"california pit" was located at , immediately south of dodd lane, now california road. a new shaft was sunk in 1876 by abraham fussell on the site of an earlier shaft called blowbottom, part of the brook pits group. he renamed it california to indicate profitable prospects comparable to the california gold rush of a quarter century earlier. at first it was not rail-connected, and it became disused, but in 1889 it was re-opened and a branch line constructed: it ran generally south-south-east across fields, to a point at siston brook (or warmley brook) near the present-day sunnyvale footbridge. it turned north-eastwards down an inclined plane at 1 in 10 to cross the brook and join the a&gr main line. the inclined plane was self-acting, and was long; the junction was known as tramway junction. the colliery was closed down in march 1904, following inundation, and by the time of survey for the 1915 map the tramway is absent.