The Tin Monster : going up

According to the star, The dredge, T.T. No 5 was built in 1938 by W.F. Payne & Sons for Pernas Chartered Management Sdn Bhd. when the Kinta Valley was the world’s richest tin producing area.


This is one of Malaysia's largest tin dredges, first built in 1938, last rebuilt in 1963 and specially equipped for working tailings. This dredge is powered by electricity and has a total of 2274 horsepower; the pontoon is 75 metres long and 19.5 metres wide; it has 117 manganese steel buckets, each with a capacity of 0.61 cubic meters capable of digging to a depth of 35.5 metres. 

Operations stopped in 1983 due to the collapse of the tin mining industry. Since then, it has lain in a man-made pond at Desa Perlombongan, about 10km from Batu Gajah, Perak.

This type of dredge is called a Bucket Line Dredge

the main structure is covered with corrugated steel sheets

A mining dredge comprises of a mechanical excavator and a screening, washing and concentrating plant, all mounted on a pontoon. The dredge performs four functions:

1. Excavates the alluvial material

2. Screens the material into two sizes

3. Treats the fines to recover their metallic or heavy components,usually with a revolving screen

4. Deposits the fines from the treatment plant and the coarse rejects from the screen to the rear of the dredge

The dredge floats in an artificial pond often supplied with water from outside source. It digs at the bow and deposits washed tailings at the stern, thus carrying the pond with it as it advances.

The digging end comprises an endless chain of cast manganese steel buckets carried on a fabricated steel ladder at an angle of approximately 45 degrees when operating at maximum depth. The ladder carries a circular tumbler at its lower end and a series of rollers on its upper side to support the loaded buckets

This is the bell for alarming purposes

Narrow alleys and  pipe inlet/outlet for the separated minerals after the recovery section.

It is known as the recovery section whereby tin ore and other minerals that are collected before it is pump into the collection drum. undersize from the screen is passed to ore concentrating and recovery equipment, consisting of a series of pulsating jigs. The concentrate is removed for further treatment while the tailings are discharged down a sluice at the stern of the dredge.

 

This big wrench takes up to 6 men to handle and it takes a huge hammer in order for the wrench to tighten or un-tighten the nuts and bolts.

I'm imagining that this is where the miners had their home-made packed lunch that their devoted wives made for them.

This is a giant hook with machineries at the upmost level.

As the buckets pass over the top tumbler, they discharge into a hopper from where a chute directs the dredged material into a revolving (or trommel) screen. Here it is washed by high pressure water jets, the fine ore-bearing material passing through the perforations (normally about 10 mm in size) and proceeding to the treatment plant and the oversize material continuing over the screen.

Before reaching the front section of the dredge, I had to carefully cross the rooftop and pray that my knees won't give in and come tumbling down to the whistling tune of 'fiddler on the roof'.

Here's a look at how high I was. I'm guessing the least is 5-story high.

I haven't finished my adventure yet but i'm taking a break and i'll see you in the next entry to show you the rest of the dredge as we climb down.

see ya!!!