Free coal; and coal tidbits from Coaldale
Back in the 1950s late we lived about 150 feet from where Lehigh Rail company would gather 100 cars of assorted size coal to Make a trip run To New England And NewYork ,One afternoon the Steam Locomotive Engineer waved to me as my family sat on front porch .I went to see him .He said Hes GoingTo Bump the Nut cars So Coal Would Fall Off On The Rails .But he also said Pick Up the Coal Sonday as Lehigh had Coal Security Police .The cops would Slash A coal Pickers Bag An Dump coal on ground .Hed take your name .Next Episode To Pottsville Jail 30Bucks or jail .Well The Judge Was Angry For Having to Feed The Coal Pickers who were trying To Keep The House Warm .He told old Lehigh Send food Money Or Stop sending Pickers .True Story .My tidbit .a Visitor old minerCam e to n0.9 mine .He said .If you Walked From No3 mine And Used TheCorrect Inside Mine Tunnel You could Walk The 3 milesTo no9 mine or mines 5 and 6 By Staying.Underground an Avoid Snow Or Rain .No.3 mine the men had to walk a Half Mine To the Elevators .Some men took there Battery Lits Home To Show Use In the Morning walk to the no.3 elevators .As the men In Winters Dark Cold Mornings There lites Shown Like Fireflies .Jack The Coal Cracker Enjoy
- freetown fred
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- Joined: Thu. Dec. 31, 2009 12:33 pm
- Location: Freetown,NY 13803
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: HITZER 50-93
- Coal Size/Type: BLASCHAK Nut
Coal Cracker ya are my old friend!!!! Nice story Jack----
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- Location: swOH near a little town where the homes are mobile and the cars aren’t
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Hitzer 354
- Coal Size/Type: nut coal
- Other Heating: electric, wood, oil
Yep the stories are great tidbits from history. Keep ‘em coming, Jack.
- Hambden Bob
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- Location: Hambden Twp. Geauga County,Ohio
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Harman 1998 Magnum Stoker
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Blower Model Coal Chubby 1982-Serial#0097
- Coal Size/Type: Rice-A-Roni ! / Nut
- Other Heating: Pro-Pain Forced Air
Thanx So Much,Jack! You've Truly "Busted Out Another One"!! Keep Em' Coming "Slovak Wildman"!!
- StokerDon
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- Location: PA, Southern York County!
- Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
- Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
- Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood
Great coal story as always Jack.
Watch out for those coal police. Coal is worth Big Bucks these days!
-Don
Watch out for those coal police. Coal is worth Big Bucks these days!
-Don
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- Location: Berks County
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: DS Machine 1400 WH ciculator; 1880's small cannon in reserve
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: small New Yorker oil fired boiler; mostly used for domestic HW
Great history Jack! About 9 or 10 years ago I got about 6 drums of coal cheaply. A guy I knew was cleaning out the home of his stepfather who had passed. The guy had heated his 4 car hobby garage with an old coal Heatrola. The drums were what he had left from his many years with the railroad. The stepson told me that he admitted to bumping the cars a little hard, then cleaning up the spillage. The coal I got from him was all extremely hard peacock met coal. Steel making stuff, I guess. Needed a lot of air to burn but went a long time. One drum was all bone crap that he had picked out.