An early, often horse-drawn, underground transport vehicle consisting of a flat wooden frame on wheels. Miners would load baskets or small tubs of coal onto the rolley to haul them from the working face to the main shaft for hoisting.
Heard on the job
The old tracks in the lower drift were spaced specifically for the horse-drawn rolleys.
Also heard as
- rolly
Related terms
Tub
An open-topped container or small rail car used to hoist mined material up a shaft.
Corf
A large, traditional basket made of hazel or wicker used to haul coal out of early mines.
Mine car
A rail vehicle used to transport broken rock or supplies underground.
Putter
A historic mine worker who pushed loaded coal tubs from the face to the main haulage road.