WESTERN COAL MINING OPS

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
1

I m modeling a western coal mining operation w/a flood loader and and a large loop to load my train with…My question to you guys is what other structures do I need to go with the loader? Im using and old UPcalender photo to go by…There seems to be a mtnce bldg for vehicles and smaller loaders and what looks like a natural gas storage plant for? maybe a dryer? Let me here from some of you that are further along w/your model than I am…Thanks,Videomaker[:)]

2

Confess I am not much of an expert here, but I do know that the coal would have to be sized before it was sent to market, so there would have to be some kind of building to hold the sizing screens for sorting the coal. Also, since coal is paid for by the pound (ton?), one can understand why customers would not want to pay for water – the probable reason for the drying operation.

3

The type of operation he is modeling doesn’t size the coal as much as crush it below a certain size. The coal in the cars ranges from powder to chucnks as big as a softball. The only other buildings would be support and office buildings, such as a maintenance for the trucks, loaders, draglines, etc. The propane tanks would be for heat at the facilities. There may also be a power generator since there may not be any electrical power in the area.

Dave H.

4

Thanks for the replies…They both sound reasonable…I’ll keep these in mind when I get down to the nitty gritty details…Videomaker [:)]

5

Don’t forget the coal piles when modeling a scene. Conveyor belts to the top of the pile, etc…

Mark in Utah

6

hey videomaker… peter here i answered your coalmine questions in the other coal mine topic thanks peter(coalminer)

7

I am glad that you asked that question. I am in the process of buliding a module that is a coal mine with a western flood loader from walthers and wanted to know what other buildings needed to go with it. So far I have in addition, maintance shed, office building, wash and sorting building(didn’t know about the dryer), and two stock piles. In what the otehrs have said this seems to be on track. No pun intended