Inclined plane railway, Östra Hage Mine

The Ore Wharf and Chute Railway of Östra Hagegruvan

The ore from the mine was transported down to the ore wharf of Östra Hagegruvan on a narrow-gauge railway – known as a chute railway.

How the chute railway worked

The chute railway was constructed so that the loaded, descending wagon was connected to a rope. The other end of the rope was attached to a barrel hanging down inside a mine shaft. The weight of the barrel was matched to the weight of the wagon when fully loaded. When the wagon was fully loaded, the brake was released and the wagon was allowed to roll down towards the ore wharf under controlled braking.

Hauling the empty wagon back up

When the wagon had reached the wharf, the brake was applied and the ore was unloaded. Once the wagon was empty, the brake was released again, and the wagon was then pulled back up with the help of the barrel hanging in the shaft, which acted as a counterweight.

Fenced area

To prevent theft of ore, the area around the ore wharf was fenced off.