Lite and Narrow Column - 3
There were no turning facilities at either end of the line, so the
locomotive pushed the cars to the tipple.
The term tipple might be generous, as both of them were noth-
ing more than a trestle that crossed the lower tracks, with a hole
to dump the coal into the hopper cars. At least the Miller and
Knepp tipple had a shelter on it. These two tipples were exam-
ples of the crude construction that took place in early part of the
last century. The open-deck tipple did become pretty much stan-
dard for the mines on the East Broad Top, being used until their
closings in the 1950s.
As an aside, research for this project uncovered a name for a coal
company that seems to be one only a model railroader could con-
ceive – the Possum Hollow Coal and Coke Company. I’m going to
have to find a place for that company on my layout. The Miller
and Knepp mine opened in 1916 as the Mid Valley Mine. The drift
mine tapped into the Barnett coal seam, but also had a tunnel to
the Fulton seam. The Mid Valley mine was relocated to the town
of Joller, and a new tipple was built, very much like the one at Mid
Valley. The owners changed to the J.H. Miller Coal Company. In
1937, a fire destroyed the wooden tipple, and it was replaced by
one of steel and concrete. This is the tipple being modeled. It was
designed to serve trucks as well as and rail.
In 1938, mine ownership changed to the George E. Miller Coal
Company, still remaining under the Miller family’s control until
“The Mid Valley mine was relo-
cated to the town of Joller, and a
new tipple was built, very much
like the one at Mid Valley.”
MRH-Jun 2014
