C&S coal, anyone?

[ComoDepot]

I think it was 1896, but I have seen several dates mentioned, certainly sometime around then.

A lot of the stories I have read have inconsistencies in them which makes me wonder if I can assume anything for certain. Chinese coal miners seems to be the big one, I know that there was a Chinese labour gang under Thayer contracted to set up the Lower mines but nothing that suggests they stayed on. Might have been a few left over.

As well as the two mines in Upper Como, there were five mines mentioned in Lower Como, Coal Banks/King etc. Number 5 seems the one that produced most.

Not much on the ground at either place, the spoil heaps seem more impressive at Upper Como, I read a report from c 1900 that said at Upper Como there was not much visible then.

Seems that there continued to be unofficial mining for a long time after, I know UP retained the mineral rights in Como so it would be likely that these activities would not be recorded.

I know the seams are fragmented but a lot still down there, but no way of economically mining it, not rail to ship it.

[Mike Trent]

It's good to know there is still coal up there. I told Jeff I had spent some time, after about 30 years, finally to crush up a few small lumps into 50 tons of coal. I'm probably going to have to post a "Help Wanted" ad in the paper. I've got one guy in Dickey hard at work, but it looks like an endless task. We had two scoops up there, but only one guy showed up to work. I figure just in the trains I'm running through Dickey, we're going through three loads, 75 tons, in a 6 day week. So that's about 12 1/2 tons a day to shovel into those hungry bins.

So much for the good old days, huh?

[John Greenly]

Good old days, indeed.  They must have worn out a lot of shovels!  

I've often wondered why more use wasn't made of dump cars, other than the D&RG's 200 drop-bottoms.  If I am reading correctly, the C&S did have 10 side-dump cars for a while,  and the F&CC had about 14 of its interesting ones.  I started to build a model of one of those 40 years ago, never finished it because I couldn't find enough information to do the details properly.  Why didn't they catch on?  Was labor so cheap that they weren't worth the investment? There must have been some serious practical drawbacks, since the roads did try a few but didn't add more.  Can anyone comment on this?

John

[ComoDepot]

If anybody wants to do some hand digging the Roundhouse turntable pit needs to be taken down a foot or so, wheelbarrow and shovel available.

[Jeff Young]

Hi David,

Is the work party still happening this Saturday?

Thanks,
Jeff.

[ComoDepot]

Yes, 6 I know of attending.

[ComoDepot]

Next weekend as well but Sunday.

[Daniel Frauenhoff]

I believe I will make it out there this Saturday as well. Happy to help shovel the turntable. About what time are you guys going to get started?

Daniel

[Jeff Young]

Count me in this Saturday, although I’ll be headed back to the emerald isle before next Sunday…

[ComoDepot]

Timing always seems a mystery, I will be here whatever but 9 to 10 seems the common turn up time. We have been working on the Hotel for what seems months, but tomorrow is a day off, so need to stock up with soda and get some food in.

Hoping to have the grade run to the Turntable and the ballast spread before we get going. I need to talk to Todd about the turntable pit, sounds a lot of dirt and it was dug out 30 years ago.

[South Park]

  I have read numerous period stories of engine firemen being "very respected"
in their locales, due to the shoveling of 10+ tons of coal every day, they were
often small guys, capable of shoving a fist through the back side of an antegonist's
skull.

[Jim Courtney]

Hey Jeff,

My coal arrived today, enough for 12-15 C&S tenders in S scale with some left over.

Thanks so much!

Jim