Loading a Western Kentucky Coal Train: The Warrior Coal Mine in Action

This is the second video in which I recorded a train being loaded at a coal mine.
This is at the Warrior Coal Mine in Manitou, Kentucky.
The train being loaded is from the Paducah & Louisville Railway.
The coal will be burned at a power plant in Louisville.
You'll see the tower in action and learn how the coal is pulled from the ground and ultimately loaded into the hopper cars.
I hope you enjoy.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Jim Pearson Photography:
www.jimpearson...
Real-time footage begins at 12:24
Hoppers being loaded at 16:28
Bulldozers dozing bull at 34:41
Chasing the loaded train at 53:52
Coal refuse hill at 1:00:33
Coal comes out of the ground at 1:02:02
Coal into a pile at 1:05:15

[@ralphascariot105]

Both my grandfathers ( deceased) Union coal miners. I worked 40 of my 44 years in coal plants here in Western Pa. Im thrilled to see this video. GOD Bless Coal Miners and Coal Operations everywhere.!!!!😃😃😃😃😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@dsop]

Does that mean you started when you were 4?

[@ralphascariot105]

I strted September 23, 1970 Retired March 1, 2013 Im 71 years old @@dsop

[@gustavsmith3398]

😂​@@dsop

[@earlljrquesenberry4826]

I am from West Virginia. Grew up in Mabscott. I designed many reclaim tunnels, loadouts, prep plants, and several hundred miles of conveyors. the facilities were in WV, KY, IN, IL, and CO. I enjoy coal people. I worked for J O Livley, AMAX, Diamond Shamrock, and as a consultant. I wonder if any visitors here remember me?

[@charlesmullins3238]

Well you’ve had to have been on coal mac over there in West Virginia…? That’s biggest job I’ve ever been on..and starfire coal in hazard…horizon nat res at time..

[@earlljrquesenberry4826]

I am a retired coal preparation engineer. The sprays prior to empty cars entering the load out are freeze release agents not water.

[@charlesmullins3238]

You have to be from western va….lol. I’m from eastern Ky and been round mines my whole life ….dad put 30yr underground

[@sweets6865]

How do they get the coal out of the cars when it's delivered to site 🤔

[@charlesmullins3238]

@@sweets6865 gates on underside…they pull overtop hoppers with beltlines feedin into plants…I’ve sprayed the whole prep plants too…7 floors startin from the top sweepin to the stairwells….made alotta friends doin that..them comin up us not knowin…lol

[@nkyrailfan]

@sweets6865 I believe they're pulled over a raised platform and the coal is dumped from the bottom of the cars.

[@nelsonchinasamy9857]

​@@nkyrailfanyou are correct

[@cuzzndon]

The nozzles that you were calling water spray were not spraying water. They spray a chemical that keeps the coal from sticking to the sides of the hoppers. Great video. Thanks.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the great information! I never would have thought they would need to do that, but that makes sense as to why it would be before the coal is loaded.

[@WV5513]

We call it freeze proofing

[@bryanlee5090]

That’s called “flood loading” rail cars. As coal is shoved by those dozers, it will travel up the conveyor belt. As it does, usually, but not all, have a sprayer system that while treat the coal with a residue that a) keeps the dust down b) Damping it with a solution that cuts dust down 80%, along with some freezing agent to keep it from sticking in the hoppers c) helps making the dump using rotary or other ways off dumping, having less “clogging” issues. I did this years with CSX, and the mines in Eastern Ky! We’d flood load 150 AEPX cars, and 125 DEEX cars bound for the Great Lakes. Hope this helps!

[@nkyrailfan]

@bryanlee5090 thank you for the great info! I really do appreciate it.

[@rogerbundy238]

Also, coal in that form could never "spontaneously" combust.

[@supercuda1950]

Great explanation of the process. Good to see American companies working.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks, Rupert. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and the explanation.

[@bencrabtree8273]

There's a nice coal pile in Calvert City KY. They store coal and load barges. There are several coal trains run through there a week.

[@nkyrailfan]

I'll see if I can head down there and check it out. Thanks for letting me know.

[@earlljrquesenberry4826]

The last thing you want to add to the coal product is water. The coal preparation plant's key desire is to reduece moisture.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for the great info! I do appreciate it.

