For those of you who regularly watch this channel, you may be interested to know that Justin has a Patreon account. The info is in the description. He's had it for months, but never mentioned it (true to form). He's probably not thrilled that I posted this. LOL Upvote this post, please, so it can stay in a place to be seen by channel regulars. Thank you!
The processing plant you refer to is possibly a wash plant to take out the Shale and Rocks before being sorted into coal wagons and going off to various power stations or ending up in your house. 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gold, silver, copper, coal, regardless of the material, an incredible amount of labor was involved no question. My hats off to the miners and the family's who supported them.
While coal mining is considered by some to be lacking the drama that mining noble metals like gold and silver generate it is still a huge part of the history of this country. Huge is probably an understatement as it was indispensable to America's development as an industrial superpower. This was really fascinating even without the exploration of the underground workings. I've explored one coal mine in Virginia which makes me appreciate the fact that you didn't have your gear with you and the adits were gated or collapsed. While western mines may appear to have organic material flowing through them, it is orange iron rust giving the appearance of something leaking from (gross part) open, infected wounds that don't normally generate toxic, explosive gasses. It does happen in metal mines but infrequently. But coal seams wouldn't exist without organic materials. And the coal mine I visited and those on TH-cam usually display very sizeable expanses of unsupported shale that makes up the back and are so lacking in support that it appears as if the centrifical force generated by the Earth's rotation is the only force holding the back in place. You enter enough questionable mines resulting in cringing viewers without tempting disaster. Cool video.
Thanks so much for this one!!! So many of us had family ties to the coal industry, it's good to see this old mine. Truth be told, if given the chance I'd gladly rehab and LIVE in that powder house, even with no electricity it's a beautiful old building and spot.
I've been watching your videos of the old mine explorations out west since I've recently retired. Needless to say I was extremely surprised to see this one! I've left a trail of likes throughout them. When I saw the end of this vid. I was amazed to see New River Gorge bridge up near Fayetteville, WV. I worked for Wheeling Pittsburgh coal in Omar, WV a few years in the late 70s early 80s when I was a kid. Went in the Army and only returned to WV to visit. Needless to say, every time you walk across a false floor over a wenz, I hold my breath for you.
Opposite of the river from the Kaymoor mine were the Henry Ford Collieries. Mine was on top of Beauty Mountain. Coal processing plant is still standing near the river. Coal was sent down in a chute with big disc's that kept the lump Coal from busting up into a lot of fines. A huge wire rope was used along with the disc's to keep the Coal moving in sections. The technology wasn't around to process the fine Coal then. Henry Ford had his own railroad that fueled his start in the beginning of Ford Motor Company.
West by god Virginia Do the new river bridge. We used to sky dive off it. I think they still bungee jump there. This is a big beautiful country we have here. U.S.A, WISH MORE PEOPLE RESPECTED IT. They told me the water I the river down by Charleston and nitro is 90 feet deep in places .,i had no reason to doubt it. Barges and tugs come up to Charleston.
The story always was that near the locks on the Kanawha River there were channel catfish down near them as big as jet skis. Rescue divers weren’t wild about going down there.
@@andrewharding1061 I went into the power plant at nitro and the union carbide plant at St Albins . computer man. A mildly wild decent town .. Ha. River town. Liars poker at the bar every nite. Once in awhile someone skinny dipping in the pool at night. Parkersburg too. Con Edison power plants. I worked there 3 or 4 times a year. Trouble shooter \ fixer. Charleston airport is a hoot to fly out of. On to of the hill and on a hot day the commuter planes would go off the end and sink into the valley a little to get good airspeed. Good memories about West by God Virginia.
At 10:05 that is the old transformer yard, those are the external barrel casings of the transformers. The copper wire coils have been salvaged by removing the top caps of the barrels, probably heaps of PCB's still contaminating the ground there from the drained Transformer cooling oils!
"You'd swear I was in the jungles of southeast Asia" To be honest, where you are some spots pretty much are like the jungles of southeast Asia, just not quite so hot. Temperate and subtropical rain forest microclimes are scattered around the mid and southern Appalachians, so much moisture can gather that it's part of why the Smokies are 'smoky' (humidity misting), and so on.
My buddy's Platoon Sgt was a grunt in the Central Highlands in Vietnam and says the dense forests of SWPA/WV are very similar to the forests/foliage there.
That looks like it was an absolutely massive operation...and yet, it completely disappears in the woods and has been absorbed by the forest! So, what brings you over her on the east coast anyways?
Worked in the area back in mid 90s and was too far to get home on weekends so spent time checking out the gorge. The building you referred to being torn down was a tipple. It was for sorting the coal and loading the coke and raw coal. It has really changed since I was last there.
My Dad used to work at that Kaymoor mine, as an armature winder and trouble shooter. He really liked it. He went back to see the place before he died in the 90s and shed a tear for its sad state of abandonment. But, he said, these mines weren't meant to last forever, just long enough to get enough of the coal out make a good profit and to Hell with the Workers and write the equipment off the mine owner's taxes. All that wild beauty wasn't there back then, everything was cut back and kept back by fires from the locos. Since the mines stopped pumping, the natural springs have returned and that helped the landslides you saw. I never had my stuff together enough to work in a mine, you had to be really sharp and aware to live through being a Miner.
