Norfolk Southern Completes Major Upgrade Of Export Coal Facility

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) has completed a major upgrade to its Lamberts Point export coal transload facility in Norfolk, positioning it to remain the largest and fastest coal transload facility in the Northern Hemisphere. More commonly known simply as Pier 6, the facility transfers coal hauled by train from Appalachian coal fields to ships bound for world markets.

"This investment reflects our belief in the long-term prospects for the global coal market and Norfolk Southern's continuing pivotal role in that market," said Danny Smith, NS senior vice president-energy and property. "This helps assure that we will remain the premier link to the global market place for high grade metallurgical and thermal coals alike."

The $18-million upgrade, completed on schedule over a 90-day period beginning in August, involved major overhauls of the facility's dumper system, which transfers coal from rail cars to a conveyor system, and its two loaders, massive rolling structures that deliver the coal to the ships.

The dumper system consists of two pairs of dumpers, each pair handling two coal cars at a time, that rotate the cars 135 degrees and dump their contents into a conveyor system that transports the coal to the pier. The upgrade consisted of replacing the structural steel that supports the north set of dumpers and the hopper bins that funnel the coal onto the conveyor belts. The dumpers, at 500,000 pounds each, were lifted by cranes and placed on the ground. While the steel support structure was being replaced, the dumpers also received a complete electrical and mechanical overhaul. The south set of dumpers will receive the same upgrade in the spring of 2013.

New solid-state drives replaced the generator sets on the north dumper car pushers, which push loaded coal cars into position to be hoisted up onto the dumpers.

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