Coaling Towers

Coal was dumped from hopper cars below into a pit and then carried to the top of the coal tower in a bucket via elevator.

Here are some pics I snapped of the Pennsy's tower at Renovo...

The Plasticville tower depicts an enclosed elevator shaft...

Usually, there is some sort of conveyer belt. Other arrangements had the coal dumped on an elevated track above the track where the engines would be serviced, the coal would then be released when needed with the assistance of gravity.

 Tom

Here is a vintage shot of an elevated track which would carry the hoppers up so that the coal can be gravity fed to the locomotives.

 Tom 

Looks like that Renovo, Pa. one is being preserved!  Wonder if there are others around

the country that are also being preserved, or, at least, survive?....so much is gone....

What type of roof is that?

Concrete covered with a tar like substance?

A roll or shingle type covering?

Thanks!

I really like the Northern  pacific 450 ton coaling towers... they just winched the gondola to the top!

A smaller narrow-gauge version still stands on the East Broad Top in Orbisonia, PA, south of the shops. Trains pass it when they go around the wye and head forward through the yard to the station. The loading track comes from the south. A hopper car or two were pushed up and dumped into two bins. Two chutes filled tenders by gravity. Once I was there when the coal didn't flow, and the fireman had to shove it along with shovels.

The retaining wall made of logs has given way, but last I saw the concrete bins, metal chutes, and the shed on top were still there.

Believe it or not, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western had a similar structure in the yards at Scranton, PA. Hopper cars were pushed to the top and dumped into bins. Tenders were loaded by gravity. A ramp to the Steamtown Mall stands on the incline. One could assume that the DL&W would have built a huge concrete coaling tower there, but this design was simple and efficient.

Does anyone make a kit like the Pennsy Tower?

When did they start using concrete towers?

Photo of Overland model of a 500 ton PRR coaling tower.

Note the outside hoist mechanisim.

As of about 2 years ago the PRR concrete tower servicing Wilmington, Delaware, was still standing but no effort was being made to preserve it to my knowledge.

Not exactly what you were looking for, but Lionel offers a concrete coaling tower.

Stock number 6-37912  found in the 2013 catalog.

http://www.lionel.com/products/coaling-tower-6-37912 

 Speaking of Renovo...The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society's quarterly  magazine, The Keystone, had a nice 30+ page article on the waning days of Renovo as a railroad town. The article appeared in Vol. 48, No. 2 (Summer 2015). Authored by 3 former Pennsy Assistant Master Mechanics, they do a great job discussing what Renovo was like over the years.

Tom

As for the Lionel concrete elevator in the above post, you can still find those at many dealers or on eBay...and possibly in the OGR classifieds or simply put an ad in the "want to buy" on this website.

As for concrete coal towers, the Santa Fe built one in Cushing OK and the MKT had one in Bartlesville OK.  Both still standing.  (source

http://www.altamontpress.com/d....php?1,115752,115779 

I was told there is still a standing concrete tower similar to the Cushing tower standing in Skedee OK.  (not certain about that one)

Hope that helps...

PS:  I am not certain, but I believe I was told the Cushing coaling tower was never used or if it was, it was abandoned within a few short years as the Santa Fe dieselized the entire area about the time of the tower's construction. 

Some forum members referred me to this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Model-Ra...minals/dp/0890244146

It is excellent with explanations, history, pictures, and diagrams.

This Coal Tower was still standing, but not in service when I did an Engineer for a Day program on the Nevada Northern, in Ely, NV in 2007

This how they were actually coaling the locomotives, that is the #40, that I ran that day, as well as the SD9 204

I knew, I had a better pic of coaling #40

Doug

Somewhere in far western Michigan or northern Indiana, very near Lake Michigan, there is an old concrete coal tower still straddling an active double track mainline that I think used to be either NYC or PRR.  Noticed it while visiting a casino in one of two locations, but don't remember which.  Of course, the siding used to deliver coal to the elevator is long gone.

Chuck

How hard would this be to scratch build? 

Here is a picture of abandoned cement coaling tower located in Macon, Georgia.  I took this picture when working Robins AFB in 2009-2010.  Would be a good type to model and add the details, equipment as pictured.