Very cool . Surprised the Safety Board is still standing . All those tracks is nuts . Since it has been only 59 yrs since it closed . There are surely , hopefully , people alive who worked there . 25 when it closed , 84 today :D Sweet video , with " look back " photo's . Well done ... Gubs
You should get ahold of Underground Birmingham. They've got a very small following TH-cam channel, and they explore all the old coal and iorn oar mines around the Birmingham area which is loaded with old mines dating back before the civil war and up until not too distant past. As well as all the above ground facilities that are still present, and give pretty good background history akin to that you do yourself. Might be something of interest they have done that way, and they could benefit greatly from any advice you might be able to give them on TH-cam production. Plus the exposure comes from a collaboration is always a bonus for both sides, as it introduces both channels to different areas of the country. As always great video, and looking forward to the next one. Be safe and stay well out there in your wandering about doing what you do.
That was a great adventure. 👍So many ruins and old steel. There must have been a lot of activity back in the day. Thanks for sharing and keeping the camera work smooth as always 🏆💵💰
Do you think you could cover the ruins of the olga Coal Company mine as far as its buildings are concerned because if I recall the mine workings are flooded but some of the buildings are still standing, the buildings are in coalwood West Virginia which is where Homer Hickam is from
@@RailPreserver2K Ok. Obviously I don’t get out much! But I did recently retire from a 41 year career as a railroader, which does tie in with your name! Thanks for the info!
@@tomt9543 your welcome, I'll be heading to the old logging town of cass to ridethe train they have running there, I highly recommend it because it is a fantastic experience
The New River Gorge is a such a beautiful area. We visited for a week a few years back and really enjoyed it. Kaymoor was a great hike. (Though the hike back up to the top was a challenge at the end of the day!) Great video!
Finally exploring some coal mines. I'd reccomend exploring the kopperston mines since my great grandfather worked there for a while after his service in ww2
Nice! There aren't many videos of Appalachian mines on TH-cam. I shot a few of mines in Harlan back in 2019 but they weren't this neat. "For our safety" - LOL! As if a sketchy, rotten, rusty tipped-over old prep plant is any safer than a sketchy, rotten, rusty upright prep plant. Government logic, gotta love it!
I would be interested in seeing more of that part of the world, but I'm lacking that local knowledge for the really good stuff. Yes, you've got to love having our safety looked after so effectively.
Welcome to West Virginia. You should have told me you were coming and I could have shown you around... By the way, you do NOT want to go into an abandoned underground coal mine!
Good to see you back, even if it is unplanned! Looking forward to sharing my own adventures soon, inspired by you and a few other super explorers 😊 Stay well and looking forward to more adventures!
This is a really interesting site so it's like it shut down and was left to nature , here in the UK there were hundreds of coal mines but they were virtually all demolished and cleared. I'm surprised it was not all demolished and scapped they would have a field day over here. Great to see such an old site virtually untouched
I miss my mountains. I grew up in northern WV, near the PA state line. I luv the colors, sounds, & scents of a rocky WV wood. My daddy worked for the City but quite a few of my friends' dads were coal miners.
This episode is a lot like “Sidestep Adventures”. Another fun and interesting show to watch. You might like it. I’d have to assume so since you’re out there doing the same. Coal still sitting in the conveyor buckets. They didn’t even bother to finish what they already had worked for. Awesome rock walls to those buildings. The price of steel today I’m amazed no one is scrapping that metal. Remove man from the area and it’s only a matter of time for earth to reclaim it. That old steel bridge across that gorge is awesome. Wonder how often the do a survey on it to see if there’s still enough steel in it so it doesn’t end up like that building.
Hot Damn! Justin’s in my old stomping ground! Yup. Almost heaven, born and raised. Most of my family either worked in the Chemical Industry (Union Carbide, you may have seen a few of their cans) or the mines in the Kanawha Valley and Tug River Valley. It’s a shame they don’t mine like that anymore. 10 guys can blow the whole f’n mountain away and they do a shit job of putting it back. All that natural beauty is being levelled. In any case, thanks for showing some of my history.
@@randomalgorithim7836 it’s sick. I’m not even what would be considered a green type, but the one renewable and best thing about WV is it’s beauty, and they are absolutely destroying it.
@@TVRExploring - During college summer breaks, my brother was a rafting guide for white water trips on the upper (more fun) and lower ( a bit more relaxed) New River. This meant that during the summer while I was still in high school, I got to grab open raft spots for free. Going down the river, you can look up on the tops of mountains and see huge tipples all over the place. I highly recommend the trips just because they are a blast and the party at the end of the trip back at the camp is VERY WORTH IT. However, if you have an eye for map analysis, and I know you do...just follow the river valley on Google Earth from Fayetteville WV, which is roughly the start of the river raft trips down to the NR Gorge Bridge, which is the end of the trip. Scan the mountaintops. You’ll see them. I’ll bet you’d have better luck with some of the other adits (or adids, as I now like to say) still out there. Just a lot of off trail bush whacking involved. There’s also ghost towns and semi ghost towns all along the way that are still only accessible from rail. There also used to be scenic railroad trips offered through that C&O (now CSX) line, some using the very same rebuilt Steam Locomotives that hauled the coal back in the day.
