Mine Switcher
Prototype Photos

Alco switcher owned by the Southeast Coal Company at Belcraft, KY -Jay Thompson Photo

Operators of large tipples and prep plants often operated their own switchers to move cars around. This page is dedicated to those hard working and often beat-up switchers deep in the hollers of the coal fields.

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This coal critter does the switching at the Rapid Load facility at Dean, KY. Note the rail wheels and coupler, 22 Sep 2009 -Donald Dunn	US Steel S2 101 at Lynch, KY on June 7, 1979. Note the homemade cab on this one. This Alco was the primary switcher before 102 showed up, and it replaced a GE 70-tonner -Jay Thompson Thanks to Robert Thompson for scanning his father's photos and adding the descriptions, click here to view more of Jay Thompson's photos on Flickr	Another view of US Steel S2 101 with the homebuilt flat-roof cab. Shot at Lynch, Kentucky on March 8, 1979 -Jay Thompson
The trackage at Lynch was steep so a brake sled built from an old C&O/Pere Marquette coal tender was used to give the switcher more braking power. This sled was used with the 70-tonner as well, Mar 79 -Jay Thompson	US Steel Alco S2 102 at Lynch, KY. Lynch was at the end of the L&N's Poor Fork Branch and saw 1-2 "steel trains" per day headed by either L&N or Penn Central 6-axles, 8 Mar 79 -Jay Thompson	Another view of US Steel ALCo S2 102 taken on June 7, 1979 at the Lynch, KY facility -Jay Thompson
On a foggy Kentucky morning in April 1984 US Steel SSB-9 1218A & 1218B work the US Steel prep plant at Corbin, KY. Alco only built two of these cow-calf sets in 1956, both originally built for Oliver Mining of Chisolm, Minnesota. Both sets eventually ended up working for US Steel at Corbin -Jay Thompson	US Steel SSB-9 calf 1217 was found in Corbin, KY where it was then working for US Steel, May 97 -Jay Thompson	South East Coal Company, a unit of Tepee Coal, owned and operated their own locomotives, including old ALCo switchers, second-hand GP20s and newly bought GP38-2s, Polly, KY, Mar 79 -Jay Thompson
Here in March of 1979, ALCo S2 #100 smokes it up as she shoves a line of green coals cars through the loader at the Polly, Kentucky mine -Jay Thompson	S-2 100 in Aug 84 -Stuart Thayer photo	Tipple swithcher, S-2 #200 at Premium, KY. Aug 85 -Stuart Thayer photo
One of SECX's switchers, S-2 #300, working at Calla, KY. Jul 86 -Stuart Thayer photo	Here, in March 1979, is S2 #400 (ex-AC&Y 187, N&W 2038, NKP 38) working the coal loader at Belcraft, KY -Jay Thompson	SECX S2 #500 idles at the Belcraft, KY coal loading facility in July of 1979 -Jay Thompson
S-2 500, Tipple switcher at Southeast Coal Company tipple at Belcraft, KY. Aug 85 -Stuart Thayer photo	Shamrock Coal Company switcher at Clover, KY. 1 May 87 -Stuart Thayer	McVicker switcher at Levisa Jct, KY on the old C&O, May 2007 -Eric Miller