Sunday Afternoon Field Trip

[Track_Fiddler]

Track fiddler
What is it it? It doesn’t look like the coaling stations I’ve seen.

My money would be on the ash reciever from the power plant boiler house.

They didn’t need sand or coal at the car shop facility in any large quantity. The ash from the boiler house would be collected and dumped into a gon or hopper as the photo shows. Coal was brought up the ramp and into the building through the tall bi-fold doors. It could then be thawed out and dumped.

In this view it looks like there is a conveyor coming in from the left. My guess is that the black motor-looking device on the top of the present (preserved) structure was a turbine for blowing the ash into the hopper. You can get more views of it on Google Street View.

Have Fun! Ed

Yes I do see the similarity of the blower motor on the top of my picture and the pictures you provided.

Ed, correct me if I’m wrong. You are saying the apparatus next to the BN boxcar is the ash waste Reservoir from the waste of the faculty burning coal that is to be hauled away?

Thanks. Track fidler

[gmpullman]

Ed, correct me if I’m wrong. You are saying the apparatus next to the BN boxcar is the ash waste Reservoir from the waste of the faculty burning coal that is to be hauled away?

Judging by the layout of the powerhouse in the undated view I would be 99% certain that the hopper is for collecting the spent coal (ash) from the boiler house.

Nearly every major industrial facility, including large schools and hospitals had their own heating and steam plants, most of which were coal-fired. All that coal turned to ash and had to go somewhere.

The plant I worked in built new boilers in 1957 and used pulverized coal which in-turn produced a finer “fly-ash” which could be transported like dust.

Perhaps the Como shops also used a finer coal in later years and replaced the conveyor with the cyclone device shown in your photo and the Google photo.

Here’s a model-railroader’s view:

The boxcar seems to have lost its engine and caboose over the years…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/2571434790/in/photolist-ee1cRY-ek8FUm-X44r3m-QBkL4d-4PuTC9-B5xaw3-4VegYA-SiHbuf-6sUCPn-uHuULA-sQ4bW3-He4nh3

Thanks for posting these photos, T-F!

Regards, Ed

[Track_Fiddler]

You’re welcome and thank you Ed. That last modelers photo you sent me kind of threw me for a loop. I can’t even begin thinking where you found that. What a match. A perfect way to end a great day.

PS. I did save the best photo for last I will flip that one out in the morning over coffee.

Rest well

Track fidler

[OT_Dean]

For those of you interested in possibly adding a transfer table to your model railroad, MR had a terrific 2- or 3-part construction article back in 1959, a very prolific year for interesting construction articles. There was even a great article on constructing a self-correcting automatic turntable.

Deano

[Track_Fiddler]

Imgure has’nt been working this morning. I’ll post when I can.

[dknelson]

By the way, Walthers had a working transfer table in HO. Lionel had one in O three-rail.

Dave Nelson

[Track_Fiddler]

This one put a smile on my face.

The buildings were closed on a Sunday. The woodwork throughout these facilities is really something to see. 130 years of natural aging adds a natural color to the wood slowly created Through Time.

I’ll have to stop by sometime when I’m in the area to get some pictures for you to see.

This place used to be home to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum for as long as I can remember.

The medical HMO that owns the buildings kept raising thier rent until they were forced to move.

Quite a greedy thing to do to a nonprofit organization that the kids enjoy.

Feel free to post more pictures and history of transfer tables.

Thanks

Track fidler