Hello,
Does anyone know of any manufacturer besides Walthers, that makes a rotary coal dump? I would like to have one for those beth-gon coalporters.
I wi***hat Kadee and Walthers could come together to devise a plan on one.
It would be real nice to unload coal cars like the protype. I also think they would sell pretty well also. I know I would buy one.
Any input?
Thanks,
Willjr
Are you talking about rotary couplers,like the prototype ???
Willjr,
The problem with having a rotary coal dump is that you also have to have rotary couplers on one end of the car. As far as I know, no one makes rotary couplers in any scale, so you would have to make your own.
There was a series on building a rotary coal dump in one of the magazines, but I don’t remember which magazine and I don’t remember how the modeler solved the coupler problem. I think his unit was made to dump one car at a time, which would work but is not prototypical.
If anyone remembers which magazine the article was in, I can scan it onto my computer and e-mail it to you (if I have your e-mail address).
Not much help for you. Maybe someone else knows more?
Darrell, questioningly quiet…for now
Here’s a web site I came across, I have a walthers dumper I’d like to use on my layout automated of course.
http://members.trainorders.com/pmack/dumper.htm
Ken.
Why one “besides Walthers?” Is there a problem with that one?
Well, I wanted to know if any other manufacturer made one that was automated. As it looks on the website that was posted earlier, it could be done with alot of work.
It seems that the rotary couplers would be the hardest part.
I searched the web and could not find one that was automated. Maybe in the near future, someone will decide to produce a rotary dump with coalporters that have rotary couplers.
Since the rotary dump is a big part of prototype railroading, and we do model the prototype, I think it would be a very nice thing to model.
Running your trains from the mountains, to the city, then actually being able to dump your cars like the real thing, would be great.
Well I guess I’ll keep on dreaming.
Rotary car dumpers are built in two different styles. Ones that turn single cars are designed to turn the car on the loaded center of gravity. The diameter is smaller and requires less power to operate. The ones that turn cars with rotary couplers turn on the coupler center line which is lower than the center of gravity. This requires a larger dumper and more power to turn. Don’t know which way the Walthers model operates.
I belive the Walthers model is based on the single car dumper. It would be quite a challenge to building a fulling operating dumper with rotory couplers. You’d probably be better off going the single car route.
Nick
Here’s a link to an earlier thread on rotary car dumpers and rotary couplers,
including a link to the Sergent Engineering Web site:
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=42145&REPLY_ID=443153#443153
Sergent does make rotary couplers in HO, but they don’t mate with Kadees, so you may need some cars with one brand on one end, the other brand on the opposite end.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
That shouldn’t be a problem, the type trains we’re talking about here are run as unit trains, so that train could have the Sergent brand rotary couplers, and you could put whatever you wanted on the rest of your equipment.
If you have Broadband go to this site http://www.thetrainshow.com/
and view the video on “N”-Track. I think it’s show # 8. Right in the Middle of it is a very cool rotary dumper with an automated feed and release of the hoppers using a rollercoaster to rail setup Dave
If I’m not mistaken, the Walthers Rotary Dumper is actually out of production. I think retail they were like $39 or so from Walthers, but they’re going for well over $50 or $60 now on ebay. I’ve been watching them on ebay for a while trying to find that one ‘elusive’ bargain that nobody else has found yet.
I work at a utility company and we use the single car style. I was able to purchase one last yr from a Walthers dist after production stop for $ 39 msrp.
About 2 wks ago one was going on E-Bay for over $127, so $50 is a deal if you want one. At the Great Scale Show 2 wks ago a vendor had one for $45 or $50.
Mark