What Is a Coal Car?
A coal car is a train car which has been specifically designed to carry coal. Coal cars are used to move coal around the site of a mine, and to transport coal to other locations for processing and sale. There are several different types of coal car in use, with some versions being more of historical interest than practical value. Historically, coal mining was performed by digging into a hillside to reach a coal vein, and moving the coal out in coal cars which ran along a railroad. The gauge of the railroad was typically much smaller than that of a typical railroad, allowing the company to run tracks down narrow tunnels, and the coal cars were also small, allowing miners to quickly load the cars and return them to the surface in pairs or small teams. Miners also rode empty coal cars into the mines to get to work. Modern coal mining is not usually accomplished with this method, making coal cars of this type less necessary. Railcars designed for carrying coal in the mines are iconic in so
Related Questions
- Fueling a car on gasoline made from coal (Coal-To-Liquids or CTL) emits twice as much greenhouse gas as gasoline from crude oil. Why is fueling a PHEV from coal electricity better than gasoline?
- Why are electric cars put forward as the answer to the car problem? Don we use coal as fuel to generate electricity?
- Doesn plugging in the car just trade oil pollution for coal pollution?
