I’ve noticed a lot of grain elevator kits have rail a door on the rail side of the building and have seen a number of pictures of older prototype elevators with this also. Did older elevators have a warehouse space underneath the bins?
The old grain elevators I have seen in Illinois tended to also sell fertilizer and other agricultural products in the “off season” – so i suspect they had storage capacity and received product by rail – back when that meant sacks in 40’ boxcars. Some of them also were coal dealers and tractor/implement dealers and i would not be surprised if some of them also did a bit of business as lumber yards.
Dave Nelson
Most of the typical wood cribbed elevators have an ‘open’ space in the center. The actual elevator leg and other machinery are in that center area. Many times an office and part of the scale are in that area as well. Some had an extra spout that was used to fill bagged product. This bagged product could be sold to the local farmers, or loaded in a box car via that shed door on the front.
Jim