Coal Country: How Coal Gets From the Mine to the Power Plant

Here is a project that I have been wanting to do for a while now. Finding the time to get everything together and find the time to edit was the main thing that was holding me back. Here is some videos from back home that I threw together about how coal gets from the coal mine to the power plant. A little more than just loading a hopper and putting the train in notch eight. Majority of these clips are from 2016-2017. Back when the coal economy was up a little more than it is in this current day in age. This video features everything Norfolk Southern wise to heritage units, to the AC44C6M rebuild units. To AC pushing power. I really enjoyed making this, I hope you enjoyed watching it as well! All these clips are from South West Virginia with a hint of Southern West Virginia. Thank you for checking it out!

[@KenMeluso]

WOW! Heritage units Lehigh Valley, Nickel Plate, and New York Central.

[@jackmankins2520]

This was so cool! I’ve always loved trains and have wondered how these things are done.

[@turtle1897]

I find it hard to believe that they are using a 6 ton front end loader to prep a belt line to load a rail That would take forever

[@richardturk7162]

Reminds me of the time I hauled coal out of mines in Eastern Kentucky. Trucking back then was dangerous but fun at the same time.

[@Cinziaking]

Man that second shot of the train coming out of the tunnel looked more like it was coming out of the mine with all that smoke!

[@brilliantman79]

Excellent explanation and coverage of how coal train operations work!

[@woods840]

Great vid. Long live King coal! #FJB

[@pamallinder3287]

I left a city to.learn alot from.our small towns. I learned more than i expected

[@dondorton3228]

Loaded a many of train here at Tom’s Creek, great video!!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Used to run a 980-F just like that one and screened strippings through an ExTec like the one it was feeding at a crusher. Job security. Loved the EMD's too!

[@EntertainmentWorldz]

Great video ❤❤😍😍

[@thebluehero2219]

My Dash 8 😭 what a cruel world (2022)! Great video!

[@fredbrooks1386]

Liked seeing NKP 8100 Heritage. Great video.

[@RailFanRob]

wow the opening scene alone is awesome..thanks for sharing this!!

[@hunt7572]

I live close to the lamberts point yard in Norfolk. Cool to see where the trains start from

[@heiliner]

Very Well Done!

[@slgordon3]

I enjoyed this very much.

[@geoffreymoore1510]

Thanks very much. Most interesting. Greetings from Australia. New subscriber.

[@TriGogglin]

Great video, informative and you had some great heritage units in there.

[@centeroftheearthmining4095]

Awesome thanks

[@jeffkeylon2033]

Great video

[@sammym.belfastchild]

Truly a great job, nice video, Big fan of NS . and of course BIG Coal country and all the amazing mines and diversity of the breathtaking views ... Cheers Great job 🥂 looking forward to seeing the next video, all the Best in 2021 to you and your s. 😁 Alberta Canada 🇨🇦 subscribed 👍

[@eugenetswong]

Thank you!

[@frenchywashmo]

can't tell you how many MT and loaded coal trains I have inspected in the last 27 years working for the Railroad

[@farmerbob728]

Nice and informative video..

[@BostonByRails]

Just found this video, I love it! its funny because I am nearly finished with a project I have been working on for months, called "coal country." Having just found this, I just want to give you an FYI that I will be posting a video by a similar name (coincidence), but different content and style etc.

[@garrinhatfield40]

Great video you earned a fan and a sub which was me can you do more of this I love it what yard does these trains come from and go to

[@toddnance454]

Where’s is the last part of video at? Really enjoyed it thx

[@StonewallTitlow]

Copper Creek Trestle.. nice shots.

[@appalachiangunman9589]

Is that the one near Duffield, VA?

[@tomt9543]

@@appalachiangunman9589 yes

[@smflatt]

I thought the terrain looked an awful lot like WV! I've been in WV many times and it's always a beautiful drive. Wonderful scenery.

[@marchutton7640]

It is WV. I know, I grew up there and have actually walked through that tunnel.

[@geoffreylee5199]

Sorting is an ongoing activity. Trains have a short wait period, $$$$$$$$ down the drain?

[@nancylynch6045]

Born and raised on the West Coast. Hardly see any coal out here. It's mostly hydropower. Fascinating video!

