“The last Train” 23/3/2020 – AS280
A part of history 23/3/2020, “The last train” Thank you Jamie for capturing the moment.
(SMR has permission to use the photos supplied – Credit to Jamie Apthorpe)
“The last full Train”- AS264 18/3/2020
EL61 & EL57 photographed at East Greta Junction at 12:20pm @ 18 March 2020, The “last full train” to leave Austar Coal Mine to pass through EGJ – Photos supplied by Rob Rouse
(SMR has permission to use the photos supplied – Credit to Rob Rouse)
17/3/2020 AS224
EL61 & EL57 pass through East Greta Junction on the 17/3/2020 to collect the “last full load” from Austar Coal – Photos supplied by Rob Rouse
(SMR has permission to use the photos supplied- Credit to Rob Rouse)
SMR Previous News Articles
Article: 004 – 01/2020
China’s Yancoal puts Austar mine at Cessnock on care and maintenance
YANCOAL intends to suspend production at its Austar coalmine at Paxton, near Cessnock, with the likely loss of more than 90 jobs.
The Chinese-owned company said yesterday that Austar would go into “care and maintenance” from the end of March, as “works within the current mining area reach completion”.
It said Austar employed 137 people, and that voluntary redundancy would be offered to all employees.
Yancoal would not say why Austar was going into care and maintenance beyond saying that mining was about to finish in the area being worked.
It had consulted with unions and employees about the future workforce arrangements.
The Austar lease has been mined under various names since 1916, including as the Pelton/Ellalong colliery. Yancoal bought the mine, then known as Southland, in 2004.
Its main product is a high-value semi-soft coking for use in steel making, but its lease sits in a difficult area geographically. The mine has shut and reopened a number of times over the years.
Austar only resumed operations in August 2018 after the NSW Resources Regulator lifted prohibition notices following coal burst incidents earlier that year.
These incidents followed the deaths of two miners, Phillip Grant, 35, of Metford, and Jamie Mitchell, 49, of Aberdare, in an underground wall collapse in April 2014.
Georgina Woods, a spokesperson for environmental group Lock The Gate, said Yancoal’s announcement showed the need for the NSW Government to put money into a diversification strategy for Hunter mine workers.
“The region is vulnerable to these sorts of sudden market decisions made a long way away from us,” Ms Woods said.
Federal Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon noted the mine’s challenges over the years and said the closure was not a reflection of the industry, which would “remain a major employer and generator of economic wealth in the Hunter for many decades to come”.
Mining union spokesperson Peter Jordan declined to comment on the lay-offs.
Article with compliments from Newcastle Herald – Ian Kirkwood
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6596601/austar-mine-to-close-with-loss-of-almost-100-jobs-updated
Article: 003-08/2018
As the prohibition notice has been lifted at Austar Mine, intermittent trains will begin running through August – September, with capacity trains expected to ramp up in October to meet production.
Please see below for the full article from the Hunter Valley Coal Report.
Austar to recommence production following cancellation of all prohibition notices – Hunter Valley Coal Report – 31/18 – Dated 09/08/2018
Austar Coal Mine in the Hunter Valley is to recommence production, following confirmation on Friday 03 August 2018 of the cancellation of all prohibition notices issued by the New South Wales Resources Regulator.
Employees previously redeployed to other Yancoal-owned underground operations during the stand-down of Austar activities, as announced 9 July 2018, are currently being recalled to Austar to recommence production activities.
All underground longwall production activities at Austar were prohibited following a significant coal burst event on 17 May 2018. While no workers were injured, the coal burst reportedly caused significant damage to the longwall shearer. The burst saw an estimated 60 tonnes of coal ejected from the longwall face, approximately two tonnes of which landed in the walkway at the front of the powered roof supports.
The Regulator had previously prohibited cutting at the longwall as a result of a coal burst event on 16 March 2018.
Yancoal Australia Limited manages the Austar mine on behalf of Watagan Mining Company Pty Ltd. Austar currently employs 205 people
Article: 002-08/2018
As the prohibition notice has been lifted at Austar Mine, intermittent trains will begin running through August – September, with capacity trains expected to ramp up in October to meet production.
Please see below for the full article from the Hunter Valley Coal Report.
Resources Regulator allows limited activities at Austar Mine – Hunter Valley Coal Report – 30/18 – Dated 02/08/2018
The NSW Resources Regulator has lifted a prohibition notice allowing limited longwall activities, under controlled conditions, to recommence at Austar Mine.
On 18 May 2018 the Regulator issued a notice prohibiting all underground longwall production, following a significant coal burst event which occurred on 17 May 2018.
The notice was lifted on 30 July 2018 after the implementation of additional controls by the mine, including de-stress drilling and the training of staff in pressure bump identification and coal burst trigger action response plans.
A further prohibition notice remains in place which prohibits longwall extraction from the 293m chainage.
The mine will undertake controlled cutting under strict conditions up to this point in order to test additional controls to mitigate a coal burst risk and will maintain a 50-meter exclusion zone for workers.
Article 001-08/2018
No.10 and No.18 Class Steam Locomotives will be out of the shed again on Tuesday 7th August 2018.
The proposed time at this stage is between 7am & 9am.
As we are a commercial rail operator:
- Only those holding a valid induction can be permitted into our yards.
- Photos are for personal use only.
- With respect for our neighbours (both residential and commercial) drones cannot be permitted.