Coal Mines (specifics on the buildings)

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

My questions are not about mine operations, or the difference of them, but about the specific parts of the ‘typical’ mine. Typical being the buildings above ground for a 1940-1960’s era underground/shaft and tunneling into the side of a hill mine. Generally, what are the different buildings that make up the ‘mine’, and what are the basics needed to have one operational? What I’m looking for are answers like “Building A is the crusher, B is the separator, C is the …”

My intentions are to gather this type of info for scratch building mines in-place rather than using or kit bashing existing structures. That way I’m not building the layout around the kit. Also, this way I can scratch build one and include all the necessary buildings/rooms without someone seeing it and questioning how the mine works without such and such.

I know there has to be certain basics to every mine, … what are they?

2

First one I can think of for any deep shaft is a blower house - to ventilate the mine.

There will be at least one headgear, maybe two - which may be open or enclosed depending on local practice (and weather) and the associated winding house(s).

There may be a boiler house or other power plant depending on era.

However the above assumes that you are looking at shaft rather than drift or strip mining.

A huge amount depends on where you are in the country and the size of the mine. I believe that some of the Appalachian mines had virtually no surface structures except some sort of tipple… other places would have massive flood loading towers.

People will be able to help you more if you have an era and location in mind…

[:P]

3

Transition era, Appalachian coal country. However, I’m proto-lancing so I’ll be doing more than just a coal tipple or chute. I also edited my first post to specify shaft and mining into the side of a hill. I’m not interested in pit or surface mining.

Thanks, your info is good help so far.

4

Save this link, it is one of the best sites there is:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/

Then search for the “kaymoor mine”. That has a complete description of how a mine works, plans, drawings, track layouts, photos, etc.

Search for "coal mine’ and you will find hundreds of entries with literally thousands of pictures of coal mines across the country.

5

Awesome link, thank you very much. I was on one college website that had an archive of eastern coal mine pictures and I saved a ton of them to give me idea’s to work from. I just needed to find out what most of the buildings or parts of buildings were for me to understand what needed to be there or not.

Thanks!