[@charlesmullins3238]

Boy how I miss the tipples round here…live under old surface mine grew up watchin cats and Eucs roam the ridges

[@southwestfloridarefuse3751]

I think it may have been going to a LG&E plant, or a contractor plant! Thank you for your video, I quite enjoy them!

[@nkyrailfan]

I believe you're correct. And thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the videos.

[@bennywilks9367]

It's amazing that all of those cars are graffiti free. I'm glad to see it actually. That's 5x speed, but it actually looks like it could be real-time to someone who has no knowledge of the process. Great video. Wow that's a lot of cars total!

[@littlewingpsc27]

Most unit coal trains run from mine to power plant and back and don't sit idle long enough to get tagged because they are always moving. Railroads like unit train loads like this.

[@williamgibb5557]

The power plant here in Cape May County, that has since been closed, got a 100 coal cars and 5 oil cars a week. Its amazing the production needed to feed power plants around the country . Thank you to the mines,train crews, rail operators and plant operators to keep the lights lit and EVs being charged! FJB and his green agenda however I built my house in 1983 to be solar-powered and achieved my dream in 2007 with 115% production . I love the $5 monthly cost after paying $37,000 for the system.

[@southerncross4956]

Not sure what you are saying here. Are you telling us your solar panels from China, using your numbers here show that you have paid about $190 a month until this year to install solar panels and they are a good value? I know you have found out solar panels seldom last much over 10 years? So how many of you your panels are original installs? 115% efficiency wow! Where ever Cape May is you sure get a lot, I mean a lot of sun a day, does it ever rain there? Just askin……..

[@michaelodonnell8209]

Everyone wants cheap power, but no one wants a coal fired power plant or a coal mine near them. It is a dirty business.

[@holleyrj]

Very cool video, thanks for sharing. Very interesting

[@keithmoore5306]

i'm surprised there's any shaft mines still open seeing how hot and bothered they are for topping the hills anymore!!

[@chrisbarr1359]

I love your videos and this certainly is another great one! I like knowing how things work, how processes are done and your videos are a close up look at just that! Thanks for your hard work!

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much, Chris. I really do appreciate it. I'm the same way. I love knowing how things work. I've learned a lot about many things putting these videos together.

[@brandonreeves5979]

Love the commentary with your content. Very informative sir. 👍🏻👍🏻🎥💯

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks, Brandon. I do appreciate it.

[@lnrailroad3215]

Awesome video!!

[@freebird7284]

our house was heated with coal until around 1970

[@EdwinMK79]

Cool video 👍

[@abysstime1852]

There is a very large Norfolk Southern flat switching yard in Decatur Illinois. Multiple industries rite by the yard that are serviced from the yard and a few different small different railroad yards there as well. It could be some good video. If you would like more information on it I have some stuff you could look at.

[@nkyrailfan]

I've had several people reach out regarding the yard. I'll see if I can make a trip out there this summer. Unfortunately, 2/3 of it are in a no fly zone because of Decatur airport.

[@abysstime1852]

@@nkyrailfan makes sense. I did wonder if it would be problematic with the airport so close.

[@nkyrailfan]

@abysstime1852 I'll try to let you know if I'm able to make it out there.

[@davefroman4700]

Although this looks impressive? The fact is that the amount of coal used has been steadily declining for 30+ years. Its gotten so low in fact, that in 2018 the "Coal Index" was quietly dropped from the Wall st. commodities exchange.

[@3XFaster791]

Which is funny cause global coal consumption continues to rise. China and India pick up whatever coal we don’t burn

[@jamesburnside3023]

Excellent video enjoyed

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks, James. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@PeterGlen-s9z]

Thanks for this video, very informative

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@newjerseyray]

very interesting, enjoyed that. thanks.

[@Gonnygbs]

nice video

[@tarabottogino]

You know, your voice sounds exactly the same as the late actor John Candy!

[@nkyrailfan]

I'm going to take that as a compliment.

[@Rtzee]

Excellent content!! Thank you for the time you spent gathering all this information.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you very much, Rusty. I'm very glad you enjoyed the video.

[@redfrontier10]

My hometown. I know right where this is.

[@scotabot7826]

Super Cool video!!

[@nkyrailfan]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@Brian-StarGazer-77]

Thanks for the great video

[@royo1450]

Coal keeps the lights on.

