Coal Mining in Appalachia
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- This video is about Coal Mining via Mountain Top Removal. Appalachian Coal Mining
See how coal is mined in the Appalachian Mountains via Mountain Top Removal. This 30 minute video takes you inside a giant dragline and tells the whole story from blasting the rock to transporting the coal by rail. See Elk enjoying the reclaimed land. I started this project in 2002.
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This was about the most informative video I've ever seen on coal mining! Mr.Smith ,your knowledge of mining is exceptional, from the horsepower ratings of the individual motors to the reinforced dump gates of the coal trucks. Thank you sir, this video will remain in my PC library as one of the most entertaining and educational videos I have watched!!
Well for a guy FROM LEFT FIELD you wrote a very nice complementary piece, and I thank you. I'm most happy that people learn from it. Thanks very much.
I couldn't agree more. Very informative and a well presented video. I especially liked the D11 Cats working.
Great video! Everything reminds me of my Grandpa, who operated draglines, tippers, and other assorted heavy equipment in coal and potash mines throughout SW Pennsylvania and upper West Virginia. He didn't fully retire until he was 73 years old because of the love he had for the work. When visiting him and Grandma, if he and I weren't fishing, hunting, or hiking and camping, he'd take me to his "latest project". I'm thankful for the great life he and Grandma had because of his hard work, and I've never seen anyone work half as hard; miners work like dogs!
Thank you rif167 for your description of your grandparents and their mining life. For sure they are a hard working bunch and they take on much risk to earn a living for their familys.
I like that Smith's videos simply state the facts regarding his subject and he allows the viewer to find their own opinion. Smith is a documentarian not a journalist. If only the news programs would do the same.
+LAURA JOHNSON Thanks Laura, as you said, I just shot it as I saw it, I made not effort to slant what was there one way or the other. Because of what is now going on in the coal industry many people are loosing their jobs and homes. South Eastern Kentucky is really hurting economically. I've seen many an area mined there and when it's all said and done the land is returned to areas that which you see in the video. There are many many mountains that remain.
+LAURA JOHNSON i think it's incredibly perplexing that you think this isn't absolutely horrifying. we ARE causing the destruction of this small outpost of life, our home.
+Brenton Carter While you may think that the mining of coal is a terrible rape of the land, and it may well be, I just wanted to show how strip-mining was done. I didn't want to get political and favor one side or the other. Mining is a fact of life and has been through out man's history, it is how we get our resources. I must say that the land the elk were on was reclaimed land and in time will look much like the land before the coal was removed. I do understand your revulsion but that was not what I was trying to show. Evidently I happened to showed both sides quite well as both good and comments have been made. Men have spent their lives in the mines and many have liked the memories shared.
+Gary Smith i understand your intent and my own political agenda has nothing to do with this. the notions you just stated in your response are patently false: no ecological system can recover from the destruction that this industry has created nor is it the intent of those profiting from it to rehabilitate the area. your statement that mining is a fact of life is not supported by fact or reason. we have technologies, including wind, solar, wave, electromagnetic, and revolutionary energy concepts like zero-point that harvest energy without ravaging entire ecosystems. furthermore, these eco-systems aren't isolated and the results are felt planet wide. furthermore, we could say that slavery is just a fact of life since man has been enslaving his own kin for countless millennia, and yet we have almost banished overt slavery from modern society. while the techniques and engineering involved are impressive they are also terrifying and irresponsible. So I do have a problem with this feature creating apathy towards an industry we must hold in contempt and abolish.
+Brenton Carter - if you'll re-read my post, I think you'll realize that I did not state an opinion on the subject of mining.
Gary this is a brilliant educational and informative video - the best I've seen so far on RUclips. Very well produced!
Wows, the complements don't get any better than that, I thank you Lien Forde. A loing way from the comment of, "My mother should have had an abortion" ha ha.
@@garysmith4864 The haters that are brain washed are many. You sir are a pleasure to listen to and should do more documentaries
Good job. Reaclaim was exellent! Very important to us mountan people. Have seen much worse. Once again great work. James.
As a 40 year retired coal miner... excellent presentation of the coal mining process and reclamation of the land...👍👍😎
Thank you Sal, nice to hear from a miner. You guys are getting rare. Have a good day.
Thank you for sharing. I have always been fascinated by any kind of earth moving machinery and the mining industry had the biggest. I miss the days when those really big ones such as Big Muskie and The Silver Spade were in operation.