@@JustAnotherPaddy Sounds like there is more great stuff out there than I realized... It's not a part of the country that I know very well. You know I like adids though!
Justin, I previously watched this latest upload edition of your fantastic coverage of old mine site whatnots & likely commented about it 2 days ago; “CRS” so.. wut’ve. ANYWAYS, I was just watching this other YT chan I’ve been sub’d to for years now, that has a massive warehouse of vintage &/or, antique film recordings of various genres & some even “silent” that the crew of said channel, has been working steadily over the years of digital archiving each and every one of said films. This channel just recently (as of the time of texting this msg: 04 of June, ‘21 @ 19:49 PST) of a vintage “silent” film of coal mines in full operation from 1928; although in Pennsylvania’s coal fields I believe.. just thought I’d share this info to you & your other sub’ers. Pretty fascinating to watch, even if “just coal”. Channel is called (I have zero affiliation with it or ANY channel, other then sub) PerriscopeFilm & film is called “BITUMINOUS COAL” 1928 EASTMAN EDUCATIONAL FILM.. enjoy
I was mildly disappointed that there would be no underground exploration in this one (although I understand and would rather see you alive!), but this ended up being more than made up for by the crazy amount of railroad, unusual abandoned equipment, and the ever interesting sight of vegetation slowly taking back over the site.
@TVR exploring do you ever explore underground under town underground railroad mine like tunnels been abandoned for at least 100 years? My town has one you can enter in threw some homes and the old school south west Pa West Virginia border
These are nothing like that they're is a 1/2 mile abandoned train tunnel that is under the school in fact I know of 7 abandoned train tunnels within 15 miles spread out. But the mine like tunnels I'm talking about were used during Harriet tubmans underground railroad in fact majority of the homes here were built to house/hide slaves on the way to freedom the houses around here are built in just the strangest ways and if you know what you're looking for you can just tell this town is linked to coal mine railroad and the underground railroad I figured I'd let you know if you're interested in any of it I don't like most exploring channels but I like your channel @TVR Exploring
@@leehilton9932 Sorry, but it's literally the New River Gorge. What we called hollars were the side valleys that lead down to the Gorge or to any other valley.
@@hughaskew6550 oh didn't know that. We'd still call it a hollar even if it has an actual name. I grew up farther South in the Appalachia, nobody called them gorges there. None the less its absolutely beautiful there, I miss it out that way
Please don't. You are in the Vanguard of Mine Explorers and we don't want to lose you to some Appalachian coal mine belching hydrogen sulfide. Normally I am not a big fan of surface exploration, but this one was really interesting and informative, of course when you get back home I look forward to watching you wade through the icy rusty water of a placer mine.
This is a amazing mine just now with all the left overs It must be a great plant as it works Thank you for this spooky looking footage of the mine Take care and stay safe Yours Frank Galetzka
That is awesome. Is that the one I recommended ?. Because if it is , there is an old road you can drive all the way to the bottom . Sorry for your luck if you walked all the way down. lol
I used to cross that bridge four times a week. Always liked when i could cross during the daylight hours. But most of the time I crossed at night time.
To bad I didn’t see you and it’s now puss pouring you went right past my house we got a few coal mines a few zink mines and I think a silver and lead mine further east but you were in a good area there are a lot of old mines around here and super cool caves and waterfalls
All the entrances were imploded to keep people out. Sometimes they settle and open back up, but usually it doesn't go too far. It's pretty common for Appalachia coal mines...the mines do it when they close, or if the mine goes bust, the local government comes in does it just to keep people out.
It really doesn't take long for the Appalachia to take back what was hers. As far as coal goes its pretty much just washed and graded by size I believe. I'm not to sure if quality is a factor, pretty sure the coal vein runs the quality all the way across. Check out Copperhill TN. Not to sure about being able to get into the mine or buildings, but pretty sure its flooded the river isn't too far away. As always stay safe
@@2002MX5 I Truly Despise the Very Thought of Having to Wear That Hateful Diper-Muzzle-Ballgag Attack on MY Intelligence and Freedom!!! And seeing how my attempt at sarcasm was misconstrued I will now go back and edit my original statement with a smiley face to Denote sarcasm!
Oh man! Did you even TRY to pry open that little round door/hatch on that cool powerhouse door? Looked to be 8-12 inches in diameter, had a hasp for a padlock, but had no lock on it.... 🤷♂️
A great find with a lot too see sadly not very recognizable anymore, but still a very nice walkabout in that area, if you wanna see a coal mine visit a working one and ask too see the unused parts, old coal mines with no maintenance are Dark,Wet, and Dangerous, in the old days the miners said: if the tweety bird gets silent get the hell out :-)
Interesting video and meaningful comments above! I'm sure glad we have the government to protect us from ourselves! The tipple looks much safer now that it's tipped over.
Beautiful place, thousands of old mines hidden in the forest, rich mining history. I love West Virginia, but man has it been screwed over by greedy industry. Just driving the back roads for an hour or two you can find remnants everywhere. Also, holy crap I'm glad you didn't go in. So much gas. . .