[@k4sbb829]

At the 1:01:52 mark there is strip pit round the gob pile and back to the right is the old Pittsburgh and midway surface mine my great grandfather and grandfather and my dad was coal miners great grandfather worked at no7 he was killed in a mine explosion there in Clay and grandfather worked at no9 in Clay dad worked at west Kentucky coal then pyro then Peabody

[@earlljrquesenberry4826]

Hello Chris I am familiar with bottom dump rail cars. I have designed many train load outs. I also did some rotary dump loadouts where the hopper cars have a special coupling that can allow rotation. Cars stop at the designated position and that car is rolled over and the coal dumps out of the top where it was loaded. Did you work in the coal industry? I designed several coal preparation plants from flowsheet to start-up. I am from West Virginia but worked in KY, IL, IN, and finally in CO where I live now. Here I worked at West Elk Coal Mine. I retired in 2018 after 22yr, 3 months and 10 days. Be cool as a Jewel, I am.

[@JackVance5]

Is this one of the sources that supply the NS Sandusky dock? Always been curious where the coal comes from for that

[@nkyrailfan]

I do not believe so. The folks I've talked with say that coal mainly comes from western Pennsylvania. Most of what's burned on and around the Great Lakes is for steel making, so it needs to be a lower sulfur content than what this mine produces.

[@danvanhoose6783]

Thanks to the coal miners.

[@earlljrquesenberry4826]

I have designed several hundred of these facilitates.

[@EntertainmentWorldz]

nice video😍😍❤❤

[@Glenn20Fowler-wn3iw]

This is really awesome. This is going to be tough to ask because I don't know the area. But there is a railroad coal line that runs from Corbin KY to Manchester KY. Unsure what the line is called. But use to love watching the trains go a past my mamaws house when I was a lot younger. Just curious if it was still in operation? My mamaw lived in canon KY.

[@Messicrafter]

That would most likely be CSX's EX L&N CV Subdivision, Specifically the C & M Branch.

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks for answering his question, Benjamin.

[@Glenn20Fowler-wn3iw]

@@Messicrafter thank you. I'll do some you tube research to see if there is any videos. Would be awesome to see some. Especially in the canon area but the whole line would be awesome . Thank you again.

[@thenekom]

Really cool video! Now this is steam coal I believe? ie for power generation, not steelmaking? No relation to the Warrior Met Coal mine down in Alabama?

[@nkyrailfan]

Yes, this is coal destined for power plants. This specific load is going to a plant in Louisville, Kentucky. I believe it's all the same company which owns the mines.

[@3XFaster791]

This mine is owned by alliance resource partners and is called warrior. Warrior met is a separate company and has no relation

[@raymondbolin8186]

7 years that's good where I used to work at before it got shutdown we had 11 years of no lost time

[@nkyrailfan]

Oh wow! That's an incredibly long time without a lost time incident.

[@raymondbolin8186]

Yeah it's is

[@fight4blaque529]

This should also bring attention to the power of these diesel engines.

[@jamespenrose5278]

Those hopper cars must be new - no graffiti yet.

[@nkyrailfan]

I don't think they see much time in front of the public. The way I understand it, this is essentially just a shuttle train to and from a power plant. I don't think they sit for long on the to and from trips.

[@chuckcts-v3460]

"Oh Lord won't you take me back to Muhlenburg County, down by the Green River where Paradise lays, I'm sorry my son but your to late in ask'in, Mr Peabodys coal train's done hauled it away". - Paradise by John Prine

[@ssweeps]

Is coal heavy or light? Do all of the workers wear decent masks?

[@nkyrailfan]

Coal is a relatively light substance compared to similarly sized rocks. I would assume all underground workers are required to wear masks, but do not know for sure.

[@Hunter-y7v5v]

I work here Cool video !

[@nkyrailfan]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the video. Hopefully, I didn't get too many things wrong about the process.

[@LionelTrains50]

That coal train is p&l lg&e Louisville gas and electric the locomotives are sd70macs

[@eltoro6688]

Hey, I'm using your coal videos as a seed to build a playlist of "Coal from Mine to End User." Feel free to access it even though it's a work in progress.

[@heavydutyrepair64]

The environmental mafia from California hate this

[@cu29640]

Yup. Let them pay our utility bills once they remove all viable sources of power. A modern coal power plant is clean, efficient and takes up a much smaller land footprint than ugly windmills or solar panel farms.

