N scale Coal Mine Questions

[randgust]

I've had the opportunity to have to be 'on the tracks' around a significant number of the remaining bituminous coal loadouts in Central PA.

Most - but not all - have evolved into large-scale truck loadouts; a place to accumulate a BIG pile of truck-dumped coal, an oversized excavator bucket loader, some cribbing + geography to get the excavator up to car-top level, and away you go.  They're loading entire unit trains that way now, power on both ends, cars never cut off, crew stays on to move the train up periodically.  If you need to speed it up, get more excavators & guys to run them.

As a modeler, I'd always expected to see 'structures' at the end of lines that handle coal; its kind of anticlimactic to have the line just up & quit beside a big coal-covered wide spot with a cribbed ramp area for the bucket loader(s).  No sidings, no switches even in some cases.  Train comes in with power on both ends, loads up over a day or so, goes back out.

There are a few significant breaker-sorter type remaining, one is at the Lady Jane mine complex in Pennfield (which had its own switcher, tracks, etc.) and another at Bigler, PA (home of the gigantic oval reversing loop track layout out of the Atlas track plans book) that look more conventional.  But they are typically running truck-mined coal into those loadouts, not mining on the site itself.

During the 70's the last classic loadout was on the Mt. Jewett branch of the B&O at Lucinda PA, right beside the public highway.  Because of one light bridge, it was all the 4-bay 34' 50-tonners you ever wanted to see, pulled behind lightened GP7's with small fuel tanks.  Complete throwback to the 50's.  Elevated breaker over the track, cable car-puller to move cars around on multiple tracks.   Switched every other day or so by the local.  Typical cuts were a modelable 10-15 cars.    It shut down in the early '80's with the clean air regs, along with most of the similar operations in Clarion Co, the LEF&C closed for the same reason not long after.

But overall, the actual operations today are dramatically different from the 'classic' coal mines often modelled on layouts.

[TrainCat2]

One of my "GoTo" sites I have bookmarked for future projects. This one is Coal Loaders:
http://www.appalachianrailroadmodeling.com/loaderphotos.html

[CrazyLynx]

I found the book "Appalachian Coal Mines and Railroads In Color Vol. 1: Kentucky" very informative regarding both small and large mining operations from a railroad stand-point, and with great pictures.
It's by Morning Sun Books.
http://www.morningsunbooks.com/southcat9.html

[nkalanaga]

A few years ago, along the N&W (NS) in southern West Virgina, there was still a mine using an aerial tramway, apparently to move the waste rock to the next valley.  Very unusual, as it was more common in western mining areas to move the ore by tramway and leave the waste at the mine.
http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/flattop/keystone/keystone.htm

[LV LOU]

During the 70's the last classic loadout was on the Mt. Jewett branch of the B&O at Lucinda PA, right beside the public highway.  Because of one light bridge, it was all the 4-bay 34' 50-tonners you ever wanted to see, pulled behind lightened GP7's with small fuel tanks.  Complete throwback to the 50's. 

Because of the light trackage all over the Hazleton,Pa area,the Lehigh Valley had "Pups",Dynamic brake equipped SW's they ran in consists of as many as five locomotives at a time.The train was called the "Hazleton Man"..

[rogergperkins]

I like modeling trains with loaded hopper cars, but I model the Midwest essentially central Illinois, thus all the great examples of modeled coal mines from the east coast are not applicable neither is current mining in the west since I model the 1940s.
There are/were mines in Illinois during the 1940s and before, some around Pana, IL and others further south.
 
Currently a model of a mine on my layout is off-line.
If in the future more layout space miraculously appears, a peninsula devoted to such is an option.

[LV LOU]

I like modeling trains with loaded hopper cars, but I model the Midwest essentially central Illinois, thus all the great examples of modeled coal mines from the east coast are not applicable neither is current mining in the west since I model the 1940s.
There are/were mines in Illinois during the 1940s and before, some around Pana, IL and others further south.
 
Currently a model of a mine on my layout is off-line.
If in the future more layout space miraculously appears, a peninsula devoted to such is an option.

I'm really fortunate.The knox Mine Disaster here in the late 50's shut down nearly all the mines in the valley,but some still kept going into the 70's,so I can model working deep Anthracite mines in 1972.Also,the N&W,PC,& B&O ran unit coal trains on the LV up to powerplants in NY,so I can run pretty much anything I want.

[alhoop]

One I find interesting:

http://krugtales.50megs.com/rrpictale/kiewit/kiewit.htm

Shows old vs new and has rail ops description.

One question : why two coal mines?

Al

[Blazeman]

Then there was the EBT. Took run-of-mine coal from various mines and truck loaders to Mt. Union to feed the breaker that loaded hoppers to PRR.

My former employer sold a sink-float media of ground magnetite ore to the mining industry for cleaning purposes. That though was shipped in hopper trucks.

[Kisatchie]

One question : why two coal mines?

Because I'm greedy  .


Hmm... Kiz has more
coal hoppers than you
can shake a stick at...

[Midniteflyer]

Here is a pic of my mine area..........

[nkalanaga]

"Why two coal mines?"  Because usually, where you find one coal mine, there are others.  Mines and coal fields go together like cows and grass fields.   

Blazeman:  THANK YOU!  I pass a magnesite company between Kenova and Prichard, WV, everyday, and wondered just what a coal company would use it for.  I knew what it was, as a mineral, but even Wikipedia didn't list any coal-related uses.

Also, my railroad stole the EBT's idea.  No room for a big mine, so the narrow gauge hoppers are dumped into the breaker, which then loads the standard gauge.  Lots of cars, minimal real estate.

[peteski]

Since "loads in, empties out" scheme was mentioned, here is an example of such setup.

Coal mine


Power plant


They are located across the scenic divider from each other.  There are 2 tracks which loop 180 degrees inside of the mountain.  One track for empties, the other for loaded hoppers.  The trains enter those tracks through a shed on the power station side and through the large coal storage building on the coal mine side.  Both buildings are scratchbuilt, but kits could easily be utilized for this type of a setup.

[rogergperkins]

Peteski,
Nice photos of coal mine and power plant connection.
Wow! What a home layout.

[peteski]

Peteski,
Nice photos of coal mine and power plant connection.
Wow! What a home layout.

Thanks Roger!  The layout is in my friends basement, but I have also put many hours into it.  I posted bunch of photos of this layout in http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=52943  and a engineer's view video tour in http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=62981