Wow! What a cool site. Too bad the government always has to stick their fingers into things for our "safety" but I guess that's pretty much all they do now days... Thanks for another awesome video!
As interesting as old coal mines look it's better to just stay out of them there can be gas build up which could result in spending a lot more time in that mine chatting with the other miners who reside there.
I don't blame you for not going in. Coal mines can kill you in so many ways when they are up and running. Going into an abandoned one is just asking for a Darwin award. Just saying.
I grinned when you said canyon. Hollows (Hollars) and valleys. Canyon is rarely heard in the country East of the Mississippi. Maybe a gorge or 2. Haha. Not making fun,, it just jumped out at me.,,,, the West and the East. great video.
That is a spring switch cars going through the switch from point end would go to whichever route was selected if a car was coming from the opposite direction it didn't make any difference which way the switch was thrown the points would move to that route that particular switch allowed the Larry car to go from the tipple to the coke ovens without having to switch for the railroad hoppers as for all the track Kaymoor had 5 load tracks and could load out 50 cars of coal on good days so you had empty hopper tracks above the tipple and loaded hoppers below the tipple all the track for the Larry cars to load the coke ovens 200 coke ovens at Kaymoor plus the track for all the hoppers that got loaded with coke
Thurber Texas has a rather impressive museum and even more entertaining if you know the private landowners upon which the surviving bits of the mine and town still exist!!!
coal is graded by size grade 1 & 2, lump, pea and a couple of other sizes for varied uses in Industrial, Home, Transportation, and other uses the Tipple was filled with screens to assist in filtering the different sizes into bins where it would then be loaded on to railroad cars or trucks. There are several books on the subject of coal mining. If your in the Scranton, PA area the Anthracite museum as McDade park is a worth while stop with a good selection of books as is the coal mine tour there.
For those of you who regularly watch this channel, you may be interested to know that Justin has a Patreon account. The info is in the description. He's had it for months, but never mentioned it (true to form). He's probably not thrilled that I posted this. LOL
Upvote this post, please, so it can stay in a place to be seen by channel regulars.
Thank you!
@UCqWzGy7W7jsQrJePipQkM9g That's the man running this channel.
@AGDinCA Thank you for your kindness and support. I actually do mention Patreon in tomorrow's video, but it is to thank you .
@@TVRExploring Oh, for goodness sake! So, because I embarrassed you, now you think you have the right to embarrass me? I see how it is... LOL 😂😂😂
@@AGDinCA I can't seem to help myself...
My Mom's family moved here when it was still Virginia. My Mom was a West Virginia coal miner's daughter. Tough life! Thanks for showing this!
Thanks for coming along. Glad you enjoyed it... It was indeed a tough life!
The processing plant you refer to is possibly a wash plant to take out the Shale and Rocks before being sorted into coal wagons and going off to various power stations or ending up in your house. 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gold, silver, copper, coal, regardless of the material, an incredible amount of labor was involved no question. My hats off to the miners and the family's who supported them.
Thanks TVR. I did the Kaymoor trail in July 2022 and your explanations and old photos were beneficial and excellent.
Thank you. My Great Grandfather and his oldest son ( my grandmothers father and brother) worked this mine. They were immigrants from Hungary
While coal mining is considered by some to be lacking the drama that mining noble metals like gold and silver generate it is still a huge part of the history of this country. Huge is probably an understatement as it was indispensable to America's development as an industrial superpower. This was really fascinating even without the exploration of the underground workings. I've explored one coal mine in Virginia which makes me appreciate the fact that you didn't have your gear with you and the adits were gated or collapsed. While western mines may appear to have organic material flowing through them, it is orange iron rust giving the appearance of something leaking from (gross part) open, infected wounds that don't normally generate toxic, explosive gasses. It does happen in metal mines but infrequently. But coal seams wouldn't exist without organic materials. And the coal mine I visited and those on TH-cam usually display very sizeable expanses of unsupported shale that makes up the back and are so lacking in support that it appears as if the centrifical force generated by the Earth's rotation is the only force holding the back in place. You enter enough questionable mines resulting in cringing viewers without tempting disaster. Cool video.
Thank you very much. I always appreciate your comments...
Love your videos. I live about 40 miles from Kaymoor and the New River Gorge
Holy crap that was a huge complex! Loved the old photos you included.
Thanks so much for this one!!! So many of us had family ties to the coal industry, it's good to see this old mine. Truth be told, if given the chance I'd gladly rehab and LIVE in that powder house, even with no electricity it's a beautiful old building and spot.
The powder house was amazing...
I've been watching your videos of the old mine explorations out west since I've recently retired. Needless to say I was extremely surprised to see this one! I've left a trail of likes throughout them. When I saw the end of this vid. I was amazed to see New River Gorge bridge up near Fayetteville, WV. I worked for Wheeling Pittsburgh coal in Omar, WV a few years in the late 70s early 80s when I was a kid. Went in the Army and only returned to WV to visit. Needless to say, every time you walk across a false floor over a wenz, I hold my breath for you.
Thank you for sharing that. I am glad I still have the capability of surprising some viewers!
That little Songbird is singing his heart out to you to get on camera... sometimes good things speak for themselves
I was going to comment the same. Beautiful birdsong indeed!
That really stood out for me when I was editing the video and I loved it.
