A westbound unit coal train enters the yard at Loyall, KY on May 30, 1978, led by SD40-2 No. 3579. This was a time of change. There were plenty of unit coal trains and they would be the future of railroads in the coal fields. However, at this point in time, there were still plenty of mine runs that went out and served the smaller mines that generated traffic in less than trainload quantities. Witness the nice scale house to the right and the cut of coal hoppers about to be weighed. Now, it would likely be difficult to even find a scale house in the Kentucky coal fields, much less one being used to weigh single car shipments of coal.