[@nickb2722]

This is why I love it former Californian living in Arkansas with a smile, this is near my old Boss stomping grounds and he’s a coal man

[@andyhansen5397]

And the coal helps create power for the electric cars

[@k4sbb829]

Alliance has 3 mines in WKY warrior cardinal and riverview uniontown and riverview Henderson both riverview mines load out on barges they shut down dotiki Webster county coal the original slope and mine offices was on my grandpas ground that he sold to mapco now alliance

[@3XFaster791]

They also have 1 in Indiana and one in Illinois

[@bradjustad3527]

Video on western (Wyoming) coal mines and the giant coal flood towers would be great ! As they will begin to disappear in the next decade. Last 40 yrs of Western coal production (must see with the aid ofbdrone photography)

[@nkyrailfan]

I would absolutely love to go out west and catch some of those mining operations in action. I've seen a few videos and they look incredible. Unfortunately, all my trips are driving (it's expensive and a pain to bring my equipment on an airplane and then have to rent a car). If I'm ever driving out there, I'll definitely make a video.

[@LionelTrains50]

I have Paducah and Louisville railroad spikes

[@bluegrassman3040]

So does the P&L.

[@Diddley-js6lf]

Thank You Folks For All The Very Hard Work, I just wish The Politicians would Stay Out Of The Energy Industry. At the End Of They Day All The Politicians Care About Is How Is Theirs To Keep.

[@marksanders2587]

Where’s all that black gold going?

[@nkyrailfan]

It is heading to a power plant in Louisville, Kentucky.

[@rickeylocke8610]

where does this train end up or do we know?

[@nkyrailfan]

This will head to the Mill Creek Power Station, southwest of Louisville.

[@brianfirth9087]

How does the coal get there

[@nkyrailfan]

Conveyor belts bring it from the underground mine to the loading area.

[@williamjohnson4496]

Elk yes

[@God_Bless_President_Trump]

De Butts 😂

[@williamjohnson4496]

Me I'm Elvis kirkendall 😊

[@earlljrquesenberry4826]

I just realized I repeated myself. Sorry

[@dr.kennethnoisewater26]

Load 16 tons and what do you get?…

[@Swindy1794]

Oh look!… electric car fuel.. 😂😂

[@nelsonchinasamy9857]

You are not wrong here. They charge the battery with coal fired electricity and then claim that they are enviro friendly geeks.🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@aammiranda]

Solar energy much easier to mined.

[@bigbuck2720]

Not the products to make the panels

[@zakorektnost]

cc pleas

[@MarshaTaylor-h9c]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤.

[@mikestanford4307]

Great video! I work at an underground coal mine in Alabama and to see the coal on the ground is a great satisfaction for me. I would like to share a link to a video called "Cars of Coal" by a good friend of mine that shows just what it costs to get the coal to the surface where the general public can see it. Thanks again for the video and I hope you enjoy this one as well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTYn6iEg9OMhKssi=VGjSDegM3JFtXMm4

[@nkyrailfan]

Thanks, Mike! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And thank you for sharing Cars of Coal! That's a great video. I had no idea what it took to get the coal out of the ground.

[@BuckleGeoffrey]

Perez Sharon Garcia Kimberly Johnson Betty

[@dogyerf21]

all the ends of sentences being druuugg ooooouut. So annooooyyyiiinnggg

[@user-gs6fq1jq8y]

That coal is going to make coke and intern help make STEEL

[@nkyrailfan]

Where do you see that? Everything I read says this coal is only used for thermal purposes because of the high sulfur content.

[@leonardryan8723]

Coal same iron ore in IOC in Labrador Newfoundland. God give it to us to use for making all day things.😊😊

[@okphone7393]

ดกไไดกไกดดไกเำไก110009000000099😊😅😅

[@fight4blaque529]

At some point, mother Earth will respond to this constant digging and GREED. We can all live comfortably WITHOUT fuels from the earth be it natural gas or coal. Both have a place within nature and the constant disturbing of nature will yield grave consequences.

[@JOHNNYCARROLL-f9e]

but what if God put it there for our use.

[@fight4blaque529]

@@JOHNNYCARROLL-f9e Isn't interesting how we can survive and THRIVE wo/ digging into the Earth? We have a constant and abundant fuel source in the sky that will power anything mechanical we could ever imagine. There is nothing 'godly' about destroying His earth for money.