Model

This model was reconstructed in 1/140th scale to demonstrate a likeness of the the Manda Pit at its peak in 1939. It shows the pit very well and almost the entire northern half of the model is remaining today. The larger tower is called the No. 1 Shaft Tower. Its role was to bring the mined coal to ground level and to let fresh air into the pit. However, as the distance to the mining face gradually increased, efficiency worsened. The Manda Pit was integrated with the Mikawa Pit and the Tower ceased its functionality. After that, the No. 1 Shaft Tower, which had finished its role, was demolished and re-used in the Mitsui-Ashibetsu Coal Mine in Hokkaido. Therefore, the Tower is not here now but its pedestal and shaft are still here. Especially noteworthy is that the shaft has not been filled in and still remains as it used to be. The remaining tower is the smaller No. 2 Shaft Tower with its surrounding facilities in good condition as they used to be. Miners used the elevator called the ‘Cage’, hung in the Tower, to go 264m below the ground for maintenance of the main cavity until its closure in 1997.

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