Coal Scraper and Chain Conveyor

sketchfab

This object belongs to the Netherlands Museum in Heerlen. This model of a coal scraper and chain conveyor was used for training outside of mines. With mechanization in the mines, new techniques and machines were developed to get coal faster and more efficiently. One of them was a "coal slicer". Its sharp teeth were pulled by thick chains along the wall, breaking the coal off of it. The coal shavings would then be transported further with so-called "carriers", which would move it along and transport it to baskets that would take it outside. Although mechanization made everyday life under the ground physically easier, the level of noise caused by an operating scraper and conveyor must have been difficult to bear, especially for an entire workday. The sounds embedded in this model are of the machine operating. Can you imagine working in a dark tunnel filled with these noises for an entire day?