Coal is still king in the Appalachia region of the United States and a major source of revenue for several railroads. These railroads and the coal shipments that they carry have also proven to be the source of inspiration for many model railroaders over the years. But what has not been readily available for the modeler or the railfan has been a video source detailing the coal industry.

The video begins with a history of the coal industry in Appalachia and progresses to an examination of the journey that coal makes from the mine to the complete coal industry to you, from the mine to the end-user. We bring the complete coal industry to you, from the inside of a coal mine, to preparation plants, storage facilities, loaders, associated equipment, a rotary dumper, coking facilities, steel mills, and of course trains.

But it doesn't stop there. Also included are excellent examples of model train layouts depicting the coal industry. And to help you get started with building your model coal facilities, there is a demonstration on building a conveyer belt system as used by the coal producers and the end-users.