The widespread use in the industry of mine furnaces of the wagon type requires the organization of management of their gasdynamic and thermal regime. In the mode of operation of a cupola with an open grate, its thermal mode is characterized mainly by the peripheral movement of gases with a significant difference in the ratio of heat capacities of gas flows and materials. The use of forced removal of exhaust gases from the shaft furnace contributes to an earlier transition from a peripheral to a predominantly central movement mechanism. By increasing the degree of rarefaction on the grate to 0,71‒0,73 bar, it is possible to increase the level of melt temperature, temperature pressure and air blast flow, exhaust gas temperature while improving the conditions of heat exchange between gases and heated materials. This process will be accompanied by a continuous decrease in the productivity of the unit with an improvement in the stability of the melting process. A further increase in the level of rarefaction on the grate contributes to the gradual transition of the mechanism of movement of gases from the peripheral to the central one with a deterioration in the parameters of the wagon melting.