Nice video; kind of surprised you didn't go explore the 100 or so coke ovens just below the rail switching yard.
Wow! That bridge is incredible.
Thanks for taking us around.👍
Interesting to find you out east in West Virginia...What brings you here from your regular haunts out in California?
Just passing through...
Opposite of the river from the Kaymoor mine were the Henry Ford Collieries. Mine was on top of Beauty Mountain. Coal processing plant is still standing near the river. Coal was sent down in a chute with big disc's that kept the lump Coal from busting up into a lot of fines. A huge wire rope was used along with the disc's to keep the Coal moving in sections. The technology wasn't around to process the fine Coal then. Henry Ford had his own railroad that fueled his start in the beginning of Ford Motor Company.
West by god Virginia
Do the new river bridge. We used to sky dive off it. I think they still bungee jump there.
This is a big beautiful country we have here. U.S.A, WISH MORE PEOPLE
RESPECTED IT.
They told me the water I the river down by Charleston and nitro is 90 feet deep in places .,i had no reason to doubt it. Barges and tugs come up to Charleston.
The story always was that near the locks on the Kanawha River there were channel catfish down near them as big as jet skis. Rescue divers weren’t wild about going down there.
@@JustAnotherPaddy I grew up in St. Albans I’ve seen a few of them you need deep sea gear to even think about catching one
@@andrewharding1061 So. Chas, here.
@@andrewharding1061 I went into the power plant at nitro and the union carbide plant at St Albins . computer man. A mildly wild decent town .. Ha. River town. Liars poker at the bar every nite. Once in awhile someone skinny dipping in the pool at night. Parkersburg too. Con Edison power plants. I worked there 3 or 4 times a year. Trouble shooter \ fixer. Charleston airport is a hoot to fly out of. On to of the hill and on a hot day the commuter planes would go off the end and sink into the valley a little to get good airspeed. Good memories about West by God Virginia.
At 10:05 that is the old transformer yard, those are the external barrel casings of the transformers. The copper wire coils have been salvaged by removing the top caps of the barrels, probably heaps of PCB's still contaminating the ground there from the drained Transformer cooling oils!
"You'd swear I was in the jungles of southeast Asia"
To be honest, where you are some spots pretty much are like the jungles of southeast Asia, just not quite so hot. Temperate and subtropical rain forest microclimes are scattered around the mid and southern Appalachians, so much moisture can gather that it's part of why the Smokies are 'smoky' (humidity misting), and so on.
Seemed pretty hot and sticky when I used to run around woods like that in WV
I grew up in the Smokies. They are specifically so-named because of the light haze of phytochemicals that are exuded from all the trees-
@@jackprier7727 ... and cause nucleation of humidity, making for some terrific fog at times. I live here too.
My buddy's Platoon Sgt was a grunt in the Central Highlands in Vietnam and says the dense forests of SWPA/WV are very similar to the forests/foliage there.
That looks like it was an absolutely massive operation...and yet, it completely disappears in the woods and has been absorbed by the forest!
So, what brings you over her on the east coast anyways?
I was just passing through...
I never thought you’d be in West Virginia! I live about two hours from this place
Thanks. Nice to see different mines.
Trying to keep things interesting for you guys...
Worked in the area back in mid 90s and was too far to get home on weekends so spent time checking out the gorge. The building you referred to being torn down was a tipple. It was for sorting the coal and loading the coke and raw coal. It has really changed since I was last there.
Cool history! Thanks for tour Justin!
My Dad used to work at that Kaymoor mine, as an armature winder and trouble shooter. He really liked it. He went back to see the place before he died in the 90s and shed a tear for its sad state of abandonment. But, he said, these mines weren't meant to last forever, just long enough to get enough of the coal out make a good profit and to Hell with the Workers and write the equipment off the mine owner's taxes.
All that wild beauty wasn't there back then, everything was cut back and kept back by fires from the locos. Since the mines stopped pumping, the natural springs have returned and that helped the landslides you saw. I never had my stuff together enough to work in a mine, you had to be really sharp and aware to live through being a Miner.
Had to subscribe this was so interesting thank you for taking us along
Thanks for the sub!
Loved this one thank you keep the great videos coming 👍🇬🇧
Very cool . Surprised the Safety Board is still standing . All those tracks is nuts . Since it has been only 59 yrs since it closed . There are surely , hopefully , people alive who worked there . 25 when it closed , 84 today :D Sweet video , with " look back " photo's . Well done ... Gubs
Yes, I am hoping that someone that worked there might comment on this.
You should get ahold of Underground Birmingham.
They've got a very small following TH-cam channel, and they explore all the old coal and iorn oar mines around the Birmingham area which is loaded with old mines dating back before the civil war and up until not too distant past.
As well as all the above ground facilities that are still present, and give pretty good background history akin to that you do yourself.
Might be something of interest they have done that way, and they could benefit greatly from any advice you might be able to give them on TH-cam production. Plus the exposure comes from a collaboration is always a bonus for both sides, as it introduces both channels to different areas of the country.
As always great video, and looking forward to the next one.
Be safe and stay well out there in your wandering about doing what you do.
Thanks for that information. That's a really interesting niche and I'm not aware of anyone else covering that.
