Switching Engine - Coleman, AB
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 49° 37.992 W 114° 30.291
11U E 680167 N 5500839
This little engine had a very specific purpose in Coleman, one which never took it far from home. This was the engine which pulled the cars of coal into the Coleman coke ovens and pulled out the cars of coke.
Waymark Code: WMPCV3
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 08/10/2015
Views: 5
Though the original engines, in 1904, were electric, they were later replaced by diesels, such as this one, in the '30s or '40s.
One of the more notable parts of Coleman's heritage, many of the coke ovens built in 1903 survive along the railroad tracks on the south end of town. They provided coke to smelters in Southern BC for many years, the last being shut down in 1952.
The International Coal and Coke Company started the construction of 100 beehive-style coke ovens in 1903 as part of its Coleman mine, surface plant and townsite complex. The ovens were constructed from red brick in a continuous wall, topped with rails for electrically-driven coal cars and surrounded by a cooling wharf. In 1906 an additional 116 coke ovens were constructed, which increased production capacity to 8000 tons of coke per month.
The coke ovens were operated continuously, and provided hot, dirty, but welcome employment for several shifts of men and boys. Cars running overhead emptied coal into the ovens, where it was baked at a very high temperature to drive off impurities such as hydrogen, ammonia, tar and methane. After baking, the coke was cooled with water before being 'pulled' or pitchforked onto the surrounding wharf where it was separated from ash and loaded into rail cars.
Visit Instructions:Waymark creators for this category are encouraged to create a visit verification question for visitors. See individual waymarks for specific logging criteria.
Photos of visits are encouraged but not required for this category.