Yinghao Coal Mine

This is the second part of my report of a June 2004 visit to Yinghao. See also:

The surviving coal mine was built some time after the original railway and according to the locals produces coal of a good quality which should last at least 10 more years. It is a traditional 'deep mine', with a small 600mm gauge railway. These coal wagons circulate by gravity, with a chain conveyor to give them initial height. How it will be affected by the large new mine which is being built about 3 km away I do not know. Staff claim that this mine will also be served by the railway but I think the topography will dictate that trucks are used instead.

For every full wagon that comes up, an empty will have been sent down:

The fulls are tipped....

And a conveyor used to carry the coal to a large hopper from which the coal train is filled. (The loco is 15.)

Extra materials for the mine enter through a separate (inclined) shaft:

And running repairs are done in the open:

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Rob and Yuehong Dickinson

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