Minecart

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Cart from 16th century, found in Transylvania Berlin Technikmuseum Holzbahn.jpg
Cart from 16th century, found in Transylvania

A minecart, mine cart, or mine car (or more rarely mine trolley or mine hutch ) is a type of rolling stock found on a mine railway, used for transporting ore and materials procured in the process of traditional mining. Minecarts are seldom used in modern operations, having largely been superseded in underground operations (especially coal mines) by more efficient belt conveyor systems that allow machines such as longwall shearers and continuous miners to operate at their full capacity, and above ground by large dumpers.

Contents

Terminology

A Hunt at the Hansa Pit, Gottingerode, Germany Grube Hansa Gedenklore Gottingerode 1.jpg
A Hunt at the Hansa Pit, Göttingerode, Germany

Throughout the world, there are different titles for mine carts. In South Africa, a minecart is referred to as a cocopan ; [1] or koekepan. In German, it is called Hunt (alternative spelling Hund ). In Wales, minecarts are known as drams. [2] In the U.S. and elsewhere, the term skip – or skip wagon (older spelling: waggon) – is used. [3] (See: Skip (container)#Etymology)

In particular, a V skip wagon is a side-tipping skid with a V-shaped body (Images)

Design and operation

Minecarts range in size and usage, and are usually made of steel for hauling ore. Shaped like large, rectangular buckets, minecarts ride on metal tracks and were originally pushed or pulled by men and animals (supplemented later by rope-haulage systems). They were generally introduced in early modern time, replacing containers carried by men. Originally, they didn't run on a real "rail", where the wheels would have a rim to fit into the tracks, but with plain wheels on a wooden plank way, hold in track by a pin fitting into a guide groove, or by the underside of the cart itself which was lower than the wheels and fitted between the planks ("Hungarian system"). [4] [ circular reference ]

As mines increased in size and output, the aforementioned methods became impractical because of the distances and quantities of material involved, so larger carts would be used, hauled by narrow gauge diesel and electric locomotives (in coal mining operations, where gas that is flammable would present a problem, the locomotives would be flameproof or battery powered). These were also used to pull trains transporting miners to the workfaces.

Minecarts were very important in the history of technology because they evolved into railroad cars. See History of rail transport .

Lorry or mine car

An open railroad car (gondola) with a tipping trough, often found in mines. Known in the UK as a tippler or chaldron wagon [5] and in the US as a mine car. [6]


Minecarts have been depicted as a type of thrill ride; for instance Indiana Jones uses one in an escape scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom .

Mine train roller coasters were inspired by minecarts.

Minecart levels, a term used for levels in which the player character takes a high-speed ride in a minecart, common level in video games, especially side-scrolling video games such as Donkey Kong Country [7] and Fantastic Dizzy . A minecart is also featured in Hoodwinked . Minecarts and tracks can be crafted by the player in Minecraft and used for transportation. They are also found in abandoned mineshafts that generate naturally as a part of the game's procedural generation.

In Great Britain, restored mine carts (known as "tubs") containing floral displays can commonly be seen on village greens and outside pubs in former coal mining areas such as Northumberland and County Durham.

Like in Great Britain, old mine carts are common decorations in Germany, sometimes accompanied by old mining tools. Especially in the Ruhr Area those carts can be found in many front yards.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagonway</span> Railway using horses to pull goods wagons

Wagonways, also known as horse-drawn railways and horse-drawn railroad consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam-powered railways. The terms plateway, tramway, dramway, were used. The advantage of wagonways was that far bigger loads could be transported with the same power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rack railway</span> Steep-grade railway with a toothed rack rail

A rack railway is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail. This allows the trains to operate on steep grades above 10%, which is the maximum for friction-based rail. Most rack railways are mountain railways, although a few are transit railways or tramways built to overcome a steep gradient in an urban environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railroad car</span> Vehicle used for carrying cargo or passengers on rail transport system

railroad car, railcar, railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck, also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a vehicle used for the carrying of cargo or passengers on a rail transport network. Such cars, when coupled together and hauled by one or more locomotives, form a train. Alternatively, some passenger cars are self-propelled in which case they may be either single railcars or make up multiple units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hopper car</span> Railroad freight car used for transporting loose bulk commodities

A hopper car (US) or hopper wagon (UIC) is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, and track ballast. Two main types of hopper car exist: covered hopper cars, which are equipped with a roof, and open hopper cars, which do not have a roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gondola (rail)</span> Open-top railroad freight car used for carrying loose bulk materials

In North American railroad terminology, a gondola is an open-topped rail vehicle used for transporting loose bulk materials. Because of their low side walls, gondolas are also suitable for the carriage of such high-density cargos as steel plates or coils, or of bulky items such as prefabricated sections of rail track. Gondolas are distinct from hopper cars in that they do not have doors on their floor to empty cargo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cable railway</span> Railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains

