Here's a legit question & topic worth discussion. There are tourist tourist railroads who operate their steam locomotives using good old fashioned " Soft Bituminous Coal." Yes, the kind that produces black smoke & wonderful aromatic smells as the oils & chemicals are burned off.
I'm wondering if any of the railfans on this website know the names of any companies or family operated mines in the states of Pennsylvania that offer for sale soft coal in quantity? When I use the term " in quantity " I mean driving a pick up truck or hauling a dump body trailer behind a P/U truck, weighing in & out, buying the coal in bulk for cash & hauling it back home. Big slabs, small chunks doesn't matter as long as its Bituminous grade.
Hopefully someone has information that can help me out. Thank You.

They certainly exist.

But the best answer to your question depends where you are located. Nearly all the soft coal is coming out of southwestern Pa. last I heard.

Various mines or "house coal" dealers in Clearfield County, PA right off I-80

Mr. John Smythe,
Call me the curious cat. I'll take my chances.
What do you plan on burning soft in ?

I was under the impression that you may have given up
on getting dirty, choosing instead, the sylvan life.

Meanwhile, I have relayed your inquiry to someone
who has current experience in purchasing good
steam coal, aromatic, fairly moderate smoking,
good heating value and good firing characteristics,
in single truckload quantities.

Meanwhile, wishing you all the best.

Jim Conte, BoilerSaver.com

Yes, I have given up getting dirty for a job. I still work on my families automobiles when the weather allows & conditions warrant it. I've come a long way from my first gas station job & working at a local Chevrolet dealership on the lube rack. I have many fond memories of those whom I used to work with & getting to drive those brand new Corvettes, Z-28's & 454CID P/U trucks with just a little over 1 mile on the odometer, that wonderful new car smell. I've come a long way from back then. Smells & aromers of soft coal fired steam locomotives like CSRX #7470 bring back many fond memories as well.
Now in my free time I wish to go down into my basement & fire up my potbelly stove which takes off the chill whenever I'm there relaxing, tinkering with some odds & ends, doing laundry for my elderly mom, etc, etc. Thank you guys for any assistance you can render, I appreciate it.

I want to thank you guys for this information which is helping to narrow down the locations, mines that sell small amounts of bituminous coal that I can have loaded into my personal truck and bring back home. I have discovered that the majority of the places I have so far contacted only sell in large tonnage like a 18 wheeler size load. I know the right mine location is out there somewhere it's just a matter of getting the right place that does small loads, a good grade & price. Looking forward to a nice trip out into the countryside.

John,
Check your local Yellow Pages either online or paper version for coal dealers. Most people don't think to do that nowadays. Dealers still sell bagged and bulk coal.

Thanks for the tips guys. I have narrowed over 2 dozen possibilities down to just 2-3 which will suit my needs. All located along or near the I-80 Interstate in Pa.

I have an outdoor potbelly. I too burn some coal along with the wood. You can buy coal on line from

http://www.coalforsaleonline.com

A 25b box of blacksmith stove coal is about $26. Free delivery.

Cheaper by the quantity.

You may be a bit disappointed however. This is a very good grade of bituminous with little smoke or odor. It still has some, and it has high heat and burns easily. They are in Missouri, but I don't know the source of the coal.


Another source ebay. This is cheaper about $22 for 25 pounds.

https://www.ebay.com/p/Coal-25-Stoker-From-Southern-Illinois-Blacksmithing-Heating-Forgeing/11010533171?iid=182932995027

http://steffeyfindlay.com/coal/

Hagerstown, MD.

I purchase "Pocahontas" by the pick-up truck load for live-steam locomotive use in 5 gal plastic buckets. Having burnt real Pokey in the past, I believe this may be from Pocahontas County, but is not the seam. In this format they weigh truck in empty and loaded out and we pay by the ton. We do our own shoveling, which "allows" more of the fines to stay in the bin!

I believe they will also sell by the sack.

Steve

I purchased some of that so called Bituminous coal in 25 pound boxes and found it to be lacking, seems to have a lot of hard coal qualities. About 20 years ago I was at the Strasburg RR on business & they allowed me to take a good size cardboard box of their coal with me. It was good size lump coal Bituminous, man was that good stuff. Caught fire real quick, swelled up & broke apart and continued to burn nicely. It made good smoke & wonderful aromatic smells. Volatile stuff. I can use a U Haul trailer & get a ton of this stuff or they will fill up 55 gallon barrels & ship by truck to me. It may be cheaper but I'd like to get to see a real coal mining & sorting operation up close.
Priced right at $100.00 a ton.The mine is in Pawnatuxley, Pa.

Found a mining operation in Missouri which will sell me Bituminous, a whole ton of it & ship it all wrapped up on a skid. I purchased some samples from them and was very pleased at the performance of the product. Also have had dealings with a local coal dealer who just received a load of Bitum from Penn. Going to check that out tomorrow. Can always drive out to Penn with a U haul trailer and get a load of stoker coal, big slabs & chunks for $100.00 a ton. But then it's the costs to get there & back. Things are starting to come together. I want to be able to fire up my pot belly stove before Winter is over & see how toasty I can get my house.

Have my RR Potbelly stove all set up in my basement, new pipe, damper, screwed all sections of pipe together once stove was set into the right position. Will be building several small fires to re-season the metal & burn off any new paint coatings. I have acquired several types of Bituminous coal from several areas of the country, including some local sources which are below par. Seems all the volatile ingredients vanish into thin air over time & even after soaking this junk in kerosene, it would not catch & burn right. I perform a test by placing a small piece over the grate of our kitchen gas stove & turn it on high. Good stuff will light & begin to burn, the questionable stuff just sits there looking foolish. I've collected old MEC, B&M, & New Haven soft coal that's been lying along some old abandoned ROW & have had better results. Some more samples are due to arrive & be tested. Note.... nothing I tested was any form of Anthracite.
In about 2 days my dry runs will be complete with the stove, i'll be back after putting in some different samples of Bituminous & seeing how they perform. stay tuned. Thanks.

Near San Francisco, we had (have) Lazzari Fuel Company, located in the former Southern Pacific Bayshore back shop, who can deliver soft coal in 50lb bags in pallet quantities... fine for a small Porter...

Here in Las Vegas Nevada I have not found a source for a few tons of coal, appropriate for a 1896 Baldwin ng 2-8-0 in occasional light service which we have in our collection (not yet returned to service)

In California's Sierra Foothills, Coke in less than 50 ton quantities was an issue 5 years ago...

This is likely to become an increasing issue...

Randy

Randy..... I've sent you a private message. Please contact me. Thanks. John