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Musings on a derailment

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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, June 23, 2016 11:52 AM

Murphy Siding

     Are there any retail coal operations?  30 years ago when I lived in Gilette Wyoming there was a couple places you could buy coal.

 

They still exist around here.  Still some homes in the town that burn coal.  Find even more if you go up into anthracite country.

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, June 23, 2016 7:08 AM

Murphy Siding

     Are there any retail coal operations?  30 years ago when I lived in Gilette Wyoming there was a couple places you could buy coal.

 

 
They are virtually extinct.  There is a small coal and material yard (Gruene Coal) along the Southwest Line near 74th and Halsted.  It has been mentioned as Chicago's last coal yard and until about two or three years ago still had a siding for the occasional hopper load of coal.
The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Murphy Siding on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 9:58 PM

     Are there any retail coal operations?  30 years ago when I lived in Gilette Wyoming there was a couple places you could buy coal.

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Posted by Mookie on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 7:56 PM

I did some quick goo-search and only actual reclaimation business was Hulcher. I seriously doubt Hulcher cleans and resells reclaimed coal.

I was curious as to how far coal from here would have to travel to be recycled - but found nothing.  Hazarding a guess that there might be something in Colo or Wyo, or east of us in maybe Illinois?  

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 1:08 PM

dehusman
The big utilities don't want it because they typically crush and powderized the coal and blow it into the boiler as a coarse dust.  A foreign object in the coal may cause the crushers (rollers) to not crush part of the coal making clinkers and a poor burn, plus any ferrous objects might cause a spark which would be bad in a coal dust laden environment.  Many utilities sell the fly ash as a commodity so they (and their customers) don't want contaminants in the ash.

Personally, I can't imagine that any 'reclamation plant' would leave tramp iron or any 'casual' environmental contamination (for example, residue from firefighting foam) in the coal they treated.  You will note he did NOT say it would be conveyed to an end-user as if it were 'run-of-mine coal' scooped up by Hulcher and indiscriminately sent in gondolas for an end-user to scoop out and classify.

I'd wonder more about how many 'co-generation' plants still use coal, are within economic distance of a reclamation plant, and would find it worth the trouble to accept a couple hundred tons of 'special' coal (on the reclamation plant's warranty of fitness) just because of a cheaper price or special offer.  Even a simple Venn diagram with all the necessary variables that would have to be satisfied to 'place' wrecked coal would have very, very few plants in the critical intersection ... and the stockpiled reclaimed coal would have to be comparatively cheap indeed to be worth the perceived risk (unless, of course, you could find a greater-fool purchasing agent.)

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Posted by dehusman on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 11:37 AM

The big utilities don't want it because they typically crush and powderized the coal and blow it into the boiler as a coarse dust.  A foreign object in the coal may cause the crushers (rollers) to not crush part of the coal making clinkers and a poor burn, plus any ferrous objects might cause a spark which would be bad in a coal dust laden environment.  Many utilities sell the fly ash as a commodity so they (and their customers) don't want contaminents in the ash.

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Posted by mudchicken on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 8:09 AM

Co-generation plants, among other places...

BaltACD

Most pick up coal gets loaded out in trucks to a reclamation plant where it gets 'cleaned' and sold - who buys it, I have no idea.

 

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, June 20, 2016 6:25 PM

Hey! Dat's too purty to burn. Wink

Norm


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Posted by Overmod on Monday, June 20, 2016 6:05 PM

Norm48327
I think coal dealers took a page from Henry Ford's playbook where he said of car buyers "They can have any color they want so long as it's black".

 

HORSE FEATHERS!

From my family's part of the world, a few miles south of Hazleton. 

Anthracite Power!

 

 

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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, June 20, 2016 5:59 PM

Murphy Siding

So, there was this ad on Craig's list:  Tons! of freshly washed coal for sale.  Big color selection. You haul.Whistling

 

I think coal dealers took a page from Henry Ford's playbook where he said of car buyers "They can have any color they want so long as it's black".

Norm


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Posted by Murphy Siding on Monday, June 20, 2016 4:59 PM

So, there was this ad on Craig's list:  Tons! of freshly washed coal for sale.  Big color selection. You haul.Whistling

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Posted by Mookie on Monday, June 20, 2016 4:52 PM

I think Johnny had my next answer:  what kind of a salvage company buys the coal?  

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by edblysard on Monday, June 20, 2016 3:46 PM

Last time we had to pick up a lot of spilled coal loads, they dumped it in roll on/roll off dumpsters, took it off to be cleaned then sold as salvage...our claims guy paid for the original loads long before that happened, what we get from salvage is ours as recoupment for the salvage effort. 

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, June 20, 2016 2:01 PM

BaltACD

Most pick up coal gets loaded out in trucks to a reclamation plant where it gets 'cleaned' and sold - who buys it, I have no idea.

 

Santa Claus?Smile

Johnny

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Posted by BaltACD on Monday, June 20, 2016 1:30 PM

Most pick up coal gets loaded out in trucks to a reclamation plant where it gets 'cleaned' and sold - who buys it, I have no idea.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, June 20, 2016 12:53 PM

In the spills I'm aware of around here, the utilities don't want coal that has been on the ground. Probably do (uh, make that "DUE") Oops to contaminants.

Norm


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Musings on a derailment
Posted by Mookie on Monday, June 20, 2016 12:47 PM

Scenerio:  derailment of coal train.  XXX number of coal cars spilled onto ground.  

Cleanup as usual.  Big broom and dustpan.  OK?  Now what.  The coal is all cleaned up and now you have ?  

Lots of coal, dirt, ballast, grass/weeds, maybe a beer can or two, a dead rabbit, etc?  I would assume you would load it into coal gons.  Are these gons yours (BNSF in my case) or KCPL ie, which were the original gons they were in.  

Dirty coal?  Does it need to be cleaned before going to the plant? Surely you wouldn't want ballast rock in with the coal?  (I know - you aren't Shirley)

Tell me about life after a spill.    

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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