Birmingham Coal Company
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham Coal Company was a coal mining company in the Pittsburgh Coalfield
area. It operated mines along Becks Run,
as well as other mines south of the Monongahela River
, such as the Bausman Mine
and the American Mine. It is named for Birmingham, Pennsylvania, a town which was later annexed to Pittsburgh. Part of the company was the Birmingham Coal Company Railroad, a narrow gauge
railroad that ran Along 21st street. Coal was transferred underground using a tailrope system from Spiketown to the mine entrance, and from there to the railroad on a gravity plane to the railroad.
Pittsburgh Coalfield
The Pittsburgh Coalfield is the largest of the Western Pennsylvania coalfields. It includes all or part of Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania. Coal has been mined in Pittsburgh since the 18th century. U.S. Steel and Bethlehem Steel owned Karen, Maple...
area. It operated mines along Becks Run,
as well as other mines south of the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, such as the Bausman Mine
Bausman Mine
The Bausman mine was a nineteenth century coal mine in the Pittsburgh area. The mine was started in 1844 by Frederick Bausman, and ran underground from 12th Street in Birmingham, Pennsylvania to Spiketown...
and the American Mine. It is named for Birmingham, Pennsylvania, a town which was later annexed to Pittsburgh. Part of the company was the Birmingham Coal Company Railroad, a narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railroad that ran Along 21st street. Coal was transferred underground using a tailrope system from Spiketown to the mine entrance, and from there to the railroad on a gravity plane to the railroad.