Anyone know what this device is?

[shaneturner12]

Hi Trainzers,

I've just been watching a video of Bletchley railway station (southern WCML, UK) on Youtube and am interested to find out what the rotating wheel/platform device is in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TOCpK6kqE9A#t=440

Any responses are welcomed, and I'm especially interested if such a device can be recreated in Trainz.

I believe it may be something to do with a building shown just before that point, which I'm also interested in (I can identify the wagons as they are on the Download Station):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOCpK6kqE9A#t=429


Shane

 

[dougtrain]

Hi Shane. My turn to be able to give you a helping hand. This is a loading hopper transfer device. You can see in the video that it arrived and a set point and empties into a "bin". It is controlled from a building to the right of the video. You can see a cable from the left on a downward slope at the wheel and going straight (horizontal) from the wheel to the right. This is a cable car on rails if you like. Look at the wheel again and you will see a "box" sicking out of it on the left side. This is a counter and it counts the spokes on the wheel as it turns. The "bins" are numbered 1 to X and the controller in the building on the right gives it a "home" command which sends it back to be loaded again (from the left of the video and beyond "bin 1". Let us say the the controller wants it to empty into "bin 12". He will input 12 on the panel and this sends a command of X rotations of the wheel. The machine is then towed along the cable until it gets to correct number of spokes or wheel rotations. Counting spokes is more accurate than counting whole wheel rotations. It is not so high tech now but it works and as they say "if it ain't broke - don't fix it". Hope this helps......Doug

 

[shaneturner12]

Many thanks for your response - that does indeed answer my questions. That also answers the question as to what the building is for as well.

By the looks of things, it's some form of mineral (or coal/cement) that's involved.

What will be really interesting is if anyone happens to make such a device for Trainz (if such a device doesn't already exist for Trainz).

Shane

 

[dougtrain]

I worked here a few years ago upgrading the signals and control systems. As far as i can remember they were producing trackbed material. This sort of works in my thinking as these wagons empty through the bottom. The alternative is to go to a place that will