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Coe Mining Co. - S Gauge Herald March 1966
 First, I believe a little  education on iron ore would be   of assistance to us in planning  and building this pike.
  When the ore veins do not run too deep, iron ore  is mined in open pits to lessen  costs.  Much of the material removed is merely sand with quantities of ore mixed in it.  This is called lean ore. This type of ore must be beneficiated or separated into iron ore concentrates. The poor grades of ore must be hauled to  a smelter or plant  that  beneficiates the ore.  Some ore is high grade and can be used as  it comes from the mine.  This type is  sent to a marshaling yard located near ore loading docks where   experienced   dispatchers sort the cars according to chemical analysis to make up boat cargos.   Once  loaded into ore boats, the  ore  is  carried  via the Great Lakes to the  steel furnaces.
  Perhaps you have often wondered why a small ore can can carry 75 tons.  It is due to  its ruggedness and the fact that iron ore is
extremely heavy when  compared to coal.  These diminuitive little cars  also haul  the ore from unloading facilities to  the various steel mills and furnaces; thus  you will  see  them on  a number of railroads.  The Coe Hill Mining Co.,  from the modelers point of view, is  a switching operation.  Ore   cars are spotted at different points throughout the open pit mine, where they wait to be  loaded by
one of the steam shovels working on various levels. Switcher locos then push the loaded cars to the top of the pit where they  are left on stub tracks  until  there is a full train of cars to move to Havelock yards. At Havelock, trains are made up to transfer the ore either to a smelter or to the ore dock.
  If this is used as a part of a larger railroad, a smelter can be located  some  distance  away  as well as the ore unloading dock with its big ore boat tied up alongside.
  All switches are #4 unless otherwise marked.  All curves are 24" radius 
(minimum) except those marked differently.  The Lionel Corporation makes a large crane or shovel which could be utilized in the open pit mine. Rex locos would be at home here as well  as  a  2-8-0  or diesel switcher.  The  different   steel companies surely will  accomodate you with plans for one  of  their lake steamers.
So I leave  you  to  visualize this setting as belching  smoke from hard working steamers and ore dust  color the  atmosphere. Steep grades are tackled by 0-6-0 switchers shoving heavily loaded ore cars back and forth through the switch backs.  Out on  the main a busy dispatcher threads long ore trains into  sidings  to let superior trains  through  and out on a long unloading pier, the streaked little hopper cars  dump their  contents  into  the  waiting  hold  of  a  gigantic   lake freighter. A vivid picture of one of  America's  vital   industries served by the essential  railroad ...its main artery.