Computerized loadout facility at Fording Coal
The transportation of coal from Fording Coal Limited's Fording River Operation to the Roberts Bank port facilities on British Columbia's west coast is a prominant and costly component of the company's business. Because 23.1% of the coal's selling price goes to freight costs, it is important for the company to achieve full benefit for its transportation dollars. The facilities for loading coal into unit coal trains, of approximately 107 cars, is the component which will determine whether the benefits will be obtained. The benefits that can be obtained are determined by the method utilized by the carrier for determining freight charges. Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) will charge for a minimum weight regardless of whether the customer loads enough coal to attain that weight. As well, CPR sets a maximum weight which the customer cannot exceed. Therefore, the loadout facility should load the unit trains so that the minimum weight is attained without exceeding the maxiumum. Fording Coal has developed and implemented a loadout facility that can control the loading of trains within these constraints. (JMT)
- Research Organization:
- Fording Coal Ltd., Roberts Bank, British Columbia
- OSTI ID:
- 5757045
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8104200-
- Journal Information:
- Instrum. Min. Metall. Ind.; (United States), Vol. 8; Conference: 9. annual mining and metallurgy symposium on instrumentation in the mining and metallurgy industries, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, 29 Apr 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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