I liked that he gave us veteran drag line operators some exposure you always see the tippers dozens and dumps where really the biggest mover of dirt is that 300 boom drag line working in the background
This guy is brilliant, knows his stuff and throws in a lot of his personality and humour! Here in Britain We have Fred Dibnah, an old school engineer, steeple jack, etc. I just giggle all the way through a TV episode same as this guy, brilliant, thank you America!!!
Wow, that is quite a complement, thank you very much. I'd like to make another one but many of the mines are closing down and it's almost impossible to get inside one because of insurance reasons.
Fantastic story teller,my man worked down the coal mine,he loved your heart warming story,thanks for posting.
I think I enjoyed this video about as much as any I've seen on RUclips. And whoever chose the music, it's worth watching just for that.
Wow, thanks a lot David Clark, your's is a nice complement. I did it all, including choosing the music.
Nice job, Me. Thanks for taking the time to put this film together. You sound kinda like that guy that narrated World of Disney on Sunday evenings when I was a boy.
Great job on this video. I worked underground on Mud Creek in Floyd Co. I hauled coal in Eastern Ky. for 16 years and Phosphate in Florida for 8 years. So I have seen all this up close and personal.
I live round Martin ol buddy…steamed on sf and tons of jobs round here…dad put 30yr underground all around here….if you worked in deep mines in 70s and 80s you may know him…1 of the smartest hardest workin humans I’ve ever known…not because it’s mine either…I work for Elliot’s now…
Thank-you, Gary. Wonderful video. That is how the story of coal, the entire story of coal, from beginning to reclamation, should be told. Thumbs-up. As long as there is a need for steel to manufacture buildings, cars, trucks, bridges, trains and the rail they ride on, there will be a need for coal. And the best place, and only place to my knowledge in the US, where the high carbon coal is found for steel making, is in the Appalachians. Without high carbon coal, there is no coke made from coal to provide the carbon for the steel making process and all the benefits that steel provides. As long as there is a need for economically produced and reasonably priced power for home, manufacturing, industry, and the jobs they create, without which no economy can ever grow great, there will always be a need, for coal.
+rohnerw I thank you for your kind comments. As you said, "That is how the story of coal, the entire story of coal, from beginning to reclamations, should be told." That is what I attempted to do, and it amazes me that some think I was trying to tell how wonderful it is. Just the facts.
Excellent video And what a group of men it took to plan and execute it. Love the reclamation after the mine is done. Never hear or see much on that part of the life after the mine is shutdown. Thanks again for your documentary
God blessed you for this great documentary
Thank you for one of the most interesting and informative videos on strip mining on all of youtube. Great job educating us, who are not experts on the subject. I greatly appreciate your knowledge and expertise being passed to us with no condescension. The narrator really knows what he is talking about, and we can hear the pride in his work, in his voice.
Thank you very much wmden1, your comments are greatly appreciated. It was a lucky time when I filmed the video as mines then would allow you in to watch. Can't do it now because if insurance worries. I tried very hard to keep the video free from politics, just wanted to tell the story of how things are done,.
Wonderful film. Thank you.
My teacher told us to watch this for social studies and I wasn't disappointed!
Wow Superstar, that is about the nicest complement I've ever received. I want to thank you for your kind words. Your teacher must be a brave person for showing you something that is not just negative about coal. Where do you live? and what grade are you in.
@@garysmith4864 Thats personal information. You shouldn't share info like that on internet. All I'll say I live in Minnesota.
@@justafootballfan5422 That's fine and I understand, tell your teacher thank you for me.
@@garysmith4864 Okay no problem :D.
@@justafootballfan5422 You say you are from Minnesota and lately I found a website of a man who farms in Minnesota. It's the Millennial Farmer, maybe you would like that also. Look for some of my New Mexico videos.
This was an excellent video, congrats Gary Smith. I really enjoyed it! And your narration voice is terrific!
Look what they're doing 2 the Land,! Numb Nuts?
@@dwightarnold6980 You call me Numb Nuts - with THAT punctuation? I don't think so.....
PS I hope you are not using, um, ELECTRICITY to power your pc or phone, or home, because you are COMPLICIT, YOU HYPOCRITE..
My friend was in maintenance and truly these guy's work the unsung heros who keeps the mixing operation goings
@@dwightarnold6980
Reclamation actually does it good plus the millions state and local governments get from warehouse and revenue taxes
Are funded right back into sustainable programs generating jobs local economic improvements. And a essential resource
@@bcdrummer1962 Exactly. People have no appreciation for good industries
Love seeing heavy equipment run, thanks for the quality content!
