Again, Coal Age brings to its readers, in these pages, a collec
tion of operating ideas devised and in use at the plants of one (organization, the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., with its sub
sidiary, the Buckeye Coal Co.
That in this case, as in every model mining issue, the harvest of ideas is rich definitely proves the great value attached to these short cuts in mine operation.
The solutions of problems here presented will apply to many other plants. That is why read
ers are repeatedly urged to fol
low this department closely and to contribute ideas when the op
portunity arises. Each accepted contribution will be paid for, the minimum rate being $5.
lamp in each bin would afford the best illumination, but according to present standards the installation cost would be prohibitive. Apparently the next choice is a portable lamp on an extension cord.
The accompanying illustration shows the cable reel extension cord method as used in the warehouse a t Nemacolin.
Fig. 4— In A bnorm ally H igh Places an Arch U pon an Arch Is Som etim es U tilized to Advantage
Any Bin Can Be Flooded W ith Light
The reel is mounted on a beam above the center aisle, making the portable lamp available in the cross aisle toward either side of the room. General light
ing is supplied by porcelain enameled reflector units which are also suspended above the center aisle.
Floor Gratings Arranged to Form Ideal Pit Cover As ordinarily constructed, covers and railings of a locomotive repair pit are a nuisance. A close approach to the ideal is in use in the main shop at N e m a c o l i n . This locomotive pit is shown in the accompanying illustra
tions.
The stairway and entire pit are covered witji sections of floor grating.
The 12x30-in. sections over the sta ir
way are alternately hinged to the two sides and when opened the two halves together with a chain attached per
manently at one end form a complete railing or guard. The rail or bar tying the sections of one side together is welded to the bottom side of the sec
tions in one case, and to the top side in the other case. Thus the two sides when down present a flat surface.
Between rails of the pit the sections are supported in horizontal guides and can be pushed toward one end to make an opening for access under the locomo
tive. H alf of the sections are on guides mounted at one level and the other half on guides a t a level just enough below so that these latter sections can slide under the other. The sections flooring the portions outside the rails must be raised and placed to one side to afford access here.
operatin g Ideas ¡rom P
r o d u c t i o n, E
l e c t r i c a land M
e c h a n i c a lM
e nStairw ay C over R aised Form s R ailin g G ratin gs Cover Locom otive Pit and Stairway
W hen the pit is not in use all parts are covered and there are 110 railings in the way. The portion under the locomo
tive is'n o t opened until after the loco
motive has been placed on the pit in the position for repair. A man enters by the stairw ay and from below slides the floor sections that are under the loco
motive, toward the ends of the pit.
Use of grating for floor allows the en
trance of light from above and provides an opportunity for circulation of air.
Pivoted Sprag on Compressor Is Proof Against Runaway Vibration complicates the safe block
ing of a compressor by customary methods. A solution to this problem was found at Nemacolin by the use 01 a sprag permanently pinned to the truck of the compressor. The two photo
graphs show this sprag in operative and inoperative position.
W ire Alignment Is N o t So Im portant With T h is Contact A rrangem ent wheel. Replacement of the trolley pole and wheel with a pantograph topped with a wide contact shoe eliminated the trouble.
Safety Sp rag Low ered
O il D rips From Cans Into Tanks Instead o f on Floor
T here is no end to the difficulty met in keeping the floor clean where grease and oil are transferred or poured from one container to another. The left-hand illustration shows the arrangem ent in Nemacolin mine for getting around this aggravation. A special room is provided for the daily filling of the l-gal- c?ns used by the motormen. W hile being filled the cans are set on top of a grating of li-in . pipes on U -in. centers which covers a concrete tank or sump. Capped pipes are provided for draining the sumps when they become filled.
Safety Sp rag R aised
C O A L AGE
A U G U S T , 1 9 3 1 445
O perating Ideas fro m
P r o d u c t i o n , E l e c t r i c a land
M e c h a n i c a l M e nNO TICE
A djacent to the can-filling room is a room containing individual lockers for each motorman and for each rock-dust
ing crew. These lockers are shown in the right-hand illustration. The filling room appears in the background. At the end of the shift the motormen deposit their oil cans and other tools in the lockers. A night man who is provided with a m aster key removes the oil cans, fills them and replaces them in the lockers. Only about 1 qt. of oil is allotted per can. The oil is taken into the mine in 5-gal. containers.
D ou b le Boards M ake Safer Guards for Curves Wooden guards for trolley wire are a hazard to the motormen unless prop
erly designed and supported. In Nema- colin mine the f-in. boards used for guards are doubled on the curves to add strength and minimize the chance of a whole board, or a piece split from it,
falling in the path of the motorman.
This construction is shown in the accompanying illustration. The two boards are lapped and securely nailed together, and the two sides are sup
ported by straps placed over the hanger and turned up over the bottom edge of the board. Stock size boards, |x 6 are used for all guards excepting where the top is low, in which case |x 4 boards are used.
Chart Posted on W a ll T ells Size o f Lamps to U se For control of the size of lamps to be used in making replacements each sur
face building, or separate room where necessary, at Nemacolin mine is sup
plied with its own chart specifying the lamp wattages recommended for each purpose.
The chart is posted on the wall and consists of a blueprint measuring 14x20 in., on which the lamp wattages
for ceiling, extension and wall lights are marked by hand with black ink.
This system makes a saving in lamp and power cost by forestalling the use of large lamps in places where much smaller lamps are entirely adequate.
Spads H idden by Rock D ust Spotted by Cloth Tags Rock-dusting plays an im portant role in the protection and safety of the Nemacolin mine. As the standard followed fixes the minimum of incom
bustible dust on headings at 55 per cent, the ribs and roof accordingly must be kept heavily coated with rock dust. This practice would work to the disadvantage of the survey corps in finding sight spads and station m arkers were it not for an idea which fixes their location: cloth tags are tied to the spads. These hang down beneath the rock-dust roof coating and are readily discernible to the eye.
T h is D u rab le C o n sU u aio n A voids H anging Lam p W at(ages Are F H kd t() S u h the B u j lding
ONLY THE ELECTRIC LIGHT5 ABSOLUTELY NEEDED SHALL B E TURNED ON WHEN REQUIRED AND THESE M U S T .B E T U E N E D O FF
IM M EDIATELY WHEN N O T IN U S E .
THC AUTHORIZED WATTAGE TOR LAMPS IN THIS BUILDING 15 WATTS TOR CEILING LIQHT5.
WATT5 fOR EXTENSION LIGHTS.
« O WATTS FOR SIDE OR WALL LIGHTS.
A D iF m e n T w a t t a g e t h a n t h a ts p e c i f i e d a b o v e m u s tnot QC USED WITHOUT SP E C IA L PERMISSION.
'’&Kurjvja, Supply Cans on the F illin g Racks L ooking From the Locker Room Into Fillin g Room