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Show 40 Energy Guide March 2004 Hauling coal from Castle Valley mines Technology has a way of dramatically changing industry and mining for coal is a perfect example of how methods are advancing. One area that has seen a variety of changes over the past century is transportation as it relates to carrying coal. Of all the technical advancements made in the coal industry few are as varied as the methods miners used to get the coal to market. Although there are numerous miners who have seen firsthand the changes Jack Pressed, formerly manager of the Columbia mine near East Carbon City, provided the pictures of the various modes of transportation and explained how each phase advanced. Within 100 years, coal mining literally advanced from using dogs to carry our small carts of coal to transporting hundreds of thousands of tons of coal over the mountain pass several times a day. In the history of coal mining, the dog was used and a small cart carried very little coal, possibly 100 pounds out of the mine shafts. Pressed estimates that the dog was used up to about 75 years ago. Next came the mule and horse. The animals were able to pull a much larger load, possibly up to a ton. ; Then with the advancement of channeling, electric motors were able to pull 50 coal cars loaded with 10 tons of coal. The time frame for thie method was in the early 1 920s. The motors had no brakes and no rotation, according to j j I Modern coal trains crawl up Price Canyon. rm v . .... . ; Pressed. Finally, with the development of the conveyor belt and shuttle car, coal was transported to a power plant by railroad locomotives. The trains could carry more than 10,000 tons. " Miners didn't have to unlock the cars because of a turn car that pivoted the cars around to load and unload the coal. jin modern days, transportation includes a 100 railroad cars. Each carrying 100 tons of coal to distribution sites. I ; "kick-back- Dog haulage at a coal mining operation. tyiu U |