Farme Colliery in Rutherglen, c 1905.
A Newcomen engine was installed at Farme Colliery in 1810. The steam engine was used to wind coal up from the bottom of the mine and to lower the miners up and down the shaft. It also pumped water out of the mine from a depth of 23 fathoms. Two more engines were installed in the following years. In 1915 Kelvingrove Museum obtained one of the engines for its collections.
Glasgow and the surrounding areas were once rich in coal deposits and there were many pits similar to Farme Colliery in the city. These deposits were mined out during the 19th century and the disused pits were then built over as Glasgow expanded.
Reference: Museum of Transport, T24 - 2
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
coal mines, collieries, Farme Colliery, miners, mining, Newcomen atmospheric engine, steam engines