Low tech solutions from 1974 on the N&W

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Looking for some photos in the flickr commons for background shots in West
Virginia, I came across the photo below:
 
http://www.rrmodel.info/2010/08/low-tech-coal-loader-041974.html
 
Question:
 
How common are (were) small loaders like this?
 
When I think coal, I still think of large scale unit-train loaders out in the
Powder River area, but this looks like it would be easy to tuck into a corner of
a layout.

Gene Bowker http://genebowker.com/
The Railroad Examiner - http://railfan.biz