My Dad is the Branch Manager at Guyan Heavy Equipment (an MRO shop) in Norton, VA and during the operation of that mine I’m fairly certain Guyan did quite a lot of work for them.
Before Dad worked at Guyan, he worked underground in Jolo, WV, and a couple of other places for a total of about 12 years. These days, Many of my friends and family are out of work, and are just getting by. SouthEastern, KY, Southwestern, VA, and Southwestern WVA, are really hurting and I don’t see much opportunity for them to recover.
Coal is on its way out and the region needs some other economic driver. What that is or should be, I can’t say, I just know it can’t be coal.
I can’t say too much anyway seeing as how I headed up to New York for job opportunities in a field (data analytics) that is pretty well non existent back home. Even still, my heart is heavy for those back in my Appalachian home.
P.S.- I’m originally from Russell County, VA, but grew up in Wise, VA. My mother and most of my family are from Cumberland, KY, at the bottom of Black Mountain in Harlan County, KY. My grandfather worked underground in the 30-70s in Harlan as well.
Thanks for the complement Alexander Rickman. I too love to watch heavy equipment operate.
I’m from Prestonsburg and workin in wise now….know guyan well…I steam cleaned every piece of equipment you see here back in early 2000s…dad put 30yr underground here in our area and retired from booth energy before cancer took him in 19…drive from Floyd co to wise everyday gettin old….
Very nice video. Thank you.
Outstanding documentary! Thank you
Thanks Jim Roberts.
Now that’s just an excellent production, well done sir.
Enjoyed this video, seeing the reclamation, and hearing the information given! Music was great,too.
Thank you Dorothy Fishbaugh, so glad you learned from it. Needless to say I had fun making it.
Excellent video! This is exactly what I wanted to see! Thanks for uploading!
Exactly here
Gary - great video, and a well-told story. Thank you for making it and posting it! Like other people who commented on this video I appreciate how you stick to the facts of what you saw.
Thank you Tom, I simply want to show what I saw, no politics. But of course when showing anything about coal it touches a political nerve. Oh how I wish I could do it again with a better camera.
When the song first came on I thought I click on the wrong video. I thought I was cooking with Kent Rollins
Excellent!! Thank you for this......I like it ALL....Machines....music....narration..... scenery
Thanks a million Huey, that is what makes me look for more subjects. It was a lot of fun putting it all together. Hope to be doing one in New Mexico in a little while.
Gary, I would love to have a copy of this video in the event it somehow gets deleted. I worked for Cyprus Mountain Coals in the engineering dept for several years. It was one of the best and most enjoyable work opportunities of my life. I got to see all that equipment up close.
+Tobey Adams I can't give you a copy as I don't have the original any more. However the American Coal Association is going to use most of it for education in schools. I will post on this site when I know it's been released.
+Gary Smith Exactly when was most of this taken? I was there from 95-98 up til Cyprus Amax shut it down. In fact I was on vacation when I got the call they had shut down and laid every one off Including me. Fortunately I had turned in my resignation. I knew the Addington Brothers acquired the mine property. But I notice the Cyprus Logo still on the Dragline and Shovel..
Tobey Adams I doubt you'll see my comment since you were here years ago but if you look on Google there are RUclips video downloaders which you can use to download this video to your computer/phone.
I understand that the industry uses coal to provide electric when hydroelectric isn’t available. And my grandparents used coal until the mid 70s. My parents used heating oil for as long as I remember. But, I tried oil when I established my home, but now, I am strictly electric, probably by coal fired generators. But, no smell, less maintenance. And it’s heat! Black Lung just driving!Great vlog!
Yes, in all likely hood the electricity we use comes from the burning of coal or another fossil fuel. Like it our not it will take a long time to build enough windmill generators and solar panels to take over. But we still have to contend with no wind and clouds not to mention night time.
“God bless the working men” 🇺🇸-Alan Jackson
God bless the coal miners.
God got to bless them early, 55 was their average age. Human lives for corporate greed, and the beat goes on.
@@Rickimusic In the 1800-1940's sure. But today coal mining is as safe as it can possibly be with miners earning huge salaries .
@@Mercmad your comment that coal mining is so safe that The Black lung fund is about to go bust is correct
Mercmad it is much safer then it used to be but underground mining still is very dangerous
Very good movie, Gary! I liked that you kept the talking to a minimum and was excellent at anticipating any questions a viewer would have. It takes a great deal of patience to assemble and edit together a documentary like this. Thanks for providing this.