That was a great adventure. 👍So many ruins and old steel. There must have been a lot of activity back in the day. Thanks for sharing and keeping the camera work smooth as always 🏆💵💰
At 11:45 the 2 conveyors laying on the ground are called loading booms they were raised and lowered into rail cars to prevent coal breakage
On the safety sign (2:07) what would the "house dept" do?
Good question!
Do you think you could cover the ruins of the olga Coal Company mine as far as its buildings are concerned because if I recall the mine workings are flooded but some of the buildings are still standing, the buildings are in coalwood West Virginia which is where Homer Hickam is from
Who is Homer Hickam?
@@tomt9543 he was a former resident of coal wood who launched model rockets back in 1957 and later went on to work at NASA
@@RailPreserver2K Ok. Obviously I don’t get out much! But I did recently retire from a 41 year career as a railroader, which does tie in with your name! Thanks for the info!
@@tomt9543 your welcome, I'll be heading to the old logging town of cass to ridethe train they have running there, I highly recommend it because it is a fantastic experience
@@tomt9543 what railroad did you work for originally ?
The New River Gorge is a such a beautiful area. We visited for a week a few years back and really enjoyed it. Kaymoor was a great hike. (Though the hike back up to the top was a challenge at the end of the day!) Great video!
TVR is back at it! Yessir!
If your interested on the sides of the old rail you can find the name and date when it was manufactured.
Finally exploring some coal mines. I'd reccomend exploring the kopperston mines since my great grandfather worked there for a while after his service in ww2
I live in southwestern virginia and theres some old mines here as well
Thank you.
Nice to see you in my former "neck of the woods". Lot of history in those green hills.
If anyone is interested, the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society has a complete set of drawings of the Kaymoor mine complex.
Great Tour! I searched this mine and found more information.
Nice! There aren't many videos of Appalachian mines on TH-cam. I shot a few of mines in Harlan back in 2019 but they weren't this neat.
"For our safety" - LOL! As if a sketchy, rotten, rusty tipped-over old prep plant is any safer than a sketchy, rotten, rusty upright prep plant. Government logic, gotta love it!
I would be interested in seeing more of that part of the world, but I'm lacking that local knowledge for the really good stuff.
Yes, you've got to love having our safety looked after so effectively.
Man I can't believe how much you travel! I don't blame you for staying out of coal mines.
Are you going back another time to get through the fenced off portal?
Welcome to West Virginia. You should have told me you were coming and I could have shown you around... By the way, you do NOT want to go into an abandoned underground coal mine!
I would love to have gotten an insider's tour! And, no, I'm not keen on exploring abandoned coal mines...
Good to see you back, even if it is unplanned! Looking forward to sharing my own adventures soon, inspired by you and a few other super explorers 😊 Stay well and looking forward to more adventures!
Thank you very much, Jenna. Glad to hear that you'll be sharing your world with us as well soon...
My friends and I explored this area a few years back when we went rafting. Cool place.
Visited that exact spot almost a year ago. Pretty neat stuff!
This is a really interesting site so it's like it shut down and was left to nature , here in the UK there were hundreds of coal mines but they were virtually all demolished and cleared. I'm surprised it was not all demolished and scapped they would have a field day over here.
Great to see such an old site virtually untouched
Very difficult place to get to anymore I do believe the only way is from the river and then the mine is on top of the mountain
I miss my mountains. I grew up in northern WV, near the PA state line. I luv the colors, sounds, & scents of a rocky WV wood. My daddy worked for the City but quite a few of my friends' dads were coal miners.
This episode is a lot like “Sidestep Adventures”. Another fun and interesting show to watch. You might like it. I’d have to assume so since you’re out there doing the same. Coal still sitting in the conveyor buckets. They didn’t even bother to finish what they already had worked for. Awesome rock walls to those buildings. The price of steel today I’m amazed no one is scrapping that metal.
Remove man from the area and it’s only a matter of time for earth to reclaim it.
That old steel bridge across that gorge is awesome. Wonder how often the do a survey on it to see if there’s still enough steel in it so it doesn’t end up like that building.
Lived in Ohio but I used to spend weekends playing around here in the 80s and 90s. Good place for rock climbing and kayaking.
Apparently, the RACOR 20-B is a type of switch used on railways. First patented back about 1906 or so.
Very interesting tour of the coal mine.
Hey Justin, I am just outside of WV. I would have loved to have rode over and met you.
Are you still in the area? Regards from Ody Slim
I was just passing through... I would love to have met up with you.
@@TVRExploring Maybe next time!
Hot Damn! Justin’s in my old stomping ground! Yup. Almost heaven, born and raised. Most of my family either worked in the Chemical Industry (Union Carbide, you may have seen a few of their cans) or the mines in the Kanawha Valley and Tug River Valley.
It’s a shame they don’t mine like that anymore. 10 guys can blow the whole f’n mountain away and they do a shit job of putting it back. All that natural beauty is being levelled.
In any case, thanks for showing some of my history.
@@randomalgorithim7836 it’s sick. I’m not even what would be considered a green type, but the one renewable and best thing about WV is it’s beauty, and they are absolutely destroying it.
This was my first visit to WV and I was really impressed by the scenic beauty of the area.
