Time-lapse footage of dark clouds whizzing by a giant coal mining landmark in Leeds this morning(11th May 2020)
The Bucyrus Erie 1150 or BE11 is a preserved walking dragline, which is located at the entrance to RSPB St Aidan's in Swillington near Leeds, and was used at this site when it was formerly an Open Cast Coal Site (OCCS) until 2004 when the site closed. The BE1150 is also known locally as 'Oddball' after being brought to the UK from the U.S.A and running on electrical equipment by General Electric compared to the usual Westinghouse. Coal operations were completed in 2004 on the site, and Oddball was spared becoming scrap metal after Richard Budge the C.E.O of R.J.B Mining handed over the machine to St Aidan's Trust, which is a charity set up by the National Coal Board(NCB) & Leeds City Council in 1990. Preservation and maintenance of the historic mining machine are paid for by donations and funding from National Lottery, the Science Museum Prism Fund, European Funding Agencies and other benefactors.