I’m going to have a grain elevator on my layout and it’s going to be set in 1968. But I’m not sure if the Walthers ADM elevator would work for 1968. My other option is the Walthers Valley growers association I like ADM better but I wonder if it’s plausible for my 1968-themed layout.
and the Grain hoppers --would the ADM hopper work for 1968? The link says 1970s-1990s. I know the Farmar co-op hopper would be fine for 1968.
Thanks[:)]
Both types of elevators were in use in South Dakota in the late '60’s, and some even survived (with rail service) into the 1980’s. The square type sometimes had individual free-standing metal silos connected to it by feed pipes from the top level of the elevator.
The cluster-silo type received grain in trucks and shipped it in railroad cars. The other did the same, but also received and distributed feed to the local ranches.
So ADM would be forund in 1968? What about the ADM hopper?
Check the built date on ADM cars,but in the sixties,40 foot boxcars were used a lot for grain transport,so you’ll want plent of them around also.
I actually have one ADM hopper so I will check the date.
Be very careful using the term grain elevator, many people have various ideas what you refer to. My recollection of an elevator is from Saskatchewan of a large wooden square tall building along side the tracks, there are a lot in Montana and N. Dakota. There are elevators which are massive cement silos(terminals?) Large metal silos, and other odd shaped buildings used for grain. I’m sure there is a lot of literature out there on specific buildings.
Buld date- 1967 (can’t remeber what month)
The Cargill Elevator E in Milwaukee where I spent the best 6 tears of my life. Was build in 1919 so yes you can use the ADM elevator with no problems. Also if use the use the grain hoppers that are made by Walthers, (PCD138?) these where the first grain hoppers build the the opening down the middle, they came in in 1964. Cargill and ADM had hundreds of these. 1968 there were still more 40ft. boxcars hauling grain. But that changed rapbidly in the 70’s.Valley growers was more of a country Elev. and was around from the Late 1800’s right up to today.
The Milwaukee road did allot of grain operation so my guess is that there were probably hoppers for the ADM elevators. The grain operation has been going a long time so if you need to look it up but I believe they were around.
James
The large ‘modern’ concrete elevators were around in 1968 - Also the older small wood ‘boxes’. The large concrete elevator would be good for a covered hopper, as it has the correct loading spout to fill the hatches or troughs of a covered hopper. The older style grain elevators had a ‘tube’ that angles out from the face of the structure and was for loading through the door of a boxcar. These old style elevators had to be converted to handle the new covered hoppers that started to become common in the 60’s.
Most elevators in the growing regions get the grain directly from the field via truck. It is then loaded in covered hoppers for shipment to mills or terminal grain elevators for export shipment via barge or ship.
Jim
Thanks. I guess I’ll have ADM. ADM was founded in the early 1900s.
Being raised in Kansas I can tell you with tall white grain elevators were around long before 1968. The one below was fairly “old” in 1964 when we moved to Wichita:
And that is my problem with the Walther’s kit. Being from Kansas the HO model looks N-scale too me. I can’t think of a single elevator in Kansas that is that small (both diameter of tubs and height). There are about 12 tracks from the first cars in the foreground back to the elevator. This particular elevator was served by the Mopac on this side, and the Rock Island on the other.
Ideally, your town should have both. The old abandon “valley growers” type right next to the “new” concrete elevator type. That is still a common scene today. I’ve been on a quest to photograph as many of them as I can before they finally get torn down.
As far as the hopper cars go I would avoid the ADM type. I could be wrong, as the my Jr High memory is pretty rusty, but seem to recall seeing the first one of those around 1972.
So I should go w/ the Farmar co-op hopper?
That is a huge elevator. I could kitbash a few ADM types to make a large elevator. Or could the ADM be in service next to the older one?
You don’t have to kitba***he Walthers one they make add-on silos for it. The Walthers elevator is compressed to fit on most of the smaller home layouts. Cargill’s elevator in Milwaukee Wi, size each silo was 100 ft. high and the headhouse towered above the silos, coming in at 225ft. high. Has you can see even in HO scale building this to scale would end up being larger then a small layout.
Also has far as car types loaded. We loaded 40ft. boxcars until about 1979. The hoppers that are made by Athearn these are the PS 55ft hoppers came out in right about 1968, their center flow hoppers, came out at about 1969- 78. Roundhouse makes a FMC corvered hopper, these didn’t come out until 1978-80. Pullman Standard is on about the 4th new hopper type.
Chuck Hitchcock has a great story in the 2006 MR Planning mag. that just came out,its about switching Santa Fe’s elev “A” which just happens to be in Kansas City.
Can you post a link for those add-on silos? I’ve never seen them, but I definitly need them.
Its not uncommon to have the ADM style next to a beat up Valley Growers style. BNSF has a link to its grain elevators and sometimes you see the 2 in the same picture.
http://www.bnsf.com/markets/agricultural/elevator/elevmenu.html
Rick
Great, now i’m going to end up modeling BNSF again[:O][:P]
Another thing to keep in mind about the 60s era, is that most new covered hoppers
were railroad owned-hence CB&Q, NP, SP, SSW, GN etc. reporting marks
would be much more common than privately (corporately) owned ones. The
huge influx of private companies owning or leasing (grain) cars happened later.
I agree with keeping old 40 foot boxcars for the service-that is a prototypical
operation in the 60s-sort of a transition era of it’s own, from Boxes to covered
hoppers.
Kadee makes a Chicago Great Western covered hopper but it’s $40
The Kadee PS2s are not really a grain car. They were used more for other bulk
commodities like cement, Zinc ore. and such. What you need are cars like
Athearn’s-or Accurail’s-or Intermountain’s ACF “Center Flow” covereds. The 4650
cu ft cars. The 3-bay PS2CDs are also good. Athearn, P2K, and Intermountain
make these as well. Basically, it boils down to grain covered hoppers are
usually the larger ones-50 footers or larger.
