Woodhorn Colliery Museum, Northumberland: Display board: Surface Work.

The surface treatment of coal in Northumberland and Durham began in the mid-eighteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century coal preparation was becoming increasingly sophisticated. The 1950s saw a similar improvement in surface handling facilities. Five photographs. The first photograph shows full tubs coming out of the cages at the Duke Pit, Ashington Colliery 1924. The second photograph shows the tub tipplers which emptied the tubs onto the screens for sorting. The third photograph shows the picking belts. The fourth photograph shows the spiral separating plant which mechanically sorted coal from the lighter dust and the heavier stone. The fifth photograph shows coal being loaded into wagons from the screens.