The willoughy Turn was the inspiration for my layout. My father would do buisiness with Comomnweatlth Lumber. knowing the owner he would often visit. Me, I would watch trains rumble by and if I was locky they were putting a coal drag in the siding.
When I contacted Robert Sprauge to design my layout the power plant and Willoughy area was my must have. I am still trying to work comonwealth lumber inot the scene. My neighbor worked for the RR at Collinwood yard. One time he took us to the yard and showed us where he worked. It was PC then We even got to crawl inot the cab of an F7. My memories are not that clear of that visit, sadly. He retired from Conrail. He was an Italain imagrant that came over on a steamer firing the boilers. went to work for the railroads soon after landing in the US as i was told.
Not every power plant was huge.
I remember delivering coal loads to the Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital in Wingdale (NY), and also to a hospital in Middletown (NY), the latter while working the Campbell Hall job on the Erie.
These places had elevated dump tracks that would hold about 4 cars at a time.
At Middletown they unloaded the cars while we were there. They wanted me to pull the engine ahead a little (still coupled to the cars), then slam them into the bumping block, to loosen up everything inside. Had to be careful, you didn't want to hit it TOO hard...!
OvermodThere's your trouble... that's not dance music, it's smoke music...
Cool, Daddy-o, cool
I heard lots of fishing stories of nights on the Chagrin River. Lots of my GE buddies would spend hours there drowning worms and downing beers.
I did get to ride some Penn-Central F7s on the Willoughby Turn one night while shoving loaded hoppers into the plant. I remember when that siding was put in and the "new" bridge over route 2 had cast iron New York Central emblems on it.
So much has changed
I used to know of several former CEI employees that are model RRs, too.
Regards, Ed
Ed, Thanks Funny I googled Eastlake ower plant and none of that came up.
As An adult I had a boat on the Chagrin. CEI buffed and waxed it a number of times. As a youngster we used to ride out bikes to the wall popular fishing spot although I was not one to fish. as a teen it was a spot to watch "submarine races."
I was chased out of there a few times late at night by local law enforcment.
I also recall as a youngster seeing a lot of trailer dumps rmbling out of the plant. My dad said it was fly ash.
I never really gave much thought the plant until i decided to model it. Now i need to look at fly ash removal.also not sure how the coal stock pile was moved when needed. al I now is it was stockpiled inside the loop.
Perry
Overmod gmpullman I tried to dance to the music but just couldn't get the rhythm. There's your trouble... that's not dance music, it's smoke music...
gmpullman
I tried to dance to the music but just couldn't get the rhythm.
There's your trouble... that's not dance music, it's smoke music...
But what were they smoking?
gmpullmanI tried to dance to the music but just couldn't get the rhythm.
texasperryTrack plan is based on the power plant I grew up around. In Eastlake Ohio.
I recall the Eastlake plant well. Especially when they would "sand the flues" and black soot would cover the neighborhood (usually done at 2 AM!)
Have you seen this drone view?
A brief look at the baloon track mostly toward the end. Looks like a fly-ash load out area, too.
I tried to dance to the music but just couldn't get the rythim.
Cheers, Ed
Depends.
If its a balloon loop with conventional hoppers, then it would most likely pull through, spotting however many oppers and letting them be dumped.
If its a balloon loop with air operated hoppers, then it would most likely pull through at a very, very slow speed and the hoppers would automatically be opened and closed.
If its conventional hoppers and rotary dumped then the power would come off and a switcher would spot the cars in the dumper one at a time.
If its stub ended tracks, then the locomotive would come off and cuts of cars would be shoved onto the unloader.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Folks, My layout has a Power plant. My track plan is in MRR data base "N scale Willoughby Ohio."
Track plan is based on the power plant I grew up around. In Eastlake Ohio.
I am trying to understand the movement through the power plant.
My trains will be bottom dump hoppers. Would a locomotive lead a train through the "Dump House"? Or would it push a train through?
Second question. If you look at the track plan would a train enter the "Dump House" by going around the Balloon track? Or, move through the dump house first then empties end up on the balloon track.
Thanks