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Sub-bituminous

Sub-bituminous coal is not cost productive to haul great distances. The coal is too soft and retains too much moisture—factors that diminish its economic potential as hauling distances increase.

Alberta is the only province with reserves of sub-bituminous coal. It is used to generate more than 60 percent of the province’s electricity.   

Lignite 

The "coal of the prairie" was an underground miner’s bane. It was hard and was unlike the higher-ranked bituminous coal that was easier to mine.

What really angered the miners though, was the lignite they laboured to bring to the surface became soft and crumbled easily as soon as it was exposed to air.

Lignite was easy to light, but did not burn as hot nor as long as coals of higher rank. Steam locomotives that were initially fuelled by lignite soon switched to bituminous coal even though it was harder to ignite. The popularity of trains using bituminous coal included less ash to shovel. 

Image Copyright The Heritage Community Foundation

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