Working Coal dock rotary unloader with 3 kickbacks in 80's-90's MR print magazine

[thekdoggy]

Long shot question, does anyone remember an older MR issue that had a large scratch-built working rotary coal unloader dock that had a very tall working kickback system.  I think it was mid-late 80s.  I specifically remember it having 3 kickbacks in a tall stacked pier. I remember the layout having a working coal loader mine also.

 

Unfortunately I think I may have thrown out my old issues accidentally, and am trying to locate this particular issue or article.  

It's not the Garden State layout, but is somewhat similar to it.  (at least not the one's I have seen pics of)  I sort of remember it not being any specific real-life recreation, but a mashup of different coal operations.

If nothing else I'm looking for the name of the layout, builder, club, etc.. if possible.

Thanks,

Kevin

[BigDaddy]

to the forum.  Your posts are delayed in moderation for a while. 

I don't know what a kickback is but Severna Park Model Railroad has a rotary dumper and then the cars zig zag down to a lower level.  They have been featured in a couple videos and magazine articles.

[allegedlynerdy]

The Chi-Town Station club also has a zig-zag rotary coal unloader, they're in 2-rail O scale but have no idea if anything about theirs has even been feature in anything. 90s seems a bit early for when I remember that going up but I may be mistaken.

[BigDaddy]

https://youtu.be/RYUakeZ74TM?t=188

[BEAUSABRE]

BigDaddy

I don't know what a kickback

After leaving the dumper, the empty goes down a steep down grade, passes through a spring switch (wich is forced open by the car wheels) and then hits the "kickback", a short very steep grade. The MTY slows, stops and rolls backwards through the spring switch - whose normal setting is a straight connection between the kickback track and the tail track, then rolls to ground level on the tail track. At some installations, in days of yore, a brakeman rode the car after the dumping occured to control the speed on the downgrade. I guess they use retarders today. 

Bing Videos

Kickback in operation 

https://youtu.be/G9L9cSYE1W4

Hope this makes things clearer!

 

 

[thekdoggy]

I think that may be it, if not it was inspired by it. For some reason i remember it with the kickback trestle at the waters edge rather than behind the trestle framework, but it might have been the camera angle also. I know it was not the 1975 magazine (i was only one year old at the time) i purchased yhe magazine myself from the bookstore.  Thank you for the link, definitely helps in my research for it.

[Water Level Route]

thekdoggy

I think that may be it, if not it was inspired by it. For some reason i remember it with the kickback trestle at the waters edge rather than behind the trestle framework, but it might have been the camera angle also. I know it was not the 1975 magazine (i was only one year old at the time) i purchased yhe magazine myself from the bookstore.  Thank you for the link, definitely helps in my research for it.

 

I know it doesn't help your search, but I remember seeing the article, and I believe you are right in that the Severna Park one is not the same one you are thinking of.  In the video, the narrator mentions taking the cars down the switchback to be unloaded.  I'm remembering the one in the magazine being unloaded up top and the empty car kicked out through the switchbacks to a sort of yard at the bottom to be collected later.

My first ever issue of MR was in the late 80's.  (February 1989 it appears)  The cover story was Modeling Tenements by Earl Smallshaw.  I did not get a subscription until some time after that.  The rotaty unloader/kickback was at least after that issue as it was one I got once subscribed.

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Edit: Maybe the Severna Park one is it.  Appears they were featured in the July 1991 issue.

 

[thekdoggy]

Severna Park was it...  It just wasn't what I pictured in my mind.  Thanks for the pointer, I did finally find the issue to confirm.