Question about how coal mines work(ed)


M

Mark B.

New Member
I'm trying to plan out out a small layout for narrow gauge HO; I want to make it a coal mine, with the train going into and out of the tunnels (mine). Time period would be sometime from turn-of-the-century to early 20th century.

I need to know a little more about how a small-scale coal mining operation would work before planning out my track, structures, etc.

Any help is appreciated!

Mark
 
Coal mines 100 years ago were pretty simple affairs. The vast majority did not have tunnels that led from the surface direct to a coal seam though. Most had vertical shafts that were dug to reach the seam and the coal was lifted back to the surface by winches mounted on head frames. There were tracks underground, usually 18" gauge, but the trains were powered either a mule or wire rope. The coal was usually dumped in loading bins, where either wagons or railroad hoppers were filled, with the coal being taken to other parts of the mine complex for sizing, debris separation, and washing.

There were some mines that had direct horizontal access to the coal and they did have tunnel portals and trains to carry the miner in and the coal out. There's a real good example of this at http://kycoal.homestead.com/CoalPatchTowns.html. The whole site gives you good overview of typical Appalachian coal mining, mining towns, and mining history.
 
UP2CSX hit the nail on the head right there. You might want a few houses nearby to simulate a mining town. How much space do you have for this?
 
Thanks for all the info UP2CSX!

I don't have a space limit, but I'm trying to keep it as small as possible. I want this to be a small, highly portable layout: Perhaps 4 feet wide and not quite as deep.

Yes, I'd like to have a small mining town as part of it. I want to keep the track work as simple as possible, yet not have it look like the proverbial toy train running in a circle.

Mark
 
I always thought of doing a narrow gauge mine layout with a cut-away in the facia to show the trams underground.
The club I'm in is doing just that .(but not in narrow gauge).
There will be lighting, mine cars and grubby little figures in the tunnels, and possibly the odd flash of dynomite.
 
yes a flash of light to show dynamite going off at random intervals would definitely have a nice effect. ok so i'm going to think of this as being 4 x 3. That's enough space for a nice-looking small mine. An "elevator" (more like a wooden platform on strings) is a must. You don't have to have this motorized, just a small wooden pallet hanging halfway down inside a shaft will do. Maybe putting a figure or two on it would have a nice effect. If this is modeling a large mine, some of those had small electrified trams that ran on narrow gauge tracks to transport miners. Showing at least one mining area is a must if this is not part of anything else. This should have columns of unmined rock holding up the roof (NOT wood as some people think). maybe having one figure putting dynamite in a hole would be interesting.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top