Anthracite v. Bituminous

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:34 pm

G. W. Laepple wrote:

As for Broad Top coal, the East Broad Top used run-of-mine as long as they owned the mines. I remember seeing lengths of blasting wire sticking out of the stuff that poured out of the chutes into the tender. It was also pretty sulfurous, to the point that one could sometimes see a vein of sulfur in the coal.

My understanding of the EBT coal situation was that the EBT STILL owned (owns?) the coal seams/mines from which they were procuring what they dumped in the EBTRR tenders into the 1980s and 1990s. Which, if true, heightened the "EBT as time capsule" effect..

Loco112 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2009 8:46 pm

Page 5 of the "Locomotive Data" By Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation;

http://books.google.com/books?id=XrdKAA ... _1#PPA5,M1

"When anthracite is used as fuel, a comparatively shallow furnace will suffice, and the grate can often be placed above the driving wheels". In this way trailing wheels can sometimes be omitted, where in a soft burning locomotive of similar capacity they would be necessary on account of the boiler requirements.

So, this is saying that a soft-coal burning loco is a heavier loco, or at least it's heavier at the rear, (maybe the firebox is a lot heavier and/or larger and longer to lengthen the combustion process) or why else would it need trailing wheels when the "bity" burning version does not.

Hum? What do you guys make of this?

Then check out p.60 in the same book, about the "volatility" value of the various coals, I had no idea that anthracite was that low, and that lignite was so high!

ebtrr · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:11 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

G. W. Laepple wrote:

As for Broad Top coal, the East Broad Top used run-of-mine as long as they owned the mines. I remember seeing lengths of blasting wire sticking out of the stuff that poured out of the chutes into the tender. It was also pretty sulfurous, to the point that one could sometimes see a vein of sulfur in the coal.

My understanding of the EBT coal situation was that the EBT STILL owned (owns?) the coal seams/mines from which they were procuring what they dumped in the EBTRR tenders into the 1980s and 1990s. Which, if true, heightened the "EBT as time capsule" effect..

The EBT used Broad Top coal until 1991 as I understand, and started using it again in 2008. The EBT still owns the coal lands. They were Rockhill Iron and Coal Company/Rockhill Coal and Iron Company/Rockhill Coal Company lands (EBT's parent company) prior to that company being folded into Kovalchick Salvage.