Coal breakers in Northeast Pennsylvania

[Blake]

About 5 to 7 years ago, I visited 3 old coal breakers in NE PA. Dozens of photos were taken, some in color, some in B&W. Here is the first of the 3. It is called "St. Nick". It is located in Saint Nicholas PA near Hazelton. I will show a few photos and then clickable links to the other photos as not to make the page take forever to load.

Click on the "St. Nick" links below for more photos.

St. Nick 1
St. Nick 2
St. Nick 3
St. Nick 8
St. Nick 9
St. Nick 10
St. Nick 11
St. Nick 12
St. Nick 13
St. Nick 14
St. Nick 15

 

[Blake]

Next one is in West Pittston PA. They called this one "Big Natty".

The rest of this one are on color slides that I will have to dig out later.

 

[Blake]

The friend that I saw these 3 breakers with has just as bad of a memory as I do. Neither of us can remember exactly where this last one was. We do know that it was between Centrailia and McAdoo PA.

Click on the "breaker" links below for more photos.

Breaker4
Breaker5
Breaker6

 

[jon-monon]

Wonderful photography, Blake! I especially love that middle pic on the last post. Very artistic and dramatic.

 

[marty w.]

Cool pics.

Marty

 

[Blake]

Thanks guys.

 

[RailRon]

Fantastic pics, Blake! Thank you for posting them.

I love to look at pictures of old industrial plants. It's always fascinating to see the ingenuity of the constructors of the past. And it is saddening to see such a plant deserted and slowly falling to pieces. To think, that a few years ago hundreds of men had a workplace there...

When we build an industry like that on our layouts, we are creating a sort of a memorial of the old technologies.

Ron

 

[jim currie]

good pix. the name of the plants is preperation plants ,seperate coal fron rock(slate) dries it and crush it to steam coal size or what ever size called for if for stoker coal (heating coal) there would be a oil coating .

 

[MCL_RDG]

I remember...

...coal being delivered to my grandma's house up intil the late 60s- They still had a coal stove for cooking. Grandma didn't know any other way to cook. A cast iron stove right there in the kitchen. I loved having "helped" the delivery man by staying in the basement to direct the coal chute and it's load. Nothing like the roar of coal on a chute to make the blazes like hell. Live on brothers, Hell ain't half full!

Since we're so "modern" and at times "PC"- not, the coal crackers of PA salute the heritage.

Blake, I love that shot- reflection of a breaker in the puddle. When I first looked at it I thought it was airbrushed or something. Then, duh-...

Mark

 

[shaygetz]

You must be gunning for a Pulitzer with that puddle shot, very, very well done shots. FYI for you HOers, code 100 rail IS prototypical for modeling many areas of the Pennsylvania RR during the 1950s. That's why my pike is modeled as a branch of it---nobody has to worry if their equipment will hit the tie plates either.