08-03-2010, 11:49 PM
Hey guys.
While I am doing the EBT Mt. Union enginehouse in HO scale, I figure I might as well do another one that will definately be much easier to achieve.
Close to, or after, the end of common carrier operations, the East Broad Top took several hoppers to a few mines at the far end of the line, removed the trucks(and returned them to the line), and placed them on stilts. That way trucks could still be loaded at the active mines.
Many of you are probably thinking: "well, why aren't they just loading the trucks directly?" Here's a possible theory: the height of a hopper car, even a narrow gauge hopper, is much taller than the truck. The tipples were built for loading hoppers. A small concrete ramp beneath the hopper ran downward to get the trucks at the correct height after the installation of these "stilted hoppers".
I'm also going to try something to make this a bit more fun and challenging: no pictures to work from. Only documents and the recountings of people who knew of their existence. Why? Because I can't find any pictures, so instead I am going to go with common sense, logic, a few documentations, and as much historical information as I can get from somebody well known among most people: R. Lee Rainey.
I think this will be fun, and will get started on it immediately.
Enjoy. And by the way, by know pictures, I meant nothing to work from. That means that they will be compensated for by build pictures
.
While I am doing the EBT Mt. Union enginehouse in HO scale, I figure I might as well do another one that will definately be much easier to achieve.
Close to, or after, the end of common carrier operations, the East Broad Top took several hoppers to a few mines at the far end of the line, removed the trucks(and returned them to the line), and placed them on stilts. That way trucks could still be loaded at the active mines.
Many of you are probably thinking: "well, why aren't they just loading the trucks directly?" Here's a possible theory: the height of a hopper car, even a narrow gauge hopper, is much taller than the truck. The tipples were built for loading hoppers. A small concrete ramp beneath the hopper ran downward to get the trucks at the correct height after the installation of these "stilted hoppers".
I'm also going to try something to make this a bit more fun and challenging: no pictures to work from. Only documents and the recountings of people who knew of their existence. Why? Because I can't find any pictures, so instead I am going to go with common sense, logic, a few documentations, and as much historical information as I can get from somebody well known among most people: R. Lee Rainey.
I think this will be fun, and will get started on it immediately.
Enjoy. And by the way, by know pictures, I meant nothing to work from. That means that they will be compensated for by build pictures
.