Visitors get up close look on tours

By Philip Rushton
Hinton Parklander


With free summer Teck tours out to Cardinal River mining operations, small boys who dream in the sandbox with Tonka trucks can go to see men at work on the real machinery.

Even workers bring their families on the tours to show their children where daddy works.

"It's awe inspiring to look down into the pits which can be as deep as 60-100 metres, said Teck tour guide Lisa Burlet on her second year as a summer student.


Haul trucks carry 250 ton loads of coal and rocks back from the Cheviot sites to the processing plant 22 km down the road at 5-10km/h so heavy is the load.

Gigantic shovels which can lift 2.5 train-cars worth of rock and fill those huge trucks in two scoops is a sight to see.

"Those huge trucks look small in comparison next to the shovels," said Burlet. "When the driver pulled up beside the bus for people on the tour, it dwarfed the bus."

As people on the tour took photos with the truck, with 5 metre high tires which came up level with the charter bus's roof. The truck's driver cab is 12 meters up for visibility above the massive diesel electric generator for the tires.

On their 20-30 loads per 12-hour shift, the truck drivers basically drive from here to Toronto during their four day on, four day off work cycle.

"Drivers joke that the wildlife are deaf out there, they don't even flinch when trucks drive past," said Burlet,. "The animals are completely comfortable with our operation."

Looking after the land, the company is in the midst of reclamation process with a public access trail through inactive sites on the land out at Sphinx Lake.

There is also workers' safety in mind as Teck has been running a Courageous Safety Leadership program since 2007.


"It's encouraging a core value on a personal level because it's part of the job and part of the lifestyle," said Burlet.

As many workers stay on at the mines 30-35 years, including Burlet's father Mike who works as an site electrician, it's unique job.

"Coal is a super fine mineral and the dust gets on everything, even in the office on my phone and computer," said Burlet. It goes right down into the groves of your fingertips.

"You can know a coal miner by his hands."

As Burlet goes back to university for 3rd year of bachelor's of education, miners will continue 24/7 to pull coal out of the ground, like generations of their fathers did before them.

The tours will continue throughout August on Thursdays from 10am - 2pm and interested people should call the day ahead to register for the tour by phoning (780) 692-5180.


P.S. I didn't have enough time to take four hours out to the mines, but I had to look up some of these amazing machines for photos and sad for it.

As I was interviewing the tour-guide girl on the phone I kept thinking of  one of my favourite child-hood stories I made my mother read over and over again. Yes I played in the garden so guilty of inserting self in story, a no-no in j-school. MEH!

It struck me though that the machinery may have gotten bigger but there's still a guy down there doing his job. The men who move mountains haven't changed so I'll be honest I really loved the description the tour guide girl gave of her father's hands. It's connections like those that tell a story in a simple phrase.

PSS thanks for the photos from these sites:

http://coalgeology.com/red-hills-mine-in-ackerman-mississippi-surface-coal-mine-lignite/19473/
group tour, dump truck & shovel

http://www.greatdreams.com/war/future_already_written.htm
red 1928 steam shovel

http://www.tmeredithphoto.com/
hands

Local history rich with stories of coal miners

Philip Rushton

Hinton Parklander Reporter

The Alberta Coal Branch Homecoming saw miners gather in Cadomin August long weekend to unwind and catch up on old times.

With strong coffee on hand at the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) office, many stories of old days before when coal driven locomotives were driven by strong coal miner's labour.

Old timer miner, mechanic and millwright Syd Alexander recently retired with a gift more symbolic than a gold watch for long mine service.

Union president Brent Bish presented him with an authentic miner's oil lamp on July 28 with an engraved plaque of Alexander's union service years 1971-1992.

"Brass won't spark and there's not going to be any flame leaving the glass," said Alexander.

He explained each miner had a lamp to work by and avoided methane gases in the mine as even an electric drill mis-sparking could trigger an explosion.

When titan sized mining machinery broke down, Alexander and other mechanics tore it apart, using cranes to install the larger parts.

"Those shovels are built sturdy, but so is 250 tonne of rock," said Alexander. "Beating away at a wall they didn't get around to blasting properly, it's going to give."

From 45 cubic yard hydraulic shovels and 250 tonne haul trucks to caterpillar earth movers and mobile drills, Alexander fixed everything as a heavy duty mechanic at the Cardinal River mine.

"Mining is its own thing with repairs," said Alexander.

Working with a shovel and then as a mechanic up to as maintenance planner, Alexander never tried to work on any union politics.

However, in his opinion, Walter Bish was the best manager the mines ever had.

His son Brent Bish will tell a story or two about how the union advanced the workers over the years.

"There were some pretty tense strikes, in '74 guys were at the pickets with baseball bats, whips and chains," said Bish.

As mine general manager during the early 70s Walter was involved in negotiations, and had worker's best interests in mind.

"He was always there for the men and it broke his heart when some of them figured they had been cheated on the contract," said Bish.

It is a fine balance between efficiency of company time and money and caring for the workers and their families with collective agreements regarding benefits and respecting employment standards.

"There hasn't been a strike here since 1981, as most people have pride in their jobs and do a good job wanting to be recognized for it," said Bish.

Mining runs deep in Bish's family coal veins. When they came up from the United States in 1905 to stake a claim on the land that came with the mineral rights.

With eight relatives in mining, Bish tradition continues since Brent's grandfather struck pick to rock. After a few years mining, Bish's son went to engineering school.

"There's a lot of people making a living down there and it's a different way of life on the coal branch," said Alexander.

With Coalspur's plans to break ground in 2012 for construction for a new mine the region will continue to have new stories to tell of coal mining at future reunions.