@@TVRExploring - During college summer breaks, my brother was a rafting guide for white water trips on the upper (more fun) and lower ( a bit more relaxed) New River. This meant that during the summer while I was still in high school, I got to grab open raft spots for free. Going down the river, you can look up on the tops of mountains and see huge tipples all over the place. I highly recommend the trips just because they are a blast and the party at the end of the trip back at the camp is VERY WORTH IT. However, if you have an eye for map analysis, and I know you do...just follow the river valley on Google Earth from Fayetteville WV, which is roughly the start of the river raft trips down to the NR Gorge Bridge, which is the end of the trip. Scan the mountaintops. You’ll see them.
I’ll bet you’d have better luck with some of the other adits (or adids, as I now like to say) still out there. Just a lot of off trail bush whacking involved.
There’s also ghost towns and semi ghost towns all along the way that are still only accessible from rail.
There also used to be scenic railroad trips offered through that C&O (now CSX) line, some using the very same rebuilt Steam Locomotives that hauled the coal back in the day.
@@JustAnotherPaddy Sounds like there is more great stuff out there than I realized... It's not a part of the country that I know very well. You know I like adids though!
The "support beam that failed catastrophically" about @ 13:42 might have had the web cut out with a torch to drop the building...
Yes, the government topped it intentionally in 1999 for our "safety".
Justin, I previously watched this latest upload edition of your fantastic coverage of old mine site whatnots & likely commented about it 2 days ago; “CRS” so.. wut’ve. ANYWAYS, I was just watching this other YT chan I’ve been sub’d to for years now, that has a massive warehouse of vintage &/or, antique film recordings of various genres & some even “silent” that the crew of said channel, has been working steadily over the years of digital archiving each and every one of said films. This channel just recently (as of the time of texting this msg: 04 of June, ‘21 @ 19:49 PST) of a vintage “silent” film of coal mines in full operation from 1928; although in Pennsylvania’s coal fields I believe.. just thought I’d share this info to you & your other sub’ers. Pretty fascinating to watch, even if “just coal”. Channel is called (I have zero affiliation with it or ANY channel, other then sub) PerriscopeFilm & film is called “BITUMINOUS COAL” 1928 EASTMAN EDUCATIONAL FILM.. enjoy
Very cool... Thank you!
I was mildly disappointed that there would be no underground exploration in this one (although I understand and would rather see you alive!), but this ended up being more than made up for by the crazy amount of railroad, unusual abandoned equipment, and the ever interesting sight of vegetation slowly taking back over the site.
Yeah I bet there's all kinds of equipment down there in those mines
WOW!!! Nice video. Great shots!! Lmk if you are planning a retun trip. Id love to own this property...less the landslides. Nice 'now and then' shots!
A whole lot of this all over that state. Still a beautiful state
@TVR exploring do you ever explore underground under town underground railroad mine like tunnels been abandoned for at least 100 years? My town has one you can enter in threw some homes and the old school south west Pa West Virginia border
The Donner Tunnels...
These are nothing like that they're is a 1/2 mile abandoned train tunnel that is under the school in fact I know of 7 abandoned train tunnels within 15 miles spread out. But the mine like tunnels I'm talking about were used during Harriet tubmans underground railroad in fact majority of the homes here were built to house/hide slaves on the way to freedom the houses around here are built in just the strangest ways and if you know what you're looking for you can just tell this town is linked to coal mine railroad and the underground railroad I figured I'd let you know if you're interested in any of it I don't like most exploring channels but I like your channel @TVR Exploring
@@paulwebhandlemcgranite698 Thank you. That is very interesting...
I don't think there is a coal mine anywhere that doesn't have a history of large numbers of accidents and deaths.
It's a tough life being a coal miner, for sure...
Yep short life for those poor people
It’s really something to see how nature has reclaimed the mine site and all the structures.
Extraordinary, isn't it?
@@TVRExploring , very much so.
At minute 6:40 you were standing in the midst of a Poison Sumac bush .....
The stone buildings are amazing.
This is a little pedantic, but no one in West Virginia would ever say "canyon". You're looking at valleys and gorges.
Lol very true, but its a hollar or valley. I've never heard anyone in my family call it a gorge. Raised in the Tennessee Appalachia area
@@leehilton9932 Sorry, but it's literally the New River Gorge. What we called hollars were the side valleys that lead down to the Gorge or to any other valley.
@@hughaskew6550 oh didn't know that. We'd still call it a hollar even if it has an actual name. I grew up farther South in the Appalachia, nobody called them gorges there. None the less its absolutely beautiful there, I miss it out that way
Please don't. You are in the Vanguard of Mine Explorers and we don't want to lose you to some Appalachian coal mine belching hydrogen sulfide. Normally I am not a big fan of surface exploration, but this one was really interesting and informative, of course when you get back home I look forward to watching you wade through the icy rusty water of a placer mine.
Great video!, if I had the money I would love to buy that and build a cabin up there and I'd be set until I pass!.
This is a amazing mine just now with all the left overs
It must be a great plant as it works
Thank you for this spooky looking footage of the mine
Take care and stay safe
Yours Frank Galetzka
Those cut rocks that make up those buildings are expensive we sold the ones in caples West Virginia in the 1980s
That is awesome. Is that the one I recommended ?. Because if it is , there is an old road you can drive all the way to the bottom . Sorry for your luck if you walked all the way down. lol
Which video of yours was the Hecla?
