Flashback: Earth moving royalty

 It would be rare to see these ‘ladies’ side by side- the  Princess (left) and Midway Queen (right) during the coal mining heyday of the 1970’s near Amsterdam. This particular photo shows gravel covering the railroad tracks as it appears the Queen is transitioning across. 

The P&M Coal Company provided many jobs for local folks- one of which required climbing to the tippy top of the boom under the best and worst of weather conditions to perform maintenance and oiling.  Photo courtesy Jan Curnutte