Transporting stone in underground quarries

Evolution of underground transport modes

Stones extracted from underground quarries began to be transported using wooden carts. For a long time, that is, until the 1910s, almost all stone blocks transported by road were handled by carts pulled by powerful horses.

Many quarry entrances are located near rivers, which once made it possible to transport stones by waterways. The export of stones by river gave rise to many stone ports.

Subsequently, narrow tracks were installed at the level of the haulage tracks, corresponding to the main axes often placed in line with the diggings. As the face was moved, the rails were repositioned.

Les premiers wagons étaient constitués de bois

wagonnet abandonné dans une carrière d’ocre

Wagons et ses rails dans une carrière de craie

Many winches were used to move the stone blocks:

Ces treuils sont appelés des “Crapauds”.

Treuil de levage en bois pour remonter les blocs du niveau inférieur

Actionné par une manivelle, ce treuil tracte les blocs extraits

Treuil permettant de faire des travaux de débourrage de cette fissure naturelle

In cement quarries, as well as mines, hoppers are used to move the extracted materials through the different floors of the quarry. Wagons circulate near these hoppers to collect what falls.

These hoppers are located at the level of the main galleries, in order to facilitate transport by wagon.

Now, the mechanization of construction sites makes it possible to transport extracted materials much more easily:

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