Operations at Hedberg Aggregates

[Ralph]

Hedberg Aggregates is loosely modeled on a facility in Mt. Marion, NY that I used to go by daily on the school bus. I never learned the name of the company but it used to have a couple dozen Pennsylvania, NYC, B&O, and PC open hoppers on its several sidings. It was notable at night for the glowing red aggregate dropping out of its large kilns. My model is a greatly scaled back version! The Hedberg name comes from a local Yellow Pages ad that caught my eye.

All is quiet at Hedberg's right now....




I recently added the litte brick structure to give the company an office. It has a loading dock for supplies so I have one more place to spot a boxcar and a tank for machine lubricant that let's me deliver the occasional tanker.

[Ralph]

The silence is broken as a through-train from Kings Port to Selkirk Yard thunders by with a combination of EMD and ALCO power at the head end.

[Ralph]

After the dust settles and the crickets start chirping again the rumble of a GP38-2 is heard as a local comes to serve Hedberg Ag.


This is one of the rare occasions when a hopper, a boxcar, and a tanker will be set out at the same time.


The three cars were neatly blocked at Williams Yard so its an easy move to drop them off with the hopper under the conveyor, the boxcar at the loading dock, and the tanker at the tank unloading pipe. Then the loco returns to the rest of the train....


That's it for set outs. Later pick-ups have to be done by trains coming from the same direction. Cars are taken to West Mill and transferred back to Williams Yard in Kings Port as needed.

[faraway]

That looks very good. It blends perfect in the scenery.

[doctorwayne]

Good-looking scene, Ralph, and an interesting industry, too.

Wayne

[Charlie B]

You always post interesting pictures and are a great story teller.
Charlie

[Ralph]

I'll see if there is a better way to do this but I found the industry on Google maps. The link provides a street view that can be manipulated a bit so you can see the building I've greatly selectively compressed.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&channel=np&ie=UTF-8&q=Northeast+Solite+Corporation&fb=1&gl=us&hq=NE+Solite,&hnear=0x89dd082c5c8cd4ed:0x98f17f54dc02f9e7,Mt+Marion,+NY&cid=958174881636770972&ei=1XfHUo7jFqGSyQHM0YHACw&ved=0CHgQ_BIwCg">https://maps.google.com/maps?client=fir ... CHgQ_BIwCg</a><!-- m -->


...and a link to a photo. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wislew.com/images/River%20Mt%20Marion%203916.jpg">http://www.wislew.com/images/River%20Mt ... 203916.jpg</a><!-- m -->

[Charlie B]

That is an interesting site. I found it on Bing maps <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://binged.it/19Uigkd">http://binged.it/19Uigkd</a><!-- m --> and it appears to be coal they are unloading with a hydra hoe. I could be wrong, but Rosebud was going to do an operation similar to this at Avonmore, Pa. where they currently load from several of the mines. I think rosebud was going to blend coal there and reship it. That would give someone that models oday another option. loads in and loads out.. just a hoe to unload, and front end loaders to load.
Charlie

[Tyson Rayles]

You always post interesting pictures and are a great story teller.
Charlie

I couldn't agree more Ralph, great job!

[e-paw]

I like it
That's a great little seen you got there.

[Gary S]

Ralph! Cool sequence on the operations. There is one photo that really caught my eye compared to the others. Crisp and clean and great composition. I hope you don't mind me pointing out the things that make me like the photo.



1. The metal siding looks really good - great color and shading.

2. The weathering at the top of the smokestacks and the shadow on the back is very realistic.

3. The background hills blend in very nicely with the scene.

4. The contrast between the front of the building and the shady side draws my attention. The brighter edges of the side columns against the shadowy side are good too.

5. The shadows and contrasts between the front of the support structure and the sides is very believable. Did you drybrush the edges of the structure with white? Also, the angled shadow cast by the support member is excellent.

6. Very nice texture under the building.

7. The open windows are a great detail.

Overall, the contrast between the shadows and lighted parts of the scene draws me in. Great job! Thanks for sharing the photos.

[Ralph]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Wow Gary, I've long admired your eye for detail and the way it helps you replicate prototype scenes on your layout. Thanks for taking a gaze at my scene and pointing out elements that help it work! Most of the weathering I do is brushing with artist chalks to highlight edges and soften surfaces.

[teejay]

I really like that little scene ....conveyors in all directions and the realistic crud under the conveyor .....was it scratch built ?

T

[Ralph]

Hi T,

Yep, this is all scratch built. Foam core structure covered with scribed styrene, windows are made from "Word" tables printed on clear sheets, conveyors are plastic electrical conduit covered with commercial conveyor metal supports left over from another project. The main part of the conveyor system is from assorted electrical components I found at my hardware store and the frame around it is made from an inexpensive bridge. The oddly shaped hopper with the conveyor chute over the track that was a notable part of the actual industry when I was a kid is made of cardstock and scribed styrene. The smoke stacks are made of leftover metal tubes from a long abandoned tent.

[iis612]

I don't want to take the spotlight away from Ralph, but I will for a moment. Gary... You have an incredible eye for detail. I'm thinking you went in to the wrong line of work. You should have been a detective.

Now...
Shifting the light back to Ralph. This is just an all around awesome scene. Aside from things that have already been pointed out, the movements within this industry are readily apparent. There is a clear "flow" to how this place runs. The way you compressed it, you did it without taking any flavor away from the prototype. All around awesome.