IN THE BAG

Series

Series Name: Mining Review 12th Year

Issue

Issue No.

Date Released

Dec 1958

Stories in this Issue:

Story

Story No. within this Issue

1 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: a new mechanized coal depot in North London.
NCB Commentary - Coal handling in merchants’ yards by old fashioned methods is wasteful of manpower and often involves delaying rail wagons which may be needed back on the tracks or at the collieries. Nevertheless it’s surprising how fast a skilled team of men working together can load coal under primitive conditions.
Now, in north London, the first mechanised coal depot in the country is open for business. Here arrive three trains a week, made up of special 21 ton hopper wagons.
The coal falls gently into a bunker beneath the rails and is then taken by a plate conveyor to the top of the handling plant. Wagons are not held up and one man can unload a truck in the time it takes to move over a lever.
Arriving at the top of the conveyor, the coal is screened to remove any dust and undersized pieces. By means of this transfer conveyor, coal can be directed into any one of 12 bunkers so that different grades and sizes may be kept separate. The bunkers are rubber lined to prevent breakage.
Each bunker ends in a sack filling device. A touch on the button and coal is fed gently from the bunker straight into the sack. Sack and coal are weighed at the same time.
Trucks are backed right up to the loading bay, and the sacks are stacked with a minimum of effort.
This new installation satisfies the demands of the modern coal merchandising trade, and similar installations up and down the country should have a big future.

Researcher Comments

Commentary recorded 3rd November 1958.

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