Manriding Cars

In modern coal mines, manriders were specialised transportation systems designed to move miners safely to and from their work areas underground. Manriders helped reduce the physical effort and time it took for miners to travel long distances underground.

This helped maintain productivity and ensured miners were not exhausted before starting their shifts.

There were two types of manriders – Conveyor belts that were often fitted with safety features like handrails and emergency stop
mechanisms, and Paddy trains that ran on rail tracks and were commonly found in larger mines where the coal face was a long distance from the shaft.

Miners onboard the manrider at Cadley Hill Colliery, Swadlincote, South Derbyshire.