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Coal loading
All of the coal mines (8) on CN prepared the coal in a simi-
lar fashion. The coal was pulverized before being stockpiled
and loaded. The mines sprayed each car with a latex spray to
reduce the risk of coal dust blowing out of the cars (9).
Each loadout used a hopper scale to weigh the coal before it
was loaded into the cars. All locomotives on coal trains needed
to have operating pacesetter equipment, allowing the trains to
move at extremely slow speeds (typically 0.25 MPH), a require-
ment of the loadout operator. Frequent stops to fill the loadout
hopper were common and unpredictable.
CN assigned a lot code to each train depending on origin and
destination which increased numerically with each train loaded
through the end of the year. Each set of equipment would
have the current lot code as well as a tentative next lot code as
assigned by the coal/sulphur coordinator. Figure 10 has a map
of the coal mines and sulphur loading points – I discuss each
one in some detail in the following text.
7
7. North American Railcar – CN HO Scale # 11-
31003004, N Scale #11-11003004.
CN Coal and Sulphur Operations - 4
index contents
MRH-Apr 2013