Thank you very much HarryHardhead, yours are kind words. It did take me quite awhile to put it all together, I wish I would have had the cameras then that I have now. I met many good men on the job and had a lot of fun doing it.
No problem, Gary. I have produced 12 gameplay videos and I know all too well about using extensive edits. It sucks! I never imagined how hard it could be until I went through this process. I see other videos out there but you provided a wealth of information in your videos worth ten other videos. But man - you really have a knack for this I believe. If you want to see some of mine (for laughs and nothing more). ruclips.net/channel/UCAteILOq5EKu3vCsyN2qQZgvideos
It is beautiful information about the machinery deployment and the process up to coal Segregation plant. It is a wonderful video by Mr.Smith.I enjoyed as a open pit mine planner
Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm glad you found it interesting. Where are you a planner?
"Looks like Charlie is enjoying his can of pop!" Ha!
I used to make a living burning the coal that came from such mining operations. Turned it into electricity. Sadly it seems coal fired steam units will soon be a thing of the past.
We enjoyed cans of pop in the power plant, too!
Thanks for making this video. I found it very interesting how open-pit mining is done, and how the equipment used to accomplish the different task's work. A nice detailed portion of how that large shovel worked and how it is powered. Very quiet large machine. Thanks again for posting.
So glad you like it and found it informative NebTheWeb. Always nice to hear my work was found valuable.
I am a friend of President Trump and you can take this quote to the bank, "Look at all that sweet sweet wonderful COAL!" Thanks for this video!!
Thank you for the good video. John USA
To Mining Photography, no I do not have any photos of the Marion 8050. I didn't have my camera along with me when I photographed it. But glad you enjoyed the video.
Gary Smith You didn't have your camera with you when you photographed it? How did you photograph it then?
***** I didn't have my DSLR camera with me.
+Gary Smith Great video you've put together here. Am in N.C., and doing research in preparation to writing a book about the history of gold mining in and around Charlotte. Totally different from coal mining......also have roots in Appalachia. I think what initially shocks those not familiar with coal mining is the process called 'Mountain-Top removal'. And I will concur with them to the extent that it does sound drastic. Plus, even WITH all the reclamation work done, that mountain/mountain top will never be the same.
Having said that, coal mining has come a long way from the old days most think of when the term is used. And it has played an integral part, and still does, in supplying affordable energy. Am curious as to how the production of electricity by nuclear means affected the coal mining industry. Until alternative sources of energy are made reliable and affordable, the use of coal as a primary energy producer will remain.
+Bill Randolph Thanks for the complement on the video. Yes, strip mining leaves great scars on the land, but so do earth quakes, rivers changing course and glaciers, and that is not said to diminish the harm done by strip mining. We all see things in our short life times and don't realize how time changes things. The Appalachian mountains used to as high as the Himalayas are today, but we don't even notice. As for nuclear energy, it would be a good way to cut down burning fossil fuels but people are afraid of it, causing it to be very political. As for the shutting down of coal, most of that has been caused by the technology of horizontal drilling resulting in an abundance of natural gas. I'm no fan of Obama but it is natural gas that is shutting down many coal jobs. He, however, is not helping. Nor will Hillary's pledge to shut the industry down.
+Gary Smith totally agree--NOT a fan of Obama...even less of a fan of Hillary!
Man, thank you for this. Been on top of starfar ( as us hillbillies pronounced it) many a time. Remember this stuff fairly well. And Autocars and Mack trucks.
Hello Jason Jones, I'm glad the video brought back memories of the area to you. So glad you enjoyed it.
I love this video! It's so down home and informative. Just sit back n enjoy!
Wow, that is some complement, thank you PaullyBB. Take a look at this video, it has some Coal mining in it: ruclips.net/video/aocCL_dU0CA/видео.html
Great video, love the tone/accent of the narrator’s voice . That’s from a Brit 😉
Very Cool ! Great Job !! I have always had a fascination with walking drag line - I did a report in school on them years ago and still remember the Big Muskie - even though she is long gone now.
Thanks Wag, yah Big Muskie was a monster, wasn't it in Ohio?
they say that everyone can come back to Kentucky and West Virginia because Trump has created thousands of mining industry jobs for America. I heard ten thousand alone in Kentucky by the end of the year
www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jun/05/scott-pruitt/are-coal-mining-jobs-50000-last-year-not-exactly/
I'm still waiting....
