Gascoigne Wood Mine was the largest coal processing plant in Europe, where the output of the Selby complex was washed, blended and loaded onto trains for onward despatch before the complex was prematurely closed in 2004.

Gascoigne Wood Mine was part of the Selby Complex in North Yorkshire.        Covered stockyard from top of Coventry Bunker The Selby Project was the largest deep coal mining project ever undertaken in the world when it was developed in the 1980's. Five producing mines delivered all their coal to one processing and distribution centre at Gascoigne Wood Mine. The project involved the sinking of 10 shafts and drivage of some 124 miles of underground roadways. The two drift mouths at Gascoigne Wood lead to two 12 km long tunnels driven diagonally beneath the Barnsley seam to a depth of 1,100 metres.
At peak production, coal was delivered at 2,000 tonnes per hour, at over 11 million tonnes per annum of saleable coal. The Covered Stockyard (above) housed most of the coal washing/ processing equipment; the coal was then delivered to trains via the Rapid Loading Station (right) on the main Hull-Leeds railway line, and on to the coal fired power stations, mainly Drax. At its peak, there were up to 51 trains per day, each train carrying 1,200 tonnes of coal. Trains being loaded at RLS and at export station (domestic)
MEP David Bowe visits Gascoigne Wood

This was a visit from MEP David Bowe - behind us is the stacker reclaimer (from left: Steve Ward, David Bowe, me, Kevin Irving, Ian Dixon)

 The South drift housed the Anderson Strathclyde (ASL) steelcord conveyor belt, 12.2 km long, with a lift of 800 metres, a speed of 8.4m/sec, carrying coal at 2,200 tonnes per hour. The total installed weight of the belt was approximately 2,500 tonnes. Coal was delivered onto the ASL via accelerator belts. The South tunnel was driven with the Robbins tunnelling machine, the actual machine was left underground once the tunnelling was completed. In order to drive the drifts, the heavily water bearing strata had to be frozen. The North drift had a Cable Belt and Tandem belt; the Cable Belt was 9,500 metres long, with a lift of 700 metres, carrying approx 2,000 tonnes per hour on its PVL (Preformed for Variable Load) belting. The actual rope length was 38.4 km. 
View from Coventry bunker - Covered Stockyard to right The gantry which links the amenity block and the transfer houses
The spoil heap at Gascoigne Wood Mine was started in 1994 to deal with the coarse discard and the Multi Roll Filter (MRF) cake from the washing processes - great care was taken to ensure that ground water would not be polluted, and the whole area was restored and planted once each section was complete.  However, Milford Hagg farmhouse had to make way for the tip - (right and below left).  Below right is the view from the amenity block - the gantry (seen at top of picture) linked the block with the entrances to the drifts Milford Hagg farmhouse before demolition, seen from Lennerton Lane
Farmhouse gone - before this area was swallowed up by the spoil heap By 2001, the spoil heap was high enough you could see it from the amenity block
April 2006 The same track from two rows above - now leading to a big "hill".

When the tip was planned, it involved moving a path, electricity cables, and installing a "tunnel" for a road to go under.  The side of the tip nearest the railway line (towards Hambleton) was the area first restored and planted, so that from the train, it just looks like a grassy hill.
One of the best ways to see Gascoigne Wood in action was from the train!  These are taken from the main line (Hull-Selby-Leeds-Manchester) - during trips to Leeds for Open University tutorials, 2003 Covered stockyard and reclaimer
Loading trains Coventry bunker on right - where the views at top of page were taken from
Stockpile Transfer houses and dirt conveyor
Part of the display UK Coal presented roadshows around the area in 2004.  The original planning consent was for the Selby mine sites to be restored to agriculture when the mines closed - however, UK Coal didn't want to do this, so they visited the local villages with displays.  Pictures at left from the display in Sherburn, for their plans for Gascoigne Wood.  The application for re-use of Wistow and Stillingfleet Mines was rejected by Selby District Council in 2005. UK Coal have now appealed.  Waiting for new dates!
The gantry leads to nowhere -
April 2006 - demolition has started - the stark shape was one of the drift mouths.

Planning permission has been granted for re-use of the site.  Looks very sorry for itself at the moment!  Poor old Gazzy Wood ~

(on the right - how it used to look)
View of the Covered Stockyard - that is still standing - for now! More photos from the train - May 2006 - sad to see the old place being dismantled - the Coventry Bunker has gone -
A lot of mangled metal where the Coventry Bunker stood Strange to think I used to walk through these transfer houses

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Link to other Gascoigne Wood pages: workmates; history of Selby Complex