1942 HOME MOVIE ELDORADO COAL MINE ELDORADO, ILLINOIS GG30115

Filmed in 1942-43 by an unknown American amateur filmmaker, this silent home movie shows views of a coal mine operations in the vicinity of Eldorado, Illinois (possibly the Eldorado Mine operated by the Eldorado Coal Corporation, operated from 1917-53).

00:00 Film starts
00:13 Miner's houses on a rural road probably outside Eldorado, Illinois
00:23 Elevator shaft for the mine and smokestacks belching smoke
00:42 a Cardox truck, which could deliver high pressure discharges of gas used for clearing blockages and build-up.
00:57 Miner on a skid pulled by two work horses, probably returning the team after they've delivered a wagon
1:07 Miners coming out of a building marked "Employees Only"
1:17 Men working on railroad right of way
1:34 Man coming out of what appears to be a welding shop, with bottles of gas stacked outside
1:50 Men push an older small gondola rail car, followed by a brand new car -- with clean wood sides
2:28 Inspection of the new gondola
3:09 wood shop at the mine
3:19 damaged gondola car either being repaired or being scrapped
3:25 a gondola car is shown on fire, probably so the metal parts can be salvaged for re-use
3:46 metal tire is heated up before being slapped onto a gondola truck wheel ?
3:54 Water system in use to keep down dust, followed by series of shots of the grounds and buildings
5:44 large metal hopper or gondola car full of coal is moved in the switch yard to the hump yard
6:03 hump yard for rail cars
6:12 truck full of lumber is shown, marked "Ben F. McGill Eldorado, Ill".
6:25 pile of wood at the plant, stacks of railroad rails and ties
7:53 men unload items from a truck, possibly the items shown in use at 9:40
8:08 man pumps gas from an old fashioned gas pump
9:40 men are shown using what appears to be a pump and a spool of Anaconda wire, possibly to take core samples?
10:00 appear to be core samples
10:19 a truck marked "Jackson Eldorado" leaves the mine
10:34 shot of coal neatly piled in truck bed
10:56 shot of truck marked "Orval Doc Genet Eldorado, Ill."
11:13 steam locomotive with a caboose backs up -- looks like family day as a kid and his mom are on the rear of the caboose
11:35 view of the freight yard at the mine
12:01 steam locomotive # 1587 backs towards coal train cars
12:26 New York Central coal gondola
13:07 b&w footage shot inside the coal processing and loading facility
14:04 bales of what appears to be hay being unloaded from Rock Island Lines boxcar
14:30 miners relax outside of a building
15:04 man in a hat, possibly a supervisor, walks towards camera
15:11 miners pose for the cameraman
15:48 miner poses beside what appears to be a water pump on a flat car
15:55 gondola full of what might be roof jacks
16:07 miner poses with gondola full of sand
16:33 what appears to be staff at the mine pose for the camerman