[@carmiethompson2676]

2:48 to 4:46 How does this small screening operation relate to loading a coal train? What this segment shows is the prep of the coal to load a pick-up truck. Why do you have this segment in your video?

[@mikey55328]

What a great video !!

[@alanstrong55]

I saw coal getting transported by BNSF rail cars in Shawnee Mission, KS It was one car after another, going to TX. Must be why I get plenty of electricity for our home, PRN.

[@ronaldradtke8577]

What state is this n town ???

[@scottynails]

The guy on that little loader must be awfully quick to be able to load an entire train.

[@thomaskowalcky4553]

so, how long does it take to load a train of that length?

[@norfolksouthern7701]

Around one hour in some cases.

[@frenchywashmo]

Those so called pushers are referred to as Distributed Power, all controlled by the lead locomotive via a Harris Box

[@norfolksouthern7701]

Majority, if not all in this video are manned pushers.

[@tylercolby6190]

The PRB in Wyoming is actually coal country

[@MagoffinCountyCadillac01]

My guy anywhere that coal is mined is coal country

[@hartmutlorentzen9659]

What happens in the rain?

[@tenderkins7478]

Keep working

[@Nitephall]

But how is it unloaded . . . that's what I wanted to see 😢

[@burtbrooks7731]

Norfolkn’way

[@christopherstanley4417]

wise county va

[@ededmonds8792]

Bad Wheel.

[@squibrail4014]

Great video. Thanx for the captions explaining what is going on. This video has been suggested by YT for a couple of weeks on my "A" channel, but that channel isn't about railfanning. I finally looked up your channel from this "B" channel to find this video. I also found Norfolk Southern Coal Train Loading Out at Tom's Creek Mine from 09 Oct 15 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHbOhWCihJ6qf80 That is a really good video also. I'll check out more as I have time.

[@Boraxo]

It's a train video.

[@gc4644]

It would have been nice to see how the coal is then offloaded at the plants.

[@pekde]

I think no explanation, no information, no talk. Where it was, what was digged, how much time needed to what phase. All unknown. Some random guy just filming without reason.

[@donsimpson3935]

coal power plANTS 99% EFFICIENT

[@markwilliams911]

Markwilliams

[@MagoffinCountyCadillac01]

Yup that’s your name buddy

[@davefroman4700]

All I see? Is stranded assets. Coal has been losing out to LNG for decades. Its now almost 3 times the cost per Kwh to make power from coal than it is from LNG. And now renewable plus storage is cheaper than either of them.

[@larrypatty8333]

Metallurgical coal will always be needed. As for storage, storing electricity on a megawatt level is not like a flashlight battery. It is prohibitively expensive. That is why is is not being done. Utilities would not let the electricity go to waste if it was affordable.

[@davefroman4700]

@@larrypatty8333 Incorrect sir, we already have two ways of making steel without coal all together. Both of which are substantially cheaper and produce far higher quality steel and steel alloys. Secondly Storage is NOT expensive at all anymore, compared to the long term costs of a peaker plant its peanuts. You never have to buy fuel for batteries and you don't need anyone to over see them either. And as to not being done? Globally over 80 GWh of storage was added last year. And that number is 3x the previous year.

[@larrypatty8333]

@@davefroman4700 And the primary method of making steel without coal is the electric arc furnace method, which uses natural gas. Between coal and natural gas they account for 90% of all steel produced. As for power storage, where is that being done at this time? 94% of US storage is pumped hydro according the the EPA. Only 733 mw of US energy are batteries.

[@davefroman4700]

@@larrypatty8333 Not anymore. Go look up Boston Metals.

[@davefroman4700]

@@larrypatty8333 All it takes is one company to realize a 30% reduction in cost to start undercutting the market and the rest will adopt the new technology quickly to survive. Those who do not? Will parish.

[@nickybritain4900]

Wow, a never ending supply of natural resources. Where will new coal come from? Oh, I guess we’ll have plenty more in 200 million years or so!

[@rbfishcs123]

Sadly the other side of that coin is that people think the earth has only been around for 5000 years or something like that so the idea of 'fossil fuels' isn't understood.

[@embededfabrication4482]

in the future they'll have to make oil from coal for things like plastic cause they wasted it all on gas for SUVs

[@DPImageCapturing]

LAME-O!