Here’s a neat video of a large granite quarry in Massachusetts, with a railroad that hauls the slabs from the quarry to the shop. The description on the video says the loco is a GE 80-ton center cab…
This would make a great mini layout or part of a larger layout.
Ray, Neat operation. Love that curved track on the stone “trestle.” I agree that quarries make excellent industries on larger layout, but are also great subjects for modules of various types. I’ve actually got a [very long term] first module for what I plan as a set of Freemo modules of a quarry operation I lived next to south of Bloomington, IN on the Monon’s Maple Hill quarry branch. It was a treat to watch those gold-and-black RS-2s haul raw stone from the quarry to the mill.
Interesting video. Here’s where that stone viaduct was on google maps. It was blasted away as the quarry grew.
And here’s the large building. Note the red switcher just northwest of it (it’s to the south if you’re using the new version of Google maps). Also note that the exterior structure for the crane has been largely closed in.
There doesn’t appear to be any track leading into the building anymore. CORRECTION. It still looks like it’s there, entering from the south.
I wonder if this is the engine house.
It looks like a watch your fingers & toes kind of place.
A couple of things I noticed on the video. Around 13:00 during the switching, after coupling to the flatcar, the guy picks up a wooden wedge. It looks like they use that to set the car instead of the hand brake. Also, just before then the way he casually kicks the loco coupler into alignment just before they couple to the flat.
Actually that could be a industrial railroad layout and the power could be 0-6-0Ts or 44 or 45 tonners.
It would operate like a logging railroad and the need to pull the loads and spot empties at the quarry loading tacks,then take those loads to the finishing mill…Such operation could keep a fella busy.Then you would need to take the outbound loads to the interchange track and pull any empty inbound cars to the loading track(s).
Wow, they’re switching those cars and throwing those switches faster than an HO operator. Didn’t leave time to pump up the air, or for the switchman to walk or any of that stuff. Just shove and leave 'em.
What air? I doubt if those cars has air hoses or could meet FRA interchange rules.[(-D]
Also note that there’s a solar panel farm on the northern edge of the quarry. I wonder if that’s owned by the company.
Steve S