GGD 100 Ton Coaling Tower

WoodOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

I have completed my installation of the Golden Gate Depot 100 ton coaling tower. I am very interested in your feedback. This is a new direction for me in modeling items and look forward to hearing your suggestions for improvements.

Below are pictures of the installation and comments relative to forum members and my progress.

Forum member Brian "Passenger Train Collector" has helped me develop a new sense of direction for my layout by encouraging me to begin modeling more of my terrain. He suggested I try to find and install a GGD coaling tower. I posted on the "Wanted" section of the forum and Tom "Gilly@N&W" responded that he had a brand new unit in the box. We worked out a very reasonable deal and he forwarded the unit to me. Exactly as stated "Brand New" in the box and it came with the base built by Harry Hieke

The unit arrived and I began to research the old coaling towers. How did they get the coal into the top of the towering unit? How was the coal transported and spotted at the site? See the attached picture:

The GGD tower did not come with any attached loading platform or mechanism for coal handling. I decided to build a shed with a coal pit and attach a diesel engine to run the conveyor system. The rest of the pictures should tell the rest of the story.

Thanks for looking.

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4/1/1412:27 PM

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Dewey TrogdonOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Very nice work Wood.

Mine has the Hieke Dump House attached but I have done no groundscaping[loose coal,dump pit,etc, and other details].

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4/1/141:27 PM

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Joe FautyOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Dewey / Wood:

Beautiful structures!

Joe

4/1/141:31 PM

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WoodOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Dewey - I did not weather the building for fear of screwing it up. But I would really like to learn how to weather and post a sign on the top like you did on yours. I love that reddish weather you have on this picture. How did you do that?

IMG_1630-001

4/1/141:45 PM

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clem kOGR Forum Member

I am probably wrong but I thought the track under the tower doubled as loading track

clem

4/1/142:34 PM

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Dewey TrogdonOGR Forum Member MEMORIALIZED MEMBER

Wood

Harry Hieke weathered and decorated the coaling tower, water tower and sand tower. I developed hand tremors in 2009 and no longer work on anything requiring craft skill.

Most all of my other structures were done by Joe Fauty of Model Structures for Model Railroads.

Clem

I haven't seen a coaling tower [concrete] in over 40 years but my recall is that hoppers on both tracks, one on each side of the tower lift, dumped coal.

4/1/142:46 PM

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Gilly@N&WOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Wood,

I'm so pleased to see all the pictures! They look great. You've done a wonderful job with the scenery and tying it into your layout.

Still waiting for the CLW Tower to arrive. FWIW, I have been laying track and am within 12' of where my engine service yard will be built.

Gilly

4/1/143:31 PM

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jdcrawlerOGR Forum Member

They are both very nice coal towers.

4/1/144:40 PM

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WoodOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Clem, My research showed a very wide variety of loading techniques for coaling towers, including hoisting entire loaded cars up the side. For the GGD style, which I have, the unit was side loaded into a pit and the coal was lifted on a conveyor.

Dewey, My best to you and hope those hand tremors subside. Thank you for sharing that beautifully detailed tower. Harry does super work. I look at his videos frequently. He is very good about sharing information.

Thank you Gilly, Good luck when yours arrives. Please post some pics. I liked the looks of that Locomotive works tower.

Thank you Ray.... appreciate the look and comment.

4/1/146:03 PM

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pennsyk4OGR Forum Member

Video of a mechanized coal loader for a GGD Coaling tower

4/1/146:23 PM

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Former Member

Very nice job, Wood. The GGD Coaling Tower is one of my favorite additions to the layout. They sure did it right and installation is an excellent example of just how good they look on a layout.

Now all you have to do is to install a Newport Bridge.

4/1/146:33 PM

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WoodOGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBERDIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

Charlie,

I gave some serious thought to putting in a conveyor belt. I used a Lionel 397 coal loader motor. I cut the base and kept the driving shaft attached and sided it up to the tower. Right click the 9th and 10th picture down and you'll see my arrangement. The motor is wired and runs. GGD left the inside of the tower open and easily accessible. It would have been very easy to install a conveyor belt..... Maybe someday down the road.

Brian, Thank you for your comment. You encouraged me and I am grateful for that. I have discovered a whole new chapter in this hobby and really enjoyed doing this install. Lots more to learn, but I keep watching the work on this forum and learning every day. Maybe someday on that Pell/Newport Bridge. In the meantime, I'll just come and visit yours.... Let us know when the boats in the water and we'll come visit...

4/1/147:14 PM