A cable railway is a railway that uses a cable, rope or chain to haul trains. It is a specific type of cable transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tipple</span> Mine structure used to load coal or ore

A tipple is a structure used at a mine to load the extracted product for transport, typically into railroad hopper cars. In the United States, tipples have been frequently associated with coal mines, but they have also been used for hard rock mining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotary car dumper</span>

A rotary car dumper or wagon tippler (UK) is a mechanism used for unloading certain railroad cars such as hopper cars, gondolas or mine cars. It holds the rail car to a section of track and then rotates the track and car together to dump out the contents. Used with gondola cars, it is making open hopper cars obsolete. Because hopper cars require sloped chutes in order to direct the contents to the bottom dump doors (hatches) for unloading, gondola cars allow cars to be lower, thus lowering their center of gravity, while carrying the same gross rail load. Cars are equipped with rotary couplers to allow dumping them while they are still coupled; a "Double Rotary" gondola or hopper has rotary couplers on both ends to allow it to be unloaded while it remains coupled to stationary cars at each end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mineral wagon</span> Small open-topped railway goods wagon

A mineral wagon or coal truck is a small open-topped railway goods wagon used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to carry coal, ores and other mine products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Shorthaul Railroad</span> Australian rail freight services operator

Southern Shorthaul Railroad is an Australian rail freight services operator in New South Wales and Victoria. The company also provides workshop services, such as rolling stock manufacturing and wagon and locomotive maintenance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaldron</span> Unit of volume

A chaldron was an English measure of dry volume, mostly used for coal; the word itself is an obsolete spelling of cauldron. It was used from the 13th century onwards, nominally until 1963, when it was abolished by the Weights and Measures Act 1963, but in practice until the end of 1835, when the Weights and Measures Act of that year specified that thenceforth coal could only be sold by weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dandy waggon</span> Type of railway carriage used to carry horses on gravity trains

The dandy waggon is a type of railway carriage used to carry horses on gravity trains. They are particularly associated with the narrow gauge Festiniog Railway (FR) in Wales where they were used between 1836 and 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Hudson (company)</span>

Robert Hudson Ltd was a major international supplier of light railway materials, based in Gildersome, near Leeds, England. The name was later changed to Robert Hudson (Raletrux) Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarry tub</span> Railway wagon used at quarries and mines

A tub or quarry tub is a type of railway or tramway wagon used in quarries and other industrial locations for the transport of minerals from a quarry or mine face to processing plants or between various parts of an industrial site. This type of wagon may be small enough for one person to push, or designed for haulage by a horse, or for connection in a train hauled by a locomotive. The tubs are designed for ease of emptying, usually by a side-tipping action. This type of rail vehicle is now mainly obsolete, its function having been mostly replaced by conveyor belts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open wagon</span> Railway wagons for transportation of bulk goods

Open wagons form a large group of railway goods wagons designed primarily for the transportation of bulk goods that are not moisture-retentive and can usually be tipped, dumped or shovelled. The International Union of Railways (UIC) distinguishes between ordinary wagons and special wagons (F/6). Open wagons often form a significant part of a railway company's goods wagon fleet; for example, forming just under 40% of the Deutsche Bahn's total goods wagon stock in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mine railway</span> Type of railway that operates in a mine

A mine railway, sometimes pit railway, is a railway constructed to carry materials and workers in and out of a mine. Materials transported typically include ore, coal and overburden. It is little remembered, but the mix of heavy and bulky materials which had to be hauled into and out of mines gave rise to the first several generations of railways, at first made of wooden rails, but eventually adding protective iron, steam locomotion by fixed engines and the earliest commercial steam locomotives, all in and around the works around mines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acland No. 2 Colliery</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Acland No. 2 Colliery is a heritage-listed former mine at 2 Francis Street, Acland, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 29 June 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charming Creek Tramway</span>

The Charming Creek Tramway was a 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) long private bush tramway at Ngakawau in Buller District on the West Coast in New Zealand. It was used from 1903 or 1905 to 1958.

A coal truck may refer to:

Nickel Plate Mine was a gold mine on Nickel Plate Mountain at Hedley in the Similkameen region of southern British Columbia.

References

  1. Dictionary definition of "Cocopan"
  2. "Glossary". Welsh Coal Mines. Retrieved 16 April 2018. Dram. Tram or Truck.
  3. "Copper Country". Engineering & Mining Journal. 26. New York: McGraw Hill: 1109–1110. 26 June 1915.
  4. de:Hunt#Geschichte
  5. Chaldron wagon [ dead link ] Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "30-Cu. Ft. Mine car". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  7. "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Mine Cart Level". Next Generation . No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 37.