Coalpail.com Forum

Notice the breaker on Rt # 61 going north. The breaker pictured is the former Diminick breaker it was a cone and jig breaker. This breaker went out of business in the late 60's.
Also, take note of the Yellow Flame Stoker billboard ad.

Looks about a time before potholes. (born in 62') You could probably hold 1/2 ton of coal in the trunk of that white car.

thanx for the nice peice of history. I love to see old photos especially when they pretain to coal

Cool photo.
Would be cool if someone could get a photo from the same vantage point today.

I believe this is the same view....

You're right Chris, same area. I live less than 2 miles north of that place. The breaker was there into the late 90's but was falling down. It was finally torn down and sold for scrap.The railroad tracks in the left of the pic. are still there. The rails where the steam train is running are gone. All that is left now is the cribbing that is shoreing up the bank,and an empty lot. I was told many years ago that the breaker used to use the water from the creek in the left of the pic. they would pump it under the hiway. And also discharge the wastewater back into the creek a little further downstream.
Just north of Dimminicks was a small breaker,Swift's Coal Co,that breaker fell down and was finally torn down. The scales for that breaker are still there. of A little further south up the hiway, the direction the train is running,there used to be a breaker on the opposite side of the hiway,that's gone as well. I don't know the name of that one. On the same side as Dimminicks breaker a little further south is Split Vein Coal Co. That breaker burned about 4 years ago, the fire co. used over 1 million gallons of water to put the fire out, the main breaker burned pretty much to the ground but they saved a few other buildings and are slowly rebuilding the business, and are now open and selling coal.
That's 4 breakers in less than 3 miles along Rt61, not counting The Glen Burn.

Bill

brckwlt wrote:thanx for the nice peice of history. I love to see old photos especially when they pretain to coal

What I find most interesting is that the train has TWO rather large STEAM Locomotives w/similarly large Tenders pulling a PASSENGER train.
I wonder why that is? How many cars might there be? Maybe passenger mixed with freight cars? Coal cars ?
It is rather late in Steam era too!

Bob

It looks like one of the reading railroad rambles trains.those would be 2 of the T-1 Class 4-8-4's on the front of the train.