Need some suggestions for a small steam era loading facility

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi Everyone. I’m a new model railroader but a long time modeler and have been trying to plan an n-scale layout with some type of train loading element that I could automate. I only have a space about 4 feet wide in a 10x7 foot L shape and really would like to stay in the steam era.

Initially I thought coal trains would be a good option but am having a problem finding anything that I could accurately model that doesnt take up a ton of space. Modern flood style loaders are much smaller than the original coal tipples but don’t appear to have been around during the steam era. I’ve visisted much of the coal train resources on the web and havent been able to find a smaller tipple example and dont see how I could automate a truck dump very well.

My question is does anyone have any reference of smaller coal tipples existing or is there some other resource or facility that would be visually entertaining to automate and interact with?

Thanks!

2

I have an HO scale coal loader made decades ago by Vollmer. I use it with old Tyco/Mantua hopper cars with the operating clamshell doors underneath, so I can both load and unload coal.

The loader only holds a couple of cars worth of coal, which is a big limitation. I’ve been lucky to have no derailments with loaded hoppers, but sooner or later that will happen. I use Woodland Scenics black Ash ballast for my coal. It’s a bit too lightweight and doesn’t either load or unload well.

I’ve replaced the original Talgo trucks with body mounted couplers and new trucks with metal wheelsets for improved performance.

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There is a member, I’m sure I don’t have right, but I THINK hi name is Terry in Texas? Anybody help me here?

He automated a small scale load loader. I think he also did the bear shaking the out house?

I haven’t seen him around lately.

I found it, Terryintexas7

Mike.

4

A log loading facility might be easier to construct and automate than coal, shoving logs on from the side.

An icing platform for ice bunker reefers could have a conveyor of ice blocks on the platform that moved. It wouldn’t actually load anything, but would be visually interesting. An icing platform can support other producers on your layout, like meat packers, fruit, dairy or breweries, and also service through freights.

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Some more good suggestions, Mr Beasley, as the coal loader I linked to from terryintexas7 is in HO scale, which might be a bit tricky to pull off.

Mike.

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Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I found an image of a small coal loader at this link https://modelrailscenes.com/product/mountian-coal-tipple/

does anyone know if that is realistic?

I like the the idea of an icing facility or logging facility. Was ice ever loaded automatically or was it typically pushed by manual labor? Same question with logs, did they ever evolve to automated loading facilities that didn’t need cranes?

Thanks!

7

I’ve never seen a steam engine in revenue service. Back then, though, labor was cheap and machines were expensive.

I used to live in Concord, MA, and the old photos show men harvesting ice from the frozen river, with long poles and horse drawn sleds.

Perhaps a livestock pen with cows, sheep or pigs actually moving around? I’m trying to think of things you can add automation to without directly involving the trains themselves. I use Miller Engineering signs, working traffic lights and working crossing gates and flashers to bring things to life.

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It looks like the coal was stored in the silos behind, and to the left of the loader. How it got to the loader, I’m not sure, it would have to be some type of under ground conveyor, and then a bucket chain or bucket hoist, whatever you want to name it, would bring the coal up to the unloading ramps.

The model looks plausable, but I would think it would be more attached to the silos. It still would make an interest feature.

If you do some searching, such as Google ice harvesting, you’ll see the manual method, and later on, the more automated methods of harvesting and storing the ice, in ice houses, that were along side the body of water where the ice come from.

In it’s simple form, ice would have been handled and pushed by hand to the rail cars, but later on traveling ice crushing machines would fill the rail cars.

I’m sure with some searching, you’ll find images, the same with loading logs. I think if you search and look at logging railroads back in the day, you’ll find many examples of how the logs were handled.

There were loading cranes that rode the rails, and the log spine cars would go under the loader, get loaded, and pulled through to the next car, with the cars being coupled together all the time.

I don’t have any particular links to web sites or pictures, but I’m sure if you spend some time reasearching, and searching, you’ll find many examples.

Good luck!, and happy animating!

Mike.

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I have the Walthers ice house and icing platform. The model’s platform has a non-operating belt running down the center. This would deliver the large chunks of ice, which would then manually be loaded into the roof hatches of the old ice bunker reefers. Other icing platform models seem about the same.

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Don’t do a mine, mines are realively boring, nothing much going on there.

Instead UNLOAD the hoppers at a coal dumping pier with a kickback trestle.

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I’ve watched that video a few times.

That would be a kick in N scale!, and quite the build.

Mike.