Use of track weighing scales

Model Railroader Prototype information for the modeler
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I am interested in adding a track scale to a steel mill layout I am planning. I anticipate the following rail traffic:
IN
Open Hopper
Iron Ore
Coke
Limestone
Box Car
Refractory Bricks
Packaged lubricants
OUT
Coil Gons
Coiled Steel

Would the bulk commodities be weighed at the shipping end or the recieving end of the trip?
Would the outbound coil gons need to be weighed outbound?

Thanks in advance,

thecarmelite

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welcome thecarmelite

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Thanks!

4

We’ve had threads on functional track scales here in the past.

I think thecarmelite is interested in where prototype scales would have been located. We’ve also had a number of threads both from steel-mill modelers and from people mentioning clubs that have built steel-mill facilities with ‘selective compression’ – those might have scale information, or give you people with ‘distinctive competence’.

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Thanks for the feedback. I was able to answer the bulk load question but still need an answer if coiled steel on coil cars required wieghing before shipping.

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Honestly, I think you only really need the scale for raw materials coming into the mill. While steel coils are sometimes weighed prior to shipping I think the scales used for it would most likely be inside the rolling mill building. Another common method would be measuring the coils to get the weight. To do that you

  1. Measure the outer diameter, inner diameter, width, and thickness of the coil.
  2. Use these measurements to calculate the volume.
  3. Multiply the volume by the material’s density to determine the weight.

A trucker hauling coils might also use a scale to get the weight of the coils being hauled to know how to set up the truck to get the correct weight balance on the axles.

7

A good source of steel mill related questions could be answered by joining the Steel Mill Modelers SIG. I have been a member for years and their journals are packed with prototype info as well as modeling steel mill info. They also have a yearly meet with steel mill related stuff. Been on two tours of operating mills so far.

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Welcome back Jason