There Really Was A Real Lionel #456 Coal Ramp...Kind Of

There is one in New York state along the water level route that looks a lot more like the lionel.  Still there along the tracks. hard to photograph, it comes up fast. Looks like lionel modeled that one.

I always liked those Lionel coal ramps.  But the amount of space they take up always stopped me from buying one.  Maybe if I had an entire basement for a layout...

There is one in Waynesboro, Va., Buena Vista, Va. (long out of service but still there-AFAIK) and Natural Bridge Station (long ago torn down) had one too. So, they were more common than you might think.

Balshis posted:

I always liked those Lionel coal ramps.  But the amount of space they take up always stopped me from buying one.  Maybe if I had an entire basement for a layout...

They're really not that big.

Just to clear up my previous post, the coal tipples at Waynesboro, Buena Vista and Natural Bridge, Va. were like the Lionel coal ramp, not like the coal wharf as Scale Rail showed.
However, there was a coal wharf much like that at one time in Shenandoah, Va. I cringe to think about spotting cars on one of those things. Needless to say that the crew had to hold on to a bunch of spacer cars in order to spot cars way up there!

it does take some planning to fit it.  apologies for the poor quality - these are pictures that I took of printed pictures.

- walt

Big Jim posted:

Just to clear up my previous post, the coal tipples at Waynesboro, Buena Vista and Natural Bridge, Va. were like the Lionel coal ramp, not like the coal wharf as Scale Rail showed.
However, there was a coal wharf much like that at one time in Shenandoah, Va. I cringe to think about spotting cars on one of those things. Needless to say that the crew had to hold on to a bunch of spacer cars in order to spot cars way up there!

If you look closely at Scale Rail's photo, you'll see rollers in between the rails.  Cars were pulled up by cable, probably using a "Barney" to couple on to the car.  

There's no way a locomotive would be able to push loaded hoppers up that incline.  A lumber yard near where I once lived had an incline nowhere near as steep and the IC's switcher had to really charge the grade even when traveling light, let alone pulling empties.

A modern Barney can be seen in operation about 1:30 into this video:

Rusty

I had one on my layout last year, coal just makes too much of a mess

Rusty Traque posted:

If you look closely at Scale Rail's photo, you'll see rollers in between the rails.  Cars were pulled up by cable, probably using a "Barney" to couple on to the car.  

 

Thanks for pointing that out. That would make a lot more sense!

Warrenville needs coal for its steamers too!