How Mine Railroads Revolutionized Ore and Coal Transportation

You know, back in the day, mines wasn’t just holes in the ground. They had these things called mine railroads. Now, what’s that, you ask? Well, a mine railroad’s just like a train track, but it’s all down there underground or leading straight into them dark caves. These railroads got put together for carrying things like coal and rocks and sometimes even the fellas working in them mines. It was all a big thing, let me tell ya.

So, here’s how it all worked. The mine railroads started out simple, just narrow little tracks to fit in them tunnels. They called it narrow gauge railway. That means the tracks weren’t wide at all, just enough for a cart to go through, which was perfect for those crammed spaces in the mines. And don’t think it was quiet down there, neither! The old steam engines used to chug along, huffing and puffing with smoke and all, just to haul up all that heavy stuff from underground.

Mostly, these mine railroads carried coal, and there’s a lot of it. Coal was used for just about everything back then, especially to keep warm and run factories. So, you can imagine, every day they’d load up carts full of coal and send them out. They also had to haul out all the waste. You know, the extra rock and dirt they didn’t need. That stuff was called all sorts of funny names – they’d call it spoils, waste rock, or even slack. And it just got dumped somewhere else, out of the way.

Now, some of these railroads, they got pretty big. Take that Riotinto mining railway for example. They built it way back in the late 1800s, stretched it out 348 kilometers just to move minerals out of the Riotinto mines. That’s miles and miles of track just for carrying all that stuff, and it must’ve taken ages to build, but it sure got the job done.

And it wasn’t just the tracks; they had locomotives specially made for mines. Diesel ones for underground work were common, ‘cause they needed something powerful but safe to handle coal dust and gas. You can imagine, it wasn’t all safe down there. If things went wrong, there’d be explosions and whatnot, so these locomotives had to be tough.

These railroads weren’t just about the coal neither. There was iron ore too, and sometimes gold or copper if they got lucky. All them precious metals had to come up from the ground, and it was the railroad that did the heavy lifting. Nowadays, we don’t hear much about these old railroads – folks think of big trains crossing the country, but back then, it was these humble little mine railroads that kept things moving underground.

But, times changed. These mine railroads started fading away when folks figured out faster ways to move stuff, like big conveyor belts and electric trucks. Some old tracks are still there, though, rusting away as a memory of what used to be. Just think of all them hours folks put into digging, laying track, and running those little carts back and forth.

So, next time you hear about some old mine, just think about those mine railroads that made it all possible. Those rickety tracks helped haul up loads of coal, iron, and other precious stuff that built the world we know. And it wasn’t just any job either – it was tough, back-breaking work done in the dark by folks who didn’t have much, all for a bit of coal dust and some pay.

And that’s the story of mine railroads, old but important, and though most are gone, their tracks still tell a tale if you know where to look.

Tags：mine railroad, coal mining, narrow gauge railway, mining locomotives, Riotinto mining railway