The Tipple was the center of the Merrimac community and its largest and most prominent building. Reaching 100 feet high, it served as the loading station for the train called the Huckleberry, which ran directly through the structure. As the train cars pulled up, miners loaded them with coal brought out of the mine through the hoist system. Before the coal was placed on the train, it was filtered and separated from rock and from coal too low in quality to sell.