Volume Two - The Era of Optimism, Investment & Development - Coal and coal export logistics . . .

	Throughout the South Wales coalfield, the coal changes from being bituminous and friable in the south and east to anthracitic and hard in the north and west, often in the same seam. Bituminous coals contain 84-91% carbon and anthracite >93%.

Between these two types of coal and at greater depth is the famous Welsh steam coal with its carbon content between 91-93%. Steam coal displays the qualities of anthracite coupled with the friable nature of bituminous coals. Larger coals produce small quantities of clinker, intense heat, low smoke and very little ash in comparison with smaller grades.

Coal wagons were in general owned by the colliery company and were marked accordingly, advertising the colliery or company name. Coal was sorted into the various grades at the colliery by passing the coal through a series of iron bars which acted like a sieve and progressively sorted the coal by size. Each colliery had its reputation for a particular type of coal(s) defined by its carbon quantity.

For efficient loading at the docks, wagons would have to arrive in sequence, together at the correct coal tip which had been allocated by the dock-master for a particular ship for a defined period of time. This rarely occurred and the skill of the shunters was challenged to extricate the appropriate wagons from the sidings in the order prescribed. Ships were often delayed or even refused entry to port until the wagons were found.

A further complication was that the smaller collieries in particular would send wagons full of unsold coal to the port with the intention of finding buyers with ships in the meantime. Destination dockets were inevitability often poorly or blatantly incorrectly labeled and more often than not found in the incorrect location or lost when the coal was finally sold. Also the shunters had to ensure that the empties were returned to the correct train for the colliery.