@@jackjax532 trump is for uneducated morons
@@katzgar like you
Outstanding film and narration. I liked that it examined the process from beginning to end. Well done!
I'm glad you enjoyed my video and thanks for your comments. Are you from the area?
New Jersey!
I even liked the credits Mr. Smith!
Great video. God bless Appalachia!
Thank you Gary,
For producing this excellent informative piece on the importance and different components of what makes a coal mine run. I enjoyed the whole video.
Would love to see the coal mines when I get the chance.
Kind regards
Thank you Haytham, it is very difficult to get into a coal mine now days due to insurance restrictions.
Very good video Mr Smith
Awesome video...To see all that brute force all from a electric motor is just awesome
Thank you very much Fook, yes, those DC electric motors are really something. The power was 25000 volts, they ran DC generators and then the motors. Quite a machine.
Good job "me"
Well done Gary. Earned my subscription.
I thank you very much Laurin, I take that as a very nice complement.
i was raised in abingdon va about 80 miles from here growing tobacco. i was not going into a coal mine i i went into USAF and worked my way into a 3 man launch control of a icbm missle complex, underground. we bring our fears to life i think. nice video and each year i travel thru hazard ky on my way back home from kansas
Thanks Curt Ray, I too was in the Air Force in 1959. I have a farm in Garden City, Kansas but live north of Chicago about 40 miles.
that is a long distance to walk for milking the cows yes. i would like a farm still but not in Kansas. i keep hoping to go back to mountains but i have a lot of responsibility here. i thought honest and hard work would move me along but not yet. i do have a great family here that i built so once a year may be it. nice to say hi,flyboy. north of chi burrrrrr. she must have been pretty.
Ha, she was.
Thanks Gary great film I bet you have seen some changes in the coal mining game in your days. Watching here in Australia 🇦🇺 thanks mate.
Hello Aussie Steve, so glad you enjoyed the video. I live north of Chicago and have been going down to Kentucky's coal region for about 56 years. Yes, I have seen a lot of changes over that time, right now the coal industry is really hurting, of course that makes the greens happy, but it's tough on the folks who made a living on coal. Outside of timber there isn't much else in the area so it's is being hurt. The over supply of natural gas via fracking has, I think, done more harm than politics, but for the government to just state they want to shut it down is not good in my estimation. But at least since the new President things have relaxed to the point where natural forces can do the cleaning. Where do you live in Australia?
G day Garry I live in Queensland, I worked in the road tunnelling industry (I think in America you call us sand hogs) I worked predominantly in the road tunnelling industry. I started driving dump trucks then got picked to work on a roadheader crew, similar to a continus miner over the years I worked my way up thru the ranks to the machine operator a Voest alpine 105 Mitsui mike 300. After approx 12 years I became shiftboss running the shift oh they were the best years of my life. I was soon promoted to general foreman of underground works. I had a break for a while but as you know it gets in your blood I was asked to run a couple of crew in a place in Queensland called emerald the coal is rich in this part of Australia. The contract was for 3years we excavated 4 ,6; 1.8klm declines for a new coal mine then I was asked to stay and operate a sandwich continuous miner. As you know you meet all types of people working in the coal and hard rock mining industry I loved it so much it consumed me. The story’s that we have aren’t believed by those who don’t know the industry. Thanks for asking I feel a bit lighter now, might have a cold one. Good sharing a few thing mate take care.
This is the best video I've seen on RUclips
Thanks Jim Petersen, I truly appreciate that.
While I support Trump I think the major problem with coal is natural gas. I am glad the government has changed it's tune and is not working against coal as Obama and Hillary wanted.
RW Jazz
You're just an ignorant child.
Go watch vid again and know what made America great.
Snowflake
Pfffftttttttt....
yes but , do you know WHY ?????
Think really that the future of America is in coal?
In fact, it's competition from cheaper energy sources, including natural gas, that's the primary culprit for the decline that coal has seen since 2009. Despite the orange idiot's administration's encouragement of the industry, along with oil, fossil-fuel jobs are unlikely to come back for another reason. Solar and wind energy, in their current phase, are more jobs-intensive than oil. The entire Keystone XL pipeline only takes about 50 workers to maintain, according to the company that created it.
One reason solar power is booming is that it is finally competitive with, and sometimes more affordable than, other energy providers. Even if the modest government incentive that solar currently enjoys were removed, it's likely cheap enough that it could reasonably compete with fossil-fuel sources. Between 2010 and 2016, the sector grew by over 20 percent every year, according to the Energy Department finding. In many states, growth was even stronger.
