non-hopper cars at mine facilities ?

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1

what other types of cars might serve a mine? i’m thinking of 1930s anthracite mines in Pa

wouldn’t they need timber to support the mine roofs? would these be carried on flat cars or gondolas?

i guess they would use coal to power steam engines to power any lift equipment at a mine. Would there be a need for any tanks cars?

i assume any grease or oil would be come in 55 gallon containers. how might these be carried? boxcar?

assume other equipement/tools could be carried in boxcars. would a mine have a small freight house for unloading and storage?

2

Gons for loading coal, though not very common in the east.

They might or they might be trucked in locally. It was called “prop timber”. Upstate lumber mills cut and shipped it so I would assume that the mines unloaded it.

Probably not.

To come in a boxcar, they would need to order tons of it at a time. A mine probably wouldn’t use that much that fast. Probably bought from a local distributor one or two drums at a time.

What they might use tons of was calcium carbide, what was in the miner’s head lamps before they went to battery powered electric lights. It came in 5 gal buckets. It was a powder and when mixed with water gave off acetylene gas, and that’s what the lamps burned.

My dad grew up in Southern Illinois, where they also did coal mining. When he was a kid, one of his buddies found an old acetylene bucket. It still had some in the bottom. His buddy got the bright idea to “launch” himself. He put a little water in the bucket, put on the lid and swished it around. He then stood on the bucket and dropped a lit match through the bung hole into the bucket.

My dad said there always was a debate whether the kid broke both his legs on the launch or on the landing.

[quote]

assume other equip

3

Ouch, how high did the bucket go…

Don’t forget the beer. [(-D] [(-D][(-D] maybe a small platform if miners were brough to the mine by the railroad, maybe just for one coach or something.

~Eastrail

4

Tank cars for the oil they put on the coal to create “dustless” coal for retail sale. I’m not sure how many tank cars of that oil a mine would use in a given period of time but I do know that Henry H Cross Company, a petroleum refiner with offices in Chicago had a picture of one of their tank cars on an ad for NO-KOL-DUST Coal Treating Oil.

Some mining companies painted their coal. There was Blue Coal in the East and Old Ben Coal Company in Southern Illinois marketed a green coal. I don’t know if the paint came in tank cars or in box cars, but up through the transition era it likely came by rail.

Jeff White

Alma, IL

5

All I know is what I learned studying the Virginia and Truckee Railroad which served the silver mines in Virginia City: Lumber and mining timbers for the mine were shipped on stake side flatcars. They also shipped cord wood (fire wood) in gondolas. Mining equipment was shipped on flatcars or in box cars depending on it’s size. I hope this helps.

6

mine i worked at though it was in the 80’s recived two miners on flat cars also recived the shear for the long wall on a flat as it weighed 250 tons , i also remember a gon loaded with belting . and one box car full of 50 pound bags of rock dust. thats all i remember by rail in 15 years i worked there.

7

If a large operation? Explosives??

Thank You.

8

If they did get lumber, it probably would have come in boxcars, not flats or gondolas. Automobile boxcars were used if possible, because of the double doors and in some cases opening end doors, which made loading and unloading easier. Hauling lumber on flats did happen back then, but I believe it didn’t become the preferred way to haul it until the advent of plastic wrapped / packaged lumber much later.

As noted in earlier posts, the mine would probably have a storehouse that things like lumber, parts, etc. would be delivered to. However, I suppose the mining company might have one storehouse that served several mines in that area.

Yes, I’d think explosives would be a possibility to, but not sure if the mine would get it directly or not? I know the Missabe Road (according to an old employee timetable I have) served a warehouse owned by Hercules Powder Co. I assume the DMIR delivered (steel) boxcars with dynamite etc. to Hercules, and then the area mining companies probably bought what they needed and hauled it to the various mines by mining co. trucks.

9

Hello all,

Just remember YOU asked.

My layout is freelanced from an operating coal mine in western Colorado set in the 1970’s to 1980’s.

Some of these suggestions might be applicable in the 1930’s.

A coal burning powerplant; served by a conveyor directly from the mine, provides power to the mine. Boxcars, tankers and flatcars service this facility.

The service facilities are enough to support the mining activities and train maintenance. This includes two steam engines; converted to burn oil.

A long siding provides storage for hoppers and special trains.

Re-purposed covered hoppers arrive at a separate facility loaded with rock dust to be used in the mine.

Tanker cars bring in fuel oil, and other liquids as needed.

Flatcars; of all kinds, loaded with machinery.

These loads vary from simple covered loads on a 40-foot flatcar to custom built well cars carrying large tunnel boring heads.

Ventilation sytems; large fans, generators, ducting; both rigid and flexible.

Pumps, valves and pipe to control the water in the mine.

Oversized loads of conveyor belt, more motors and control for the material haul system.

Vehicles of all kinds used both in and out of the mines.

Some of these loads could also be hauled in gondolas.

A few boxcars for smaller crated goods.

A doodlebug with a combine car!

The upper loading shed is only accessible by rail. There needs to be a way to get miners and small loads up there.

Because there is an historic wooden trestle still in use a fire-tanker car is posted a small siding next to the structure.

An excursion train consisting of two steam engines; converted to oil, a combine car, two Olde Tyme passenger cars and a bobber caboose. These are stored at the head end of a Wye.

There is