AT&SF Coal Facility on Multiple Tracks, details?

[gmpullman]

Hi, Folks

My favorite old photo site, Shorpy, has just presented a great photo from the camera of Jack Delano showing a neat, wooden coal tower with a very intriguing "extention" to the coal chute to service an adjoining main.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/16631

This really has my curiosity fired up because I'd like to make such an addition to an existing Tichy concrete tower I have that presently only reaches one main track. That bridge affair looks like it would make a fun scratchbuilding project and I already have several extra Tichy coal chutes, the rest could be easily fabricated using Evergreen structural shapes.

Here's a blow-up of what I'm talking about.

Photo by Jack Delano courtesy Shorpy.com

So, I'm wondering about the mechanics of getting the coal out to this chute. It ALMOST looks like the hopper with the chute attached can be trollied in under the bin then run back out to the end of the bridge and dumped into the tender (similar to how the Hulett larry car works under the bucket.) I don't see any evidence of a mechanical conveyor but I suppose there could be a stoker-like screw in there to feed the coal out to the remote chute.

I've studied lots of multi-track coal towers and they're usually HUGE affairs but I like this arrangement for the modeler since it only requires a smaller tipple but still serves several tracks and can easily be scratchbuilt with off the shelf stock.

I just wondered if any one has further details on such an arrangement or maybe a different view of a similar tower?

Thanks, ED

[tomikawaTT]

Caveat:  I am not familiar with the facility in the photograph, but am going on my own engineering background.

The dark object running from the bottom of the bunker to the end of the cross-track structure is probably an enclosed conveyor, which would dump coal into the mini-hopper from whichever door was open depending on the track being serviced.  The single loader seems to indicate that it can be moved to service any one of the three main tracks - and possibly moved out of the way to clear a high load.

The bunker appears to be a larger version of the classic Eric Stevens model - probably about 200-250 ton capacity.  Hoppers dump into a grizzly under the bunker, and the skip runs up the enclosed elevator shaft to the right.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[locoi1sa]

Ed.

 There are similar trollies like this under the Hullet unloaders in this video. At 2 minutes there is the trolly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RJfnk2S330

  Pete

[7j43k]

gmpullman

 

 

So, I'm wondering about the mechanics of getting the coal out to this chute. It ALMOST looks like the hopper with the chute attached can be trollied in under the bin then run back out to the end of the bridge and dumped into the tender (similar to how the Hulett larry car works under the bucket.) I don't see any evidence of a mechanical conveyor but I suppose there could be a stoker-like screw in there to feed the coal out to the remote chute.

 

 

Ed

I found this:

The photo shows a trolly-style system as you've speculated.  But also read the bottom statement--it also mentions a belt conveyor plant.  I think that is the one that you show on the forum.  Note also that these were made by the R and S Company.

Here's a photo of a later coaling tower at Baring:

 

 

And, if you're wondering about the Holmen Plant they're talking about, here's one:

 

 

 

 

(a different) Ed

[gmpullman]

Hi, Other Ed

That's some really useful information. I'll bet the chain and bucket is for filling the main tipple from where the hopper cars are dumped, Is that what you mean by a GRIZZLY, Chuck? I've seen some use skip car(s) and others with bucket conveyors. There had to be some way to thaw out a hopper full of frozen coal, too!

Sounds like Rube Goldberg was busy in these days! Looks like I could use just about any plausible method of getting the coal out to that remote chute.

I have that video (on VHS!) from the Great Lakes Historical Society. Great Vid, thanks Pete, that is just what I'm talkin' about.

Google Books has portions of Kalmbach's Modeling Locomotive Servicing book. Looks like a must read! I'll have to put it on my Santa List.

http://books.google.com/books?id=CxAXPWlW_6UC&lpg=PA12&ots=q1FWnBN-yO&dq=fairbanks%20morse%20coal%20hopper&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q=fairbanks%20morse%20coal%20hopper&f=false

I hadn't heard of R&S Company, Ed. I thought Fairbanks Morse had the market cornered on Coal Towers but I'll have to research more.

Thanks for the great ideas, fellas

[7j43k]

Here's another sample of R and S's work:

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~railroad_towers_railroadmania/coal_towers_steam_locomotives/ChicagoAndAltonRailroadSpringfieldIll.html

 

And here's what they're up to today:

 

http://www.r-s.com/pdfs/roberts-and-schaefer-company.pdf

 

 

Other Ed

 

[tomikawaTT]

The grizzly is the grating over the below-the-rails receiving hopper - a good way to break an ankle if you try to walk on it.  The usual hoist mechanism would be a skip (self-dumping bucket-like car) running from that below-track hopper to the top of the bunker inside the enclosed shaft.

Judging by the later photos, that moving chute was superseded, either due to maintenance issues (coal is nasty stuff around moving parts) or due to a desire to fuel more than one loco at a time.  I can understand either - the rig is interesting, but it violates the KISS principle.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - planned working coal skip, no grizzlies)

 

[7j43k]

This Barriger shot just turned up online--interesting.  It's on the GN.  Somewhere.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barrigerlibrary/12229304505/in/set-72157640328277254

 

 

 

Ed