When was this opening and closing ???
I used to cross that bridge four times a week. Always liked when i could cross during the daylight hours. But most of the time I crossed at night time.
To bad I didn’t see you and it’s now puss pouring you went right past my house we got a few coal mines a few zink mines and I think a silver and lead mine further east but you were in a good area there are a lot of old mines around here and super cool caves and waterfalls
All the entrances were imploded to keep people out. Sometimes they settle and open back up, but usually it doesn't go too far. It's pretty common for Appalachia coal mines...the mines do it when they close, or if the mine goes bust, the local government comes in does it just to keep people out.
That's very nice to see. Thanks🏴
Thanks
Pretty cool stuff you going to go rafting?
If a coal breaker falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
GORGEOUS PLACE!!!!
So much to see. My imagination runs wild. Thank you so much.
My home town right there i love kaymoor land off gatewood road in Fayetteville i lived on old kaymoor road number 2
It really doesn't take long for the Appalachia to take back what was hers. As far as coal goes its pretty much just washed and graded by size I believe. I'm not to sure if quality is a factor, pretty sure the coal vein runs the quality all the way across.
Check out Copperhill TN. Not to sure about being able to get into the mine or buildings, but pretty sure its flooded the river isn't too far away. As always stay safe
Wonder who put up the modern fences?
You're overlords and don't take that mask off!! 😁
@@worldtraveler930 Stuff your mask.
@@2002MX5 I Truly Despise the Very Thought of Having to Wear That Hateful Diper-Muzzle-Ballgag Attack on MY Intelligence and Freedom!!! And seeing how my attempt at sarcasm was misconstrued I will now go back and edit my original statement with a smiley face to Denote sarcasm!
Oh man! Did you even TRY to pry open that little round door/hatch on that cool powerhouse door? Looked to be 8-12 inches in diameter, had a hasp for a padlock, but had no lock on it.... 🤷♂️
A great find with a lot too see sadly not very recognizable anymore, but still a very nice walkabout in that area, if you wanna see a coal mine visit a working one and ask too see the unused parts, old coal mines with no maintenance are Dark,Wet, and Dangerous, in the old days the miners said: if the tweety bird gets silent get the hell out :-)
Isn't a "tipple" what they call an ore bucket in the UK? They're always really excited when they find one.
Interesting video and meaningful comments above! I'm sure glad we have the government to protect us from ourselves! The tipple looks much safer now that it's tipped over.
Beautiful place, thousands of old mines hidden in the forest, rich mining history. I love West Virginia, but man has it been screwed over by greedy industry. Just driving the back roads for an hour or two you can find remnants everywhere.
Also, holy crap I'm glad you didn't go in. So much gas. . .
It was my first time through the area and I was impressed by the scenic beauty.
Wow! What a cool site. Too bad the government always has to stick their fingers into things for our "safety" but I guess that's pretty much all they do now days... Thanks for another awesome video!
Thank you. You know I agree with you!
As interesting as old coal mines look it's better to just stay out of them there can be gas build up which could result in spending a lot more time in that mine chatting with the other miners who reside there.
Why do you think the steel wasn’t salvaged out of there. There’s millions of dollars of scrap down there. Also what were you doing in West Virginia?
We dont call them Canyons hear in ky wv va call them hollers
I don't blame you for not going in. Coal mines can kill you in so many ways when they are up and running. Going into an abandoned one is just asking for a Darwin award. Just saying.
Yes, they're definitely on another level.
I grinned when you said canyon. Hollows (Hollars) and valleys. Canyon is rarely heard in the country East of the Mississippi.
Maybe a gorge or 2. Haha. Not making fun,, it just jumped out at me.,,,, the West and the East. great video.
What you were calling the power house was actually the cap and powder house
That is a spring switch cars going through the switch from point end would go to whichever route was selected if a car was coming from the opposite direction it didn't make any difference which way the switch was thrown the points would move to that route that particular switch allowed the Larry car to go from the tipple to the coke ovens without having to switch for the railroad hoppers as for all the track Kaymoor had 5 load tracks and could load out 50 cars of coal on good days so you had empty hopper tracks above the tipple and loaded hoppers below the tipple all the track for the Larry cars to load the coke ovens 200 coke ovens at Kaymoor plus the track for all the hoppers that got loaded with coke
Coal mine! Come to Texas and let me show you one here
Thurber Texas has a rather impressive museum and even more entertaining if you know the private landowners upon which the surviving bits of the mine and town still exist!!!
Yep I’ve been there in 70 and 1997
Neat stuff and great food also
@@philliphall5198 Mary’s Cafe
coal is graded by size grade 1 & 2, lump, pea and a couple of other sizes for varied uses in Industrial, Home, Transportation, and other uses the Tipple was filled with screens to assist in filtering the different sizes into bins where it would then be loaded on to railroad cars or trucks. There are several books on the subject of coal mining. If your in the Scranton, PA area the Anthracite museum as McDade park is a worth while stop with a good selection of books as is the coal mine tour there.