“The Shuttle Car Operator” is 1960s-era color film taking the viewer deep inside a bituminous coal mine to learn more about the coal-mining industry. The camera takes us into cramped spaces as drills make their way through the earth (mark 01:15) and coal hauled away on trolleys called shuttle cars. But the job of a shuttle car operator is one of the most dangerous in the coal mining industry, we’re told at mark 02:10, with one out of every seven transportation injuries involving shuttle car operators. To ensure safety the film discusses the importance of proper car maintenance and proper training of employees. Numerous scenes of shuttle cars in the bowels of the earth follow as the narrator continuously reminds the viewer of the importance of being vigilent and on the lookout for any physical hazards that may impede movement. Starting at mark 04:45 the film reminds of the viewer of those men who “paid with their lives” as crews are shown at work including checking ventilation shafts and removing hazards — though “failure to think about safety” leads to a (staged) fatality at mark 07:55. Other accidents follow, the result of workers too engaged in conversation and oblivious to changes in their underground environment, or those inadequately trained. If an operator is trained and alert, we’re told at mark 15:50, such tragedy can be averted.

First introduced in the 1930s, shuttle cars are batch haulage vehicles in the underground mining industry. Shuttle cars are designed to work as a system with continuous miners, efficiently removing cut material from the working face and maximizing the productivity of the entire section. Heavy-duty, high-power drive trains enable our shuttle cars to haul heavy loads in the most difficult conditions. Traction motors power the permanent four-wheel drive system. The cast pivot axles are virtually indestructible, while the heavy-duty conveyors and abrasion-resistant conveyor decking improve reliability and durability.