This entire country was and is being turned upside down in the name of pandering to 50,000 coal miners nationwide feeding them the myth that their jobs can and will be protected no matter what doing so will do to the environment and to the nation's economy.
The State of Massachusetts alone has 100,000 green energy jobs.
Just watch this video here and think about all the diesel fuel that had to be made, transported and now burned up just to mine and MOVE half a mountain to get at a 4 foot deep coal bed, good grief when you look at all those 1000 hp motors, and all those pieces of heavy equipment burning thru tanks of diesel every day for this one mine it boggles the mind how much resources are being wasted here just getting at another energy source, destroying mountain ranges, rivers, water and ecosystems to get at burnable rocks.
It's like watching oil supertanker ships being scrapped after just 20 years of use, all that steel gets recycled but that doesnt bring back all the fossil fuel energy used to make and assemble it, or to scrap and remelt it all- or get rid of the pollution from all that.
I burned coal in NYC and Vermont in the 80s, but I'm glad it's going away, just getting rid of the barrels of ash was a huge pain in the ass, it was volume wise about 3/4 of the coal that went into the furnace to begin with.
Gary Smit
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, thanks for filming and sharing. I live in Florida where those 400ft boom monsters dig phosphate. It really is a sight to see in person. Happy Holidays to ALL who mine mother earth.
Hi William,, thank you for your complement. I'm not positive but I have heard that the dragline shown in my video went to Florida to mine potash. Thanks for the comment.
@@garysmith4864 hi Gary, there is a new dragline digging in the zepherhills/plantcity area east of Tampa Fl. Its a blue one and might be that one in your movie. The mines here are very strict on camera usage on mine property.and only allow certain types of cameras..I can take pictures from the road but I couldn't get a good close up.Thanks for sharing.
Excellent work you did producing this.
Thanks Paul Cooke, it was a lot of fun and a beautiful place to be while filming it.
Great video. I love the closing credits!
Thanks Sierra Foxtrot Gulf, so glad it had meaning for you, singed "me"
Absolutely amazing machines- wonderful video and thank you for doing it.
Earth First.
We'll strip mine the other planets later.
Bill Williams then walk to work and put down your phone, everything that adds comfort or convenience to your life can trace its roots to the energy produced by fossil fuels. Make sure you go to the videos on dairy farms and bitch about cow farts before you put the phone down though.
That's New Age misanthropic propaganda coupled with Sci-Fi
My Mother, Grand Mother and Grand father grew up in Axur and Prestonsburg. They lived a hard life and everything they had was owned my the mining company. His name was Delvert Waugh and he worked in the thin seams because he was a small man. His nick name was Shorty. He loaded his coal on a small rail car pulled by a tiny donkey. When the cart was full the donkey would know to head to the tipple. One day the mountain shook and he fell with his hand between the wheels. The donkey spooked and wanted out and the steel wheel cut off his little finger. Everyone in that area had a nick name and it stuck for life. I am proud of my family of that time. They worked hard, played hard and drank hard. Everyone should visit that part of our country and spend some time in a cafe or a bar. You might even learn a new langue and pick up a little draw. Thank for this video I discovered. Kenneth J Workman Indiana
Thanks for sharing that Kenneth, there are so many interesting stories in those mountains.
I worked for Drummond Coal Co. in Brookwood Al. The reclained land is worthless. Period !!!
Some of the land near Hazard that has been mined now has a large regional hospital and many businesses on it. Much of the land is just what you saw, open with animals roaming around, as you could see ini the video. If the mountains were still the way they were before any mining nothing but trees would be there now. It's the land owners choice, the ones who sold the rights in the first place.
Gary Smith I hauled coal out of pa.strip mines for many years. I have to agree the land is never the same.water tables are destroyed and basically when reclaimed its just rocky fill hydroseeded.
I hope you all realize that I made no claim that the mining was good or bad. It is what it is.
@@garysmith4864 You made the video as apolitical. Very informative of the process and thorough. I'm a Tree Hugger, but I realize that there is no magic wand. Thank you for the video.
@@RobertWilliams-mk8pl Thank you Robert Williams, I tried to just tell the story of mountain top removal as I saw it. It's a process and I hope I showed the process as it is. There are also many mountains that have not been touched and I doubt they will be. I like trees also and in years to come those reclaimed areas will be full of them.
You've done a great job with this video .Thanks.
