coal-storage

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In railroading, the storing of coal for the use of locomotives. It may be stored in an open yard, in heaps, or under a trestle, or in a building. The larger open-air storage-yards are filled with coal, by means of a cable-way, conveyer, or elevator, directly from the boat or car, the coal being distributed by means of a reloader, elevator, or conveyer. In using an elevator a large A-shaped crane is erected in the yard, the elevator traveling up one leg of the A and delivering the coal at the top. The space under the crane is thus filled with coal in a conical heap. Another storage-system employs combined elevators, conveyers, and reloading conveyers for receiving, storing, and delivering coal, in large bunkers, from cars and to cars and locomotives, the whole plant being inclosed.