Harboro Stone Co.

[Ruston]

I forgot to mention that, as you can see, the body now returns to centre without outside intervention. When I made the brass rod with the beads on, it replaced one that I was using for testing that had a nut soldered on and the new one was made about 1mm longer. This extra length means that when the rod is at full reach it not only tips the body but as the body can tip no further it begins to lift the underframe with it. When the rod is withdrawn the entire wagon at that side comes back down and the shock of the body stopping moving when it hits the rails causes the momentum of the body to right itself. I won't need any trips or ramps and with nothing to get in the way of the progress of a locomotive, the dump car train can be either hauled or propelled, where it would always need to be propelled if a trip was fitted.

 

I now have two more cars to build and a building and a lift/conveyor needs to be erected that connects to the main building. Once that is done I can get on with the lighting and building the backscene and proscenium arch etc.

[Sweet pea]

Dave you have done a wonderful job modelling the tipper wagon. I do like the colour you have applied with weathering. Lovely little video of the tipper wagon working.

[Vecchio]

I love that! It really brings more realism into a layout. Looking forward how you go on with the layout! I had a go some years ago with H0e tipper waggons. Just looked at the photos- it was 2008.

 

1 9a Alles schoen verrostet 

 

The second photo is actually a video - click on it and it brings you into Flickr

MOV001 

[Ruston]

It's been a while since I did anything with HS, in fact I haven't had much shed time recently at all, but I have been thinking about it.

 

One thing that I have been thinking about is how odd it looks for the tip wagons to be dumping their loads into some unseen hole in the ground and where does the stone then go? The answer is to a primary crusher.

 

Part of the embankment will be cut away and that ^ will be installed. Somehow, the stone will drop into a hopper under the concrete level and then be lifted by an enclosed bucket chain conveyor to the top of the main building. The next thing to build is a roof and sides over the crusher, to protect the workers from the elements and to hide all the stuff that I'm not actually going to build, where the conveyor will magically grow from the roof.

[Ruston]

It's been 10 months since anything happened with this layout. It was stored after a massive changearound in my shed that saw the O gauge layout removed and sold, followed quickly by the construction of Blacker Lane. It was whilst turning the shed upside down to look for a squeezy PVA dropper thing, yesterday, that I had cause to disturb HS. I had covered it in plastic bags in case any glue from the baseboard construction of BL dripped on it, so after removing a load of junk and the plastic bags I took a look at the layout.

The only damage is that the guttering has come off the crusher building and part of the drainpipe is missing in action.

I was thinking about how the reason work stopped was the side-tipping wagons and how when loaded only one could be propelled up the gradient. All sorts of things have been suggested as alternatives to real stone but the real solution is to not have any of that at all.

The idea to resurrect HS is that the working loader will be abandoned. It was a PITA and even when it worked there was inevitable spillage, wagons had to be uncoupled in the FY and their contents tipped and they then be put back on the rails. The tippers were supposed to carry freshly quarried stone through the low tunnel to the plant and as this was the only traffic through the tunnel it was something that had to happen to justify the cut down locos.

That will change, too. BR wagons will run through the tunnel to be loaded with crushed stone for onward transport. The ironstone tipplers can just fit through the tunnel but the hoppers will have to have to find use as COND vehicles, on Charlie Strong Metals. The loads will be card rectangles on supports, with only a thin topping of stone, which will mean the wagons are light enough for 3 to be pulled up the gradient easily.

With the working loader abandoned, both tracks under it will be for the loading of finely crushed products, which requires Presflos and Covhops. The stone going into the plant is assumed to come in from a different quarry via conveyor belt. I could model part of the conveyor belt to highlight this. No real loading of the Covhops is required, obviously and with the operator no longer needing to sit at the front of the layout to observe the loading of the wagons, the layout could be operated from the other side, which would make it better for exhibition use.

That's the plan but when it gets put into action is anyone's guess.