Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the operation of an underground mining system including a continuous miner, a roof bolting machine, a tramming conveyor and a control cab operatively connected to the tramming conveyor. The apparatus includes a master computer processor on the continuous miner and at least one slave computer processor under the direction of the master computer processor for controlling elements of the mining system other than the continuous miner. A pair of parallel data communication highways connect the master computer processor and the slave computer processor and the functional status of the data communication highways is monitored. A radio communication path is provided between the master computer processor and the mining system. The master computer processor operates the mining system in an automatic mining mode of operation when both data communication highways are functional and operates the mining system in a reverse mode of operation if either data communication highway fails to function.

Abstract: A swing tail assembly rotates a swing tail conveyor relative to a miner conveyor including a mounting assembly mounting a drive arrangement on a swing tail conveyor. The drive arrangement includes a hydraulic motor, a differential planetary speed reducer and a sprocket connected to said differential planetary speed reducer. A fixed pin/rack arrangement is connected to the fan section of the miner conveyor and the sprocket cooperates with the pin/rack arrangement to rotate the swing tail conveyor relative to the miner conveyor.