(continued from 12 July)
Also in Northumberland, we were able to film at Banks Mining, Shotton. Here we were looked after by production manager Kevin Banks, on the right of the picture with the organiser and script-writer of the DVD, Steven Vale.
There was coal to be had at Shotton, once again left behind by earlier deep-mining ventures. The Cat 325D (right) was loading a Volvo A40E.
The mine has two brand-new O&K RH120-E face shovels, the first in Britain to be powered by Cat engines (left).
The 120-Es joined an older 120-C (right). And working on the horizon above the 120-C was something rather special.
Here (left) it is, refuelling - a Terex O&K RH200. The biggest Terex excavator, not only in the UK, but in Europe. At 480 tonnes it is the heaviest hydraulic excavator in Britain.
The RH200 was making short work of loading Cat 785s (right)and 789Cs.
Look carefully above the face shovel (left) and you will see the jets of the dust-suppression unit in full flow. All the mines we visited took dust suppression very seriously indeed.
Steven Vale regards the RH200 as the star of the programme which is currently being edited by Jonathan Theobald. Expect the complete Britain's Massive Miners Parts 1 & 2 to be released by Old Pond this autumn as two DVDs. Details are given in the blog of 9 September.
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