Yinghao Coal Mine

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

Yinghao Coal Railway

Life in Yinghao Country

Eating out in Yinghao

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: