Mine tags

[NW Mailing List]

Into the 1950's, mine tags were tacked to loads by a tipple clerk who 
kept a logbook of car and lading info. Mine run conductors recorded 
setoffs and pickups in a train book that they turned in at the end of 
the run for a yard clerk to write up as a CR10 (wheel report). 
Eventually, all conductors would become responsible for wheel reports.

Tags were color-coded by destination for ease of crews to sort and block 
loads, this being typically done at the tipple to minimize delays at set 
off points along main tracks. Loads without tags ("no-tags"), typically 
of coal yet to be sold, were not to be pulled and could not exceed 25 
percent of the mine rating. One notable exception to this rule was 
Keystone whose tipple track capacity was limited such that it had to be 
worked several times a day. No-tags were moved to Eckman or Kimball Yard 
to avoid blocking off a tipple good for a million tons a year and 
trusted to account for the orphan loads.

An alternative to avoid the 25 percent limit or maintain outlet track 
capacity was to tag the car for storage and the mine operator would 
contact the dispatcher with the numbers of the affected cars to then be 
forwarded to a nearby storage location. Huger Middle Track was one such 
location when Superior was slow due to lake ice, although the east end 
remained reserved for Maitland short loads headed east to Bluestone, 
thence to Crane Creek. Anyway, entries were made in the train book and 
tags stayed on the cars--no waybills.

Generally, tags stayed on the car until it was about to be weighed. East 
loads were untagged by a "tag puller" walking the yard, weighed, logged, 
issued a proper waybill, and classified at Bluefield except Tidewater 
which ran through to Lamberts Point. West loads were untagged, weighed, 
logged, billed, and classified at East Portsmouth except barge coal at 
Kenova. Eventually, tags were simply given to the mine run conductors by 
tipple operators, starting the blur between "tags" and "bills."

Grant Carpenter

On 10/13/2015 3:10 PM, NW Mailing List wrote:
> Mr. Bundy,
>
> You are more familiar with sales & marketing than me.  I don't know 
> when the "permit system" began.  All I can tell you is when I hire in 
> 1973 when ever we serviced a mine the conductor would get waybills for 
> the loads from the mine and write up a wheel report to be given to the 
> yard clerk on arrival in Williamson.  For eastbound coal trains, out 
> of Williamson, the bills rode with the head-end brakeman to Bluefield 
> and dropped off at the east yard office as they passed by.  Many times 
> the bills for a coal train were about the size of a brick and weighed 
> about the same.  When I was working waybills were required before a 
> load could be moved from a mine, even short loads (raw coal moving 
> from one load out to a different mine for washing). If there was no 
> bill for the particular car it stayed at the mine until billed.
>  Coal waybills were also often referred to as "bills" 
> or "tags".  Maybe a misuse of words or terms over the years?
> I have attached waybills from 1957 for coal moved from the mine to 
> Williamson for weighing and Contract Tidewater bills from 1985 for 
> shipping.  I am sure the Tidewater bills are permits since the have a 
> class & number designation.
> This may help us understand the difference in operations by dates 
> (years) from what you are saying and what I experienced.
>
> -Jeff Hensley.
>
>
> Moderator:
> http://nwhs.org/mailinglist/2015/20151013.57_waybills.jpg
> http://nwhs.org/mailinglist/2015/20151013.85_waybills.jpg
> http://nwhs.org/mailinglist/2015/20151013.Waybill_instructions.jpg
>
>
>
>     Need an explanation here.  Never had to contend with a mine tag,
>     so I don't know what their purpose was.  In the era before the
>     "permit system", coal could be shipped to Lamberts Point without
>     ever having been sold.   Once at Lamberts Point, these so-called
>     "rollers" didn't start accruing demurrage for 10 days (for merchandise
>     traffic it was 2 days), so agents had time to sell the coal while en
>     route and for 10 days after arrival before the charges started.  My
>     impression was these cars had no waybill, only the cardboard mine
>     tag stapled to the side of the car. Any thoughts on mine tags ?
>                                                            Harry Bundy 
>

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