Anderton Shearer Loader

The Anderton Power Loader with its cutting drum up to five feet in diameter was patented in 1953.

[1] The Shearer Loader was mainly developed by James Anderton OBE, who was the National Coal Board (St Helens Area) production manager and later chairman of the NCB's North-Western Division.

It was utilised by Anderton's employers at Groves Ravenhead Colliery in St Helens.

The shear drum is around 0.5 metres in diameter and the machine travels on an armoured conveyor with a prop-free front.

The Shearer was usually used on seams thicker than a metre[6] and produced small coal suitable for power stations.