This was an amazing video. I learned allot from this video.
Glad to hear that John A., because that is why I made it, to let folks see how it's done.
beautiful video
Great video thanks
Great video
In terms of equipment wear and tear...it doesn't get any more severe than this. The strip mine I grew up next to in Indiana didn't use semi trucks to haul out coal. They used (if I recall) 240 ton tractor/trailer type haul trucks. I don't quite remember the tonnage but they were tractor/trailer mine trucks even larger than those CAT off road mine trucks here.
Seeing that many D11 tractors in one place is quite a thing.
Yes it is, they had 27 of them at $2 million each.
Awesome Video!!!
Thanks Frank Da Tank. I like your name. I appreciate your complement.
Worked for Console for twelve years and loved it. Baltimore terminal
That was excellent. Should be added to school curriculum. Luca
with 40 years experiences manufacturer of coal dryer, briquette machine, please chat online for price: www.ftm-mac.com/grinding-mill/powder-grinding-mill.html?cui/y whatsapp: +8615225165347
Well done . Appreciate all your effort put into this showing of subject : coal . Those jobs are missed .
+Rosetta Berry Thanks for your kind words. I have been going down there for many years (53) and have seen a lot of changes. Now it is going into another deep depression and the people are hurting. It is not easy to see. The video has been seen by the American Coal Association and will be edited and used as education in schools across the country.
Get the coal boys! Home grown get some , glad y,all are back at it god bless ! Keep rolling brother!
Fantastic work, must have taken a long time to film. Well done and thanks for sharing
Nice comment drawingboard82, it was a lot of fun putting it all together but well worth the time with comments like yours.
Brilliant video top job
Credits......me me me me me me me me 😆😆😆😆 great vid. Glad the land was returned to nature 👍👍
I didn't know Appalachia does it like we do in Wyoming and Montana. I thought it was all underground.
I work for a company that provides installation and repair for braking systems for mine equipment. I've spent the last ten years in the industry. Those are Eaton brakes on the dragline motors. We provide Industrial Clutch brakes for draglines and shovels. Coal for power production is on it's way out. It's still needed for steel production.
God bless ya miners and support vendors. Keeping the lights on and the steel smelting!
Gregory, I've seen you coal out there in Galette, it's is something to see. Much of the strip mining in KY is now shut down. As you say, coal is going away, but let us run out of oil and gas and you will see politician singing its praise once again. They will not let our lights go out. I'd like to see some nuclear power but that too is almost finished. We need a super battery to be developed for when the sun doesn't shine or the wind doesn't blow.
Here in Northeast Pennsylvania about 3 miles from my house, there are 3 dragline shovel's. They are still running 2 of them. The one in the bottom of the pit is the biggest in the world today.
I too, used to make my living in the pits. I still heat my house with anthracite coal.
This was amazing. Thanks for making it.
I grew up in an area with strip mines and now live near to where they build the big Cat dump trucks and other mining equipment.
Nice video
This is where your coal jobs went. I was raised in the heart of Appalachian coal country- Raleigh County, WV. My high school sweetheart and wife if 40 years was the daughter and sister of a coal miner. Back in those days, mines employed 100+ men to get the same amount of product as 15 men today. I love the Appalachian mountains and was raised by coal but it ain't coming back. It wasn't Mexicans or tree huggers that took coal jobs, it was machines and engineers and the shareholders they wanted to please. Appalachian coal companies like Arch, Massey, Peabody and their lobbying firms like the Friends of Coal and American Coal Association have convinced people of Appalachia that they just want to give out as many great jobs and build great communities in the mountains, oh so lovely - that's BS and always has been. The Appalachian coal industry literally waged war against those miners and their families. Why? Because they wanted to be paid in money. Appalachian coal country has ALWAYS been the poorest, unhealthiest, and least educated part of the country. Even when coal was at it's peak, conditions in KY, WV, and other coal regions were still impoverished on the level of 3rd world countries, far behind neighbouring regions of the south, midwest, and northeast.
I would not question that at all. My whole ancestral homeland on my father's line comes from the South, so I must have some empathy for the mining communities. By the way: Most of my kin live in Southern Illinois, where they used to mine fluorspar.
GREAT VIDEO VERY INFORMATIVE EASY TO UNDERSTAND THANKS
Thank you Jason, so glad you liked it. Are you in the coal business or just interested?
Fabulous tutorial 🤠
Thank you very much Doberman, it was fun putting it together.
