This was a traditional haulage worker stationed at the bottom of a gravity-driven or rope-hauled incline. Their primary duty was to quickly uncouple the loaded tubs or wagons from the haulage rope as they arrived, allowing the empty ones to be hooked on for the return trip. The role required precise timing to keep the steady flow of coal moving without causing a pileup on the track.
Heard on the job
The taker-off missed the clip on the third tub and sent the whole trip off the rails.