Saw a coal delivery the other day

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hank2
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Post by hank2 » Tue. Jan. 31, 2023 3:26 am

Not exciting news but seeing someone else getting a coal delivery is very rare sight around here. I was driving through a village a couple miles from home at sunset. I saw an impressive high lift coal truck doing a 90 degree chute drop at a home. I couldn't read the lettering on the truck as I went by. Turned around at the end of town and drove back. It was Underkofflers all the way from northern Dauphin county. I believe it was a Peterbuilt. It looked like they had just finished up. I wanted to stop and ask them what they were delivering and what price, just for general principles, but there was no place to pull over.

I had read sometime back that they had bought out another haulers truck and list that had been around for many years. Carl and Smith. The delivery I saw was likely one of their old customers. Never had used them. They had also bought out another coal delivery business and truck from Croll's. I believe they used to haul Reading, but they are doing Blaschak.

Other than cars crashing through houses and the daily shootings, that's what passes for excitement around here. :roll:

 
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Retro_Origin
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Post by Retro_Origin » Tue. Jan. 31, 2023 6:39 pm

Excitement has dwindled since they removed the legendary tattoo parlor in BernVille. Not sure how people explain directions or even remember how to get to work....

 
hank2
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1400 WH ciculator; 1880's small cannon in reserve
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Post by hank2 » Sat. Feb. 11, 2023 12:19 am

Retro_Origin wrote:
Tue. Jan. 31, 2023 6:39 pm
Excitement has dwindled since they removed the legendary tattoo parlor in BernVille.
Can you elaborate? :lol: It's been a very long time since I did anything around there.

 
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Retro_Origin
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Post by Retro_Origin » Sat. Feb. 11, 2023 8:52 am

Guess Berks county is bigger than I have it credit. The tattoo shop outside Bernvile along 183 used to be the ultimate landmark for giving directions to people, but they wrecked it!


 
hank2
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Joined: Sat. Dec. 10, 2011 4:07 pm
Location: Berks County
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1400 WH ciculator; 1880's small cannon in reserve
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Other Heating: small New Yorker oil fired boiler; mostly used for domestic HW

Post by hank2 » Sat. Feb. 11, 2023 12:53 pm

Ahh, ok, thanks. I thought it might have been something wilder. If I travel on 183, I turn off before Bernville.

 
lincolnmania
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Post by lincolnmania » Sun. Feb. 12, 2023 12:13 pm

I love Berks county! born and raised here, moved to Schuylkill county in 2006 and back to Berks in 2017 My next door neighbor moved here in 1987 and she burns coal in an alaska kodiak stoker like the one i used to have, I gave her son the parts from my stove when i scrapped it. That house has always had coal heat, our previous neighbor in that house had a hand fed coal stove and a hand well pump in the kitchen. it's not usual to see a coal truck around here. it was more common when I was a kid. My grandparents switched from coal to oil in 1959 iirc and my dad switched from coal to oil in 1971. We still had a few neighbors with coal when I was a kid. 3/4 of the houses on my street were built 1948-1950. Daniel Boones uncle lived in the farm across the street and Daniel Boone was born about a half mile from here. I looked up the old deeds to my dads house in the early 90's and found that the deed traced back to the Boone family. I'm also distant cousin (18th removed) on my grandmothers side.

 
hank2
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Location: Berks County
Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1400 WH ciculator; 1880's small cannon in reserve
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Post by hank2 » Mon. Feb. 13, 2023 3:53 am

Berks is pretty nice, but sure has gone way downhill in the past 30 years. Traffic must be 1000% heavier now. So much crime. I've lived here since 1965. My family moved here from York county around the time of my 14th birthday. Parents were originally from farming areas of western Schuylkill and Northumberland counties. I've lived in northern Berks since 1978 at several places. Used to be a really unsoiled place with a lot of space and solid people. I believe that every larger town in Berks had a coal yard or a hauler in it 40 years ago. Feed mills always yarded and delivered coal as well.

I recall that there was a minor coal burning fad that cranked up in 1980. Coincided with the death of much of the wood stove industry at the same time. Also, higher oil prices after the second big oil embargo. Wood stove shops started carrying handfired coal stoves. The hot ticket for newbies then were handfired basement stoves or the same in a family room in a split level. Most of them got tired of it before long. There were also the older homes and farm houses with stoker boilers. Still a few around.

Linc, that's real interesting that your property goes back to the Boone's! A very long time friend that used to live in Berks and moved to N. Carolina in the 80's, is a direct descendent of Daniel Boone. His parents were from the South. His mother was from Yadkin county, NC, where Daniel had gone to. He actually has a strong resemblance to portraits of Daniel Boone.

 
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Volant1006
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Post by Volant1006 » Sat. Feb. 18, 2023 8:47 pm

I'm in Berks county, Leesport area. Berks is still decent it's just the city of Reading that is a toilet. I also have a alaska kodiak stoker that I think the house was built around (1970). No duct system in the house just 4 pass through vents in the ceiling of the lower rumpus room that has the coal stove in it. I rarely see coal deliveries but haven't really been paying attention. Been at the house for 9 years, 1st 2 years did bag coal, then picked up a trailer and bring back 1 ton at a time from Tamaqua area. Really hope the price of rice coal comes down. We saw it with chicken wings and toilet paper so I'm still holding out hope!


 
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Idlorah
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Post by Idlorah » Mon. Feb. 20, 2023 2:49 pm

Volant1006 wrote:
Sat. Feb. 18, 2023 8:47 pm
I'm in Berks county, Leesport area. Berks is still decent it's just the city of Reading that is a toilet. I also have a alaska kodiak stoker that I think the house was built around (1970). No duct system in the house just 4 pass through vents in the ceiling of the lower rumpus room that has the coal stove in it. I rarely see coal deliveries but haven't really been paying attention. Been at the house for 9 years, 1st 2 years did bag coal, then picked up a trailer and bring back 1 ton at a time from Tamaqua area. Really hope the price of rice coal comes down. We saw it with chicken wings and toilet paper so I'm still holding out hope!
If you're in leesport take a ride up 61 to sherman mountain coal. 200$ a ton there for all sizes and its good stuff to.

 
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Volant1006
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Post by Volant1006 » Tue. Feb. 21, 2023 6:05 pm

Idlorah wrote:
Mon. Feb. 20, 2023 2:49 pm
If you're in leesport take a ride up 61 to sherman mountain coal. 200$ a ton there for all sizes and its good stuff to.
I might do that. Been rocking American Premium last 2 trips $275. Still better than Lehigh who told it's regulars to go to H-E-double hockey sticks at $475+

 
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Idlorah
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Stoker Coal Boiler: Allen 700 stoker
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Coal Size/Type: Buck in the Allen and anything goes in the MCC, Anthracite
Other Heating: None, maybe some wood in the MCC in the shoulder season

Post by Idlorah » Tue. Feb. 21, 2023 6:46 pm

Volant1006 wrote:
Tue. Feb. 21, 2023 6:05 pm
I might do that. Been rocking American Premium last 2 trips $275. Still better than Lehigh who told it's regulars to go to H-E-double hockey sticks at $475+
Thats for sure, I got a bad load at American premium once. I haven't been back since even though its 5 min from my house I'm only on the other side of the mountain before it.

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