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Re: Mineral chutes - looking for pics

In article , Chris Wilson writes

Chris,

The main reason for trans-shipping between trains is a change of gauge i.e. slate on the Festiniog. Otherwise laying an interchange siding is cheaper.

The main mineral chutes will be at collieries or offloading the coal at ports into ships of barges using the end door wagons. So side door wagons were for domestic coal, end and side door for tipping (and also for domestic, just not quite as strong) and bottom door for north east coal drops.

By the by, the door opening mechanisms at some docks would strip off vac. cylinders, causing BR to retain so many unfitted wagons

Reply to
John Bishop
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Hi folks, long time no speak

> >Anyone know of any pics available on the web that illustrate Mineral Chutes >... that is where (say) a loaded train at high level dumps its load over the >side of (or through) a mechanism/structure into a waiting train at a lower >level. Something a bit more industrial rather than a "simple" coaling stage >for the company's engines.

there's a great Walthers kit of a structure that unloads ore wagons into dirty great boats that, although maybe a little too big for your layout (6ft or so), could provide inspiration for what you want to model? I can scan a pic if you like, although there may be a pic online at their website. I'm sure i have pics at home of similar structures in use in the uk on industrial railways where the load was dumped from high into waiting mainline wagons below. I shall try to remember to dig them out tonight.

mutley

Reply to
mutley

I've got 18" to play with (oh er matron!)

Can't find it, mind you there is so much to look at I got lost.

The sort of thing I have in mind is trackway going over an open girder/lattice structure, track laid on baulk road or something along the edge of an embankment with the load tipped over the side down a concrete chute or similar.

Reply to
Chris Wilson

....

I'm working on two levels, I get the upper level and son has the lower one. As there is a single line that connects us we're both on the same gauge hence the query, I was just looking to add that little bit of extra interest ... something where we could both stick to our own rails yet still interact. The upper level will be industrial again (see the Dormouse line Mk 1), either a coal mine or an engineering works. (Still working on the actual track pan for the upper level - been wiring up son's lower level today).

One thing I was thinking of is having the upper level engineering works produce naval gun barrels (or something of that ilk) ... have them dragged out of the works on "yard only" bogies then trans-shiped via an overhead crane to waiting TOTEMs, MACAWs, CROCODILEs or POLENs as the case may be on the lower level. The excuse for such a complex arrangement being that the lightly laid track on the steep incline linking the levels can't take heavy loads. :-)

Mike Smith was kind enough to send me some drawings a while back for short wheelbase tipping wagons, just looking to see that the principle was the same for 9'/10' wheelbase ones

BR? Cough gasp ... fortunately not even an apple in Butcher Beaching's eye for the period I have in mind :-)

BTW how's Ashburton '44 coming on? Drop me a mail if you're still playing with the military side of things.

Reply to
Chris Wilson

matron?! i must be a lot younger than you... fnar fnar..

well this is what i was thinking of:

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i've had no luck looking through my books here tonight, although i can't find the book i actually wanted the most. Typical..

i'm sure there were workings around Sunderland docks in the early

1900s where tracks that serviced the boat building yards were kept supplied by a separate railway system that ran at ground level. (the boat yards being at close to sea level and too confined to run connecting tracks between the two.

i also have vague memories of a colliery outside Radstock where standard gauge wagons were discharged into awaiting wagons below, the reason being the two sytems met at a right angle and there wasn't enough room to build a connection.

all vague memories, and probably innacurate :)

if it was me i'd just go for it anyway. the prototype for everything dept will provide the accuracy for it at a later date :)

mutley

Reply to
mutley

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