tarboat's photos with the keyword: vreoci

At the loading point for the 900 mm gauge electric railway connecting the Vreoci opencast coal mines to a large washery. There were 17 locomotives in service with the oldest dating back to 1942. The maximum speed of all electric locomotives is 30 km/h. The trains consist of 17 self-discharging wagons and the weight of a loaded train is 800 tons of which 500 tons are coal. Locomotive No.4 was built in Belgium by Haine St. Pierre/BBC in 1952. The Vreoci coal mines belong to the state-owned Kolubara group which was established in the mid-1950s. There are four open cast mines: B, D, Tannav and Istokzabad. They have two power plants. The Verikicrljeni power plant is connected to the mines by an electric 900 mm gauge line, whilst the power plant in Obremovac is connected by an electrified standard gauge line. The total output of all mines is about 25 million tons of coal per year. Of this amount, 21.5 million tons is for the two power plants, and the rest is for sale to other consumers.

Bucket on the aerial ropeway to the dirt tip at the Vreoci coal washery in Serbia.

Buckets for the aerial ropeway to the dirt tip at the Vreoci coal washery in Serbia.

There are extensive opencast coal workings in the Vreoci area of Serbia. This bucketwheel excavator is removing overburden at one of these mines.

The large Vreoci coal washery in Serbia handles the output from a number of opencast coal mines. Spoil is removed to the tip by an aerial ropeway.

Action in the brown coal workings at Vreoci in Serbia.

Vreoci washery in Serbia was an interesting steam location with two gauges and also the use of classic dc electrics on the coal trains from the opencast mines. Yugoslav built USA type 62-635 is here busy shunting the standard gauge sidings.

Dragline action in the Vreoci opencast coal mine in Serbia.

At the loading point for the 900 mm gauge electric railway connecting the Vreoci opencast coal mines to the washery operated by the state-owned Kolubara group which was established in the mid-1950s. There are 17 locomotives in service with the oldest dating back to 1942. The maximum speed of all electric locomotives is 30 km/h. The trains consist of 17 self-discharging wagons and the weight of a loaded train is 800 tons of which 500 tons are coal. Locomotive No.6 on the left was built by Haine St. Pierre/BBC in 1952 whilst No.14 is a product of LEW in c1970.

Bands of colour across the extensive brown coal workings of the Vreoci opencast mine in Serbia.

The Vreoci washery was a stronghold of steam in Serbia when I visited in November 2007, but change wasn't far away and diesels took over within a few months. 62-635 on shunting duties at the washery in late afternoon sunlight.

Loading bunkers at the Vreoci coal washery in Serbia.

The crew of the Yugoslavian built locomotive take a keen interest in the photographer during a pause in shunting at the Vreoci coal washery. A close relation to this locomotive , and another view .

A class 62 locomotive shunts wagons under the loading hoppers at the Vreoci coal washery in Serbia.

The Vreoci area of Serbia has extensive opencast coal workings as well as deep mines. The brown coal deposits are of great thickness as can be seen in this view across the pit to one of the draglines loading coal onto a conveyor. The size of this machine is evident when compared with the orange coloured excavator.