While waiting for the July delivery of 2 HO Hulett Ore Unloaders, I thought it a good idea to determine the exact footprint of two unloaders. The dimensions of the footprint are available on Walther’s website. I just happened to have a former 32" long dock, with space behind it for four tracks under the Huelett structure rails, and space for one track feeding and removing cargo from the Blast Furnace and Rolling Mill, (which are placed parallel to each other, (with six rails servicing the opposite ends). The Huelett extra video showing the Dumping of Slag, inspired me to try to duplicate the animation. I had an old “Rocking Boat” wind-up with an off center wheel that will be used to slowly tip the Slag cars. The egg shaped bottom of the slag car is just the size of the plastic shell of “Silly Putty”. Painted with fluorescent yellow-orange, it will spill out of the slag car, after the more “liquid iron” painted plastic is pulled out of the shell, by little weights. All of us acquire a lot of “scrap plastic sprues” in constructing kits, which with other scrap (eg. plastic toothed ring on milk bottle tops, coktail straws, groumets,etc), which can be cut up and weathered a “nasty rust color”. I am contructing the “Life-Like” scoop and back hoe, to handle the scrap. The men in silver suits are available from Walthers. Just a few ideas, (to get tentative steel mill modelers, started). Photos will follow in a week, or so! Bob Hahn
Great, I’ve been waiting for the footprint for the huletts to see if they made them full size or not. Did they leave room for the shunting engines? I almost hope not, to save that little bit of room. Between the unloader, ore yard and bridge crane, then the mill complex itself, I might need a bridge crane myself to reach the middle.