Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has this model on their layout and wouldn’t mind sharing some pictures of how you have modeled the scene. The picture in Walthers catalog helps some, but my imagination lacks and I need some help.
I am planning on using Woodland Scenics Talus in Natural color with a mixture of extra course to their fine blend.
Thanks in advance,
Joel
How about an image of a prototypical model?
Hi Joel,
This is a view of my Glacier Gravel Company set-up. I cut a hole in my 1/2" plywood layout top, and screwed on an old drawer below. I used heavy screen wire, covered with Hydrocal Sculpting Plaster, to form the pit. One can add one or two spurs for gondola loading and a road for truck loading. Click on the photo to enlarge iit, and then progressively click on the small pictures to the upper right, to see other views onf my layout. ( There are duplicates and out of focus scenes). Bob Hahn
About 3 seconds into this video is mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aGbvOuOt2Q&feature=related
Pete
Pete,
Thanks for the video.
Joel
Bob,
Thanks for the pictures.
Joel
Hey D. Griffin, Nice photo, but how do they get the gravel out of the tank cars when they are unloaded? 
Ken
Back in the early 80’s, Andy Sperandeo did a MR project railroad on the Santa Fe in Oklahoma (Something like Washita and Santa Fe). One of the key scenes was a gravel company suspiciously like the Glaciar Gravel. If you could find back issues of it, there are some good photos of the prototype and model.
Ahhhh that’s $1,000,000 question isn’t it.
Such companies were placed close to gravel pits where it was dug up. These are brought in on trucks and “dumped” The shipment is then presorted, and dumped into a receving bin, by a front loader/tractor. What type of gravel that went into the receiving bin was based on what composition they needed that day.
What I pictured above is actually part of a cinder block/brick factory. But the process is the same as a gravel company. Hence why the buildings look so similar. The only difference here is that finished cinder block gets loaded onto the train. It could be a good kitbash for a lil variety! I’m going to attempt to model this area using LDE’s principles with my second “Lunch Hour Model” series.
Brick/Cinder block and concrete companies would often vary mixtures of aggregate (stone/sand/binding compounds/additives (ie:lime)) based on their production orders for the day. So you could have several different pre-sorted piles of raw material.
Walthers Glacier Gravel kind of does both receiving and shipping by train. You dump coarse, irregular, unsorted gravel via hopper car. It gets pulled up into the building, sorted, sifted, and mixed based on needs. The resultant goods were distributed back into another hopper.
A coal mine sifter/screener works on a similar principle.
Has anyone used the Glacier Gravel company to serve as a coal mine operation? Or is that totally weird. I like the looks of the Gravel kit better and the New River Mining company is hard to come by.
That is exactly what I’m going to do. I haven’t built it yet, but I have already purchased the Gravel kit, and I’m going to use it for a coal mine.
I’ll be using the Glacier Gravel Company in my layout… it’ll be in a corner in a quarry setting with the lift chutes primarily running off scene.
I regard Glacier Gravel as kind of odd. If it represents a crushing and screening plant it needs some additional discharge conveyors for different product grades. On the other hand if it is just a loading facility it is too large. The second conveyor doesn’t seem to have much function.
Perhaps someone might like to comment on their view of the model.
Bill
Simple, they have a machine that clamps on, lifts 'em up, and then cracks 'em open.
(Any other questions I can help you with!?!? [:-^])
John