Awesome video
My husband is a surface blaster .
Hope this video helps people understand more about it's great industry
Thanks Glenda, it has provided for many families over the years.
excellent video gary, the old starfire job was huge in its day. pretty sure the dragline was sold to massey energy and went to west Virginia. strip mining operation are few and far between anymore. I operated a 789b for several years,and once again great video.
I always heard it went right where he said in vid…worked a little on sf…coal Mac…Massey…Appalachian fuels…cam mining…and probably 30 or 40 more..pretty sure I seen a module or 2 headed down 23 back then when it got sold….the blue paint and 5” thick grease give it away…I used to play in it
@charlesmullins3238 a guy did a update on it a while back. It was at progress coal on twilight job. Was sold and shipped overseas. I guess at least it wasn't scrapped.
@@dcyamahatechwhere’s that mine at?
Thank you for a very nice video 😊
Thank you Da Ro, so glad you enjoyed it. Where are you from?
Very interesting video! Well done!
Excellent video Gary, I'd like to leave a few comments, firstly, the 992 Cat is a good choice FEL, but, the WA800 Komatsu FEL out performes the Cat 992 in all situations, secondly, it is much cheaper to run an electrc drive OHV truck than a Cat mechanical truck and once more, the Komatsu 730E OHV truck would have being a better choice Maintenance wise, unfortunately people only look at Cat, the Komatsu is an excellant choice, the 375 Komatsu Dozer out performes the Cat D10, Cat still has to design a transmission that can perform, I know that I'm talking to you, you're not the decision maker, I've been in the Mining World for almost 35 years, Komatsu came out tops, it's an excellent Mining choice to to keep costs down. Again, excellent video, good luck for the future on your videos, greetings out of SA.
Thank you Seun Heinlein for your words. Komatsu had a factory in my home town, Libertyville, Illinois. The factory was originally the Frank G. Hough company, they made the first decent FEL. International Harverster then bought them out and ruined the company. Then Dresser became involved and became Komatsu Dresser which then became Komatsu only. The factory closed down about 20 years ago. I will look up all the Komatsu machines you mentioned and thank you for the information. I assume the SA means South Africa.
Chalie showed us the bucket but we never did see the operator controls. Maybe next time as I have owned heavy equipment and still do or 40 years I would have liked to see the actual controls themselves. I have woned backhoes bobcats cranes [ friction brake live boom live wire ] and currently 22 ton Mitsubishi excavator. Can't figure out how you missed the operator control though?
The controls were not much more than a couple of joy sticks. Yup, I wish I'd have gotten that.
@@garysmith4864 Thank you for the reply, and the great video
Voilà comment le monde est modélisé! Et cela fait combien de temps que cela dure? Stéph.
This is how the world is modeled! And how long has this lasted? Steph.
Enjoyed the video...
love it. thank's for sharing
Charlie could have won an oscar for best supporting actor, if only he had made the credits.
Nice video and good jobs that still take some manly graft to get the job done!
Those RR coal hoppers were lettered SCWX which means they're privately owned (the X-suffix) by South Carolina Public Service Authority.
Thanks Greatdome99, I just thought they were of CSX railroad. But they are no longer running down there as the tipple has been shut down for a couple of years.
Why did I think of the Hartford insurance commercial at the end of this movie?...... hahahaha....
very interesting many thanks
You are very welcome Brian, thank you for the complement.
I have to come back to this video Gary every so often cause I miss bein around the steel n rock...even though we worked hard 16 sometimes 20 some hrs straight steam cleanin...black moly grease from head to toe...summertime we'd jump in starfire lake and go right back to workin...pretty much had to throw away each days outfit cause you sure ain't gonna throw something like that in a washer and there ain't no scrubbin till its clean...you'd be wastin yer time..9$hr. I still have the pay stubs...I have bad hand problems from sqweezin a 4000psi wand that many hrs straight...on Monday/payday I'd have to take one hand and work each finger kickstartin em to get them to work...seen a boy get striped straight across the eyes with 4000psi scaldin hot water with a red tip in...went to hazard hospital and the kid came back with green science class goggles on few hrs later ready to get back at it....said oh I can see fine outta the other one...
Hi Arbortist460, liked your story. Yup, you guys worked hard and that's for sure. If I'm ever down there I will try and look you up, I'd like to hear some more stories. My wife is from Glowmar and Upper Second Creek and I've been going down there for 58 years. Take care.
I liked the narrator's voice.
Thanks Really enjoyed this