Prairie Star grain elevator

[TomLutman]

I'm trying to make an elevator complex on the layout using the Prairie Star elevator along with the Sunrise feed mill, with one of the buildings on each side of the elevator. I also picked up a Rix grain bin and a Walthers grain bin.

  On the elevator, Walthers has the boxcar going into the shed side of the structure. Is this correct? I've always seen the shed side used for trucks.

[doctorwayne]

Just a guess, but in the Walthers ad which showed up when I googled the name, it's for a milling company.  In that case, it's probably receiving grain for milling, but in boxcars rather than trucks.

Walthers smaller wooden elevator is the one normally supplied by trucks or wagons, and I suppose that the grain which it loads into boxcars could then be shipped to the milling company's receiving elevator.  I have a couple of these smaller elevators on my layout, and I've added a farm supply store to the one shown below:

 

Wayne

 

[TomLutman]

Guess that makes sense, that it was a recieving elevator.

I pass a big concrete elevator daily, and they have a shed for the rails as well. Guess loading/unloading hoppers or boxcars (back then) would be difficult in bad weather otherwise . Just not a good idea to run a steam engine through it. Perhaps I will put a little shed on both sides.

 I'm looking at making this a multi-function complex as well,-grain, seed, and fertilizer.

[E-L man tom]

Although not a very good shot of my grain elevator/feed mill, the wooden-sided structure in the nearest end is for loading trucks, as there is a loading door for that. Although not enclosed, trucks can get close enough to that loading door to stay out of the elements. Any trucks would be either box-type or have tarps to go over the loads in the event of weather.. that wooden sided structure is also for unloading boxcars of bagged products, such as feed additives, seed, etc.

 

[jrbernier]

Tom,

  Walthers lists the kit as a 'mill', but the basic structure can also be an elevator.  The covered shed on one side apears to set up for unloading box cars of grain, but it could just as well be the truck dump for farmers bringing grain to the elevator.  The key here is what 'era' are you planning on using it in?  If you are modeling the 50's(box car loading), then a low grain delivery spout would be needed for directing the grain into a box car door.  If this elevator was  upgraded to handle grain hoppers, then a high delivery spout is needed.  Many of the modern elevators have a covered area for loading grain hoppers.  The covered shed on the model really does not have enough clearance for a man standing on top of a covered hopper(he needs to open/close the trough doors, and direct the grain delivery spout).  The model does offer lots of 'kit-bash' material!

Jim

[TomLutman]

jrbernier

Walthers lists the kit as a 'mill', but the basic structure can also be an elevator.

Like many things Walthers, the "mill" is sold seperately.

I also noticed the lack of headroom in the shed. I have several covered hoppers that I would like on the layout, but I guess they will be regulated to "just passin through" unless I can either raise the roof a little , or better yet, make a covered "new" shed for hoppers with a new leg on the conveyor.

[angelob6660]

What type of boxcar was used for grain service in the early 1950s. Sheathed boxcar or a normal boxcar?

[DigitalGriffin]

The Prairie Star Elevator was designed to go with the Prarie Star Milling Company

The Pairie Star Elevator was meant for boxcars mainly.  They would hold the grain in with some cheap material like cardboard. when the car was inside the shed, they would rip the cardboard loose, letting the grain spill out onto the floor beneath where it was collected and sent up the elevator for storage.  (It was a spill floor design with collectors beneath the car)

This elevator also tranported the grain to the prairie star milling company.

I have both.  They are extremely nice kits.  (As well as the sunrise feed mill)

The feed mill was used as a place to store feed and seed.  Trains brought in the grains in bulk typically and the feed mill would divide up the grains into smaller burlap sacks.  (That's the  purpose of the vacuum up top, to suck feed/seed from large bins and feed it into burlaps sacks.  These were then sold to farmers.  It's fun to decorate the building up with signage for period farm equipment and seed brands like Dekalb.