I’m interested in adding a brickworks to my ca. 1975 era layout. Typically, what kind of facilities would this kind of industry have, and what kind of rail traffic would it generate?
Try a couple of these links for general info on brick manufacturing:
http://www.glengerybrick.com/about/manufacturing/index.html
http://www.bia.org/BIA/technotes/t9.htm
http://www.valuationresources.com/Reports/SIC3251BrickManufacturers.htm
This one’s interesting, a virtual plant tour of a modern brick works. Probably too automated for your likes. What’s worse, they show shipping the product by trailer truck [:O]
http://www.trianglebrick.com/virtual_plant_tour_menu.asp
I’m not knowledgable, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But from what I’ve seen, and the little I know, that they are usually located near their source of raw material (the clay pit) so you have little or no incoming traffic. Bricks are packaged on pallets and would probably be shipped in boxcars. I supose you could say that their local pit ran out and import clay in granular form in covered hoppers. It’s a stretch but it’s your railroad.
Have you thought about a concrete block manufacturing facility instead of brick? Then you’re not tied to a local clay pit. Incoming traffic includes cement in covered hoppers, aggregate (sand and gravel/cinders) in open hoppers. Product is still probably shipped in boxcars.
Maybe someone who knows more can help you better. Try the links.
P.S. a search of trains.com’s magazine index turned up these possible leads, if you can get your hands on these magazines:
The Model Makers Notebook: Modeling an Old Time Brickyard
Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette, November/December 2000 page 69
( “ARMITAGE, AL”, BRICKYARD, MODELMAKERS, NOTEBOOK, NGSL )
Brickyard railroad: A modern industrial narrow gauge
Railroad Model Craftsman, March 2000 page 82
A small industrial railroad could easily be included on a larger layout
( BRICKYARD, “CASE, EDWARD H.”, INDUSTRIAL, NARROWGAUGE, RAILROAD, RMC )
Brickyards & Brick Kilns - The Real “Scoop”
Mo
Gentlemen,
Thank you both. The traffic pattern is the opposite of what I had expected, which was raw materials in, local distribution of finished product by truck. I think I’ll stick with brick, by the way, although the concrete block suggestion is a good one. I know that there was a brickworks located at this particular location on my prototype at some time, although I am not clear of the dates. Mark’s comment that the traffic has really only developed in the last 30 years doesn’t fit my mid-70’s era too well, but we can always fudge a little, can’t we?
Thanks again.
99+% of the people who will see your layout won’t be knowledgeable enough on the brick industry to recognize the ‘possible’ stretch. It’s your railroad, go for it. I’d also consider adding some occasional covered hopper traffic in bringing specialty clays (or different colored clays) to supplement what is available at the local pit.
I actually enjoyed looking for the info on brickworks. At one time I had even considered having one but had never pursued it. It’s amazing what you can find out on the web these days with a google search.
Regards
Ed
I don’t have a link for you, sorry, but try typing “Purington Brick” as a Google search, both for websites and for images. There are some photos out on the internet that should prove useful. Purington was in E. Galesburg Illinois and was at one time the largest brick works in the US, mostly making paving bricks. It is now an abandoned pile of rubble. I think it shut down right about your target date of 1975.
Dave Nelson