcove sticks out from the northern side of the building. Windows open into the northern and southern sides. A small two-paned window opens into the alcove. This building has no outside doors.

Bob's hut

A gabled, single-room hut is located northeast of the number three portal. It's made of corrugated iron and is not sealed. This hut used to be a miner's home. The wooden floor sits directly on the ground. There's a door opening on the south side and a window opening on the east side. A corrugated iron car port is attached to the east side. A small area for a stove sticks out from the south end, next to the door.

Mine Manager's Office

The old mine manager's office is east of the workshop. It's a brown, wooden hut with a gabled, corrugated iron roof. It's raised on short posts. A verandah runs along the entire western side. There's no railing on the verandah. You get to it by a short staircase. A wooden door opens in the middle of this side. Two windows open on either side of the door. The other side (eastern) of the house has a similar door and window setup. A ramp provides access to the door on this side. A new steel carport runs the full length of the eastern side. A water tank is at each end of the old office.

Recent shed

Just north of the old office is a new shed made of corrugated iron. It has a gabled roof and roller doors. A large, flat-roofed, open-sided shed is attached to its side.

Bathroom

The old bathroom, now a home, is east of the pithead. This is a long wooden building with a gabled, corrugated iron roof. Short gabled parts stick out from the eastern and western sides about halfway along the building. Aluminum sliding windows open into the sides. An aluminum sliding door provides access into the northern end. A hinged door opens into the eastern side, just south of the gabled part.

Crib hut and lamp room

The old crib hut and lamp room is a small, white wooden hut with a gabled corrugated iron roof. The hut is raised on short posts. A wooden door provides access into the eastern end. Windows open into the sides. Inside, there are three battery chargers. These were used to recharge batteries for the miners' lamps. One charger still has miners' lamps on it. Some equipment and clothing used in the mine are also in this building.

Machinery displays

A simple corrugated iron shelter, built recently, is just west of the workshops. It covers two Jenbach diesel locomotives. An area near the number three portal holds a mechanical loader and a mechanical coal cutter.

Ventilation shafts and explosives store

At the northernmost end of the site, there's a metal and concrete structure. This is what's left of the fan house. It's located over a ventilation shaft for the number three mine. A similar structure is at the easternmost part of the site. This marks the ventilation shaft for the number two mine. A small hut for explosives is at the very northeastern end of the site.

Why Acland No. 2 Colliery is Important

The Acland No. 2 Colliery (former) was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on June 29, 2007. It met several important criteria:

It shows how Queensland's history changed. The Acland No. 2 Colliery (active from 1929 to 1984) is important for showing how Queensland's coal mining industry grew. This small underground mine first opened to supply coal to Queensland Government Railways. It's a good example of the common coal mines before the late 1950s. Small underground mines like Acland became less common in the 1960s. This was because mining technology changed, and mines became much larger.

The mine also shows how mining technology developed. It represents a time when mining was changing from hand methods to fully mechanized ones. For example, coal used to be sorted by hand, often right at the mine face. This changed with the introduction of above-ground screening plants and picking belts. Acland No. 2 Colliery used these, and the picking belt is still intact. Later, mechanical washing plants replaced picking belts.

The mine also has physical evidence of old work practices. Miners were paid based on how much coal they dug. The weighbridge and tally desk used for this purpose are still at the Acland mine.

It shows rare or uncommon parts of Queensland's history. The Acland No. 2 Colliery is rare in Queensland because it's so well-preserved. It's the most complete mine site of its age and type in Queensland.

It's also a rare example of a mine that shows the change from hand mining to fully mechanized mining. The mine has an intact picking belt. This belt was used to separate rocks from coal and to crush large pieces by hand. This was done before mechanical washing plants existed.

It shows the main features of this type of historical place. The mine is important because it shows the main features of small underground coal mines from the early to mid-20th century. Because it's so well-preserved, the mine shows almost the complete mining process as it happened there. The intact structures and machines include:

• The coal pulling system, with the tramway and cable system.
• The pithead structure.
• Almost all the coal processing and handling machines.
• Most of the support buildings.

Mining machines used underground are also still on the site. These include a coal loader, two Jenbach diesel locomotives, and metal coal skips, all from the 1950s. Many old records and plans from the mine are also still around, including pay books from when the mine opened in 1929.