All, Some have ask what a coal tipple is. Someone was injured on one. I'm sure someone can give us more detail. Coal is a big part of the history of SW VA. In the "Back Counties" as my father called them. > A tipple performs several functions, the essential features are that > coal is brought in on one conveyance at a higher level, dumped into the > tipple where it may be only stored, or may be processed, and then is > dumped at a lower lever into another conveyance. A tipple for steam > engine use consisted of a side track with entry high on a hill. A train > would back a coal car onto the side track and park it there. The side > track would gain altitude toward its distal end and be high enough that > another steam engine could back its coal tender under it. The dump > doors under the coal car on top would be opened and dump coal through > the track on top of the tipple into the coal tender. A mining tipple > serves to receive the coal from the mine and dump it into coal cars. -eddie