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August, 1962
Coolie Car Transport System
In the previous issue of this journal a description was given of equipment manufactured by Underground Mining Machinery Limited of Aycliffe, County Durham, under licence with the German firm of Scharf who are specialists in materials handling underground. The last article described materials handling by monorail. and the purpose of this present article is to introduce an alternative system of materials transport by the Scharf Coolie car.
The Coolie car (Fig. 1.) is a ground mounted vehicle driven on a special rail system. It has been designed for a load capacity of approximately 4 tons combined with a high maximum speed of approximately 4½ m.p.h.
One of the outstanding advantages claimed for the Coolie car compared with normal transport methods by mine car or tub is the extremely high operational safety factor. The transport vehicle is fully guided not only by rollers riding on the top of the track section but also by guide rollers trapping the vehicle to the side of the rail section; as a result derailments are eliminated. The system is also fitted with a braking device which operates automatically in the event of rope breakage.
Installation is simplified by the use of a prefabricated ladder-section track which requires no sleepers. It is normal to achieve installation rates of over 100 yards per man shift and due to the strength of the track and the flexibility of connection, little or no subsequent maintenance is required. Fig. 2. shows the type of track joint employed.
Track is supplied in lengths of 2, 3 and 4 yds and has an overall height of 4 in.: the track gauge is 1 ft. 8 in.
The Coolie car itself is assembled in three sections. Each of the two end sections (Fig. 3.) mount bogie units with running and guide rollers. The middle section carries a rope drum unit for storing up to 400 yds of spare rope. This provides a means of rapid extension of the system. The normal length of the car is 11 ft. 6 in. and the overall height from ground level has been kept to 1 ft. 9 in. With its flat top covered by steel deck plates the vehicle is ideally suited to container transport and it is in this way that it has found a wide application in Germany. There is today on the Continent a total of more than 77,000 yds of Coolie car track in operation and there are several installations with a length exceeding 1,600 yds.
The vehicle has found a wide application with Continuous Miners where it is necessary to maintain a high rate of advance of up to 50 yds per day, and this, it is claimed, only proved possible with the rapidly extensible track system of the Coolie car.
Special pulleys are provided for rope guidance at curves and also through the track length for the driving and return rope. In addition a specially designed rope return station (Fig. 4.) is available for rapid extension. The system is driven by rope connected from one end of the Coolie car through the surge wheels of a haulage (Fig. 5.) and the return pulley hack to the storage drum in the middle of the vehicle.
The system has been applied successfully on gradients up to 45 deg. and in roadways with severe undulations and a succession of difficult bends. It provides a means of rationalising materials transport to reduce the manpower normally required. In Continental experience installation of this type of equipment combined with a properly organised supply plan results in savings of up to 50% of the labour force and it is evident that economies can be made in the subsequent salvage of districts.
Development is at present proceding to adapt the system as a safe and efficient means of manriding in gateroads.
Drawings and Photographs accompanying the article
Article reproduced from a copy of the magazine held at National Mining Museum Scotland, Newtongrange, Midlothian.
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