N scale rotary dumper/ unloader for coal cars?

When I was a child, I used to watch a rotary dumper (or whatever it’s called) unloading coal cars for hoursat the local power plant in Philo, Ohio. It would grab the car, and turn it upside-down. The coal fell through a grating onto a conveyor belt, which lifted it into the plant for crushing. In the winter, when it had rained or snowed on the coal and frozen it, workers would have to go under the dumper with big spudbars to break the clumps that were too large for the grating. My question: Has anyone ever made a kit or model for this eqipment in N scale? If not has anyone ever published the plans for one to scratch-build? Thanks,folks!

A modeler had a scratch built operatiing rotary dumper on a NTRAK module many years ago. He later offerd a kit for it, but it was very low producion and expensive.

The December 1979 Railroad Model Craftsman has a very basic construction article for an operating HO scale model of a Whiting Rotaside dumper.

Here are a couple of Links that I found in other threads on this Board that might be useful for scratchbuilding one.

http://members.trainorders.com/pmack/dumper.htm Modifing the Walthers HO model wood chip dumper to operate.

http://www.ida.net/users/tetonsl/railroad/dumper.htm Scratchbuilding an operating rotary dumper

Look in January/Febuary 2004 issue of “N Scale Mag.” that was the start of a scratchbuild rotary dump that was fully working. I believe to build it the main parts were taken from an old VCR. Good luck. Shawn