Alpha Coal West

Alpha Coal West was the second mining operation that we saw on our tour.  Mining operation is very concerned about their safety records.  This mine won a national award for safety and it is displayed at the front gate as we entered the mining area.

Next, we were able to watch the over-sized dump trucks dump the coal into a chute for processing.

Right after the coal is dumped, the water truck comes and sprays water all over the area.  We left that area and went where the coal is placed into the trains after it is processed.  The train travels under the chute at half a mile an hour and the chute will load up to 150 rail cars. There is an average of 75 trains per day that are loaded with an average of 125 to 150 cars of coal.

If you think about it, coal actually looks very rich under the Earth's topsoil.