Aerial Ropeway

In Claughton, Lancashire, the Forterra brickworks produces 50 million bricks a year, from shale that's quarried a mile and a half away. To get that shale to the brickworks: the last aerial ropeway in the country. It uses no power, moves 300 tonnes a day. These used to be common: but now, the last one will be gone by 2036.

the folks = INFORMAL people in general shale = a type of soft, grey rock, usually formed from clay that has become hard, that breaks easily into thin layers commissioned = started to work bull rail = a bar that goes from one post or support to another

dusted = cleaned from dust muck = dirt gravity fed = gravity maintains the flow of material through a supply system pivot = the central point, pin, or shaft on which a mechanism turns hopper = a container for rock vital key = extremely important contractor = one that contracts to perform work or provide supplies splice = join or connect trestle = an open braced framework used to support an elevated structure slide rule = a hand-operated mechanical calculator designed for mathematical operations such as multiplication, division, etc. grant an extension = permit to work more heritage value = the cultural and historical significance posterity = all future generations of people unmaintained = not kept in good condition blot on the landscape = IDIOM something such as an ugly building that spoils a pleasant view