Coal log pipelines transport compacted coal cylinders (logs) through a water-filled pipeline. To develop fully this technology and make it ready for commercial use, it is necessary to investigate means for fabricating coal logs. This paper describes the experimental tests and results that were completed to investigate and quantify the significance of various compaction conditions, determine optimal compaction conditions, and evaluate the technical feasibility of making durable coal logs without binders. Included are the results of three parametric studies. The first investigated the effect of loading rate, unloading rate and peak load application duration on the strength of coal logs, the second investigated the effect of moisture content on the strength of coal logs, and the third investigated the effect of compaction temperature on the strength of coal logs. In addition, the authors report and discuss preliminary results concerning the significance of other compaction parameters and the tensile strength characteristics of coal logs. The authors conclude that the strength of coal logs is highly dependent on the loading and log removal method, compaction temperature, compaction moisture content, and maximum particle size and that logs of adequate strength can be formed under many different sets of conditions. However, the water adsorption characteristics of the coal logs need to be improved in order for the logs to be suitable for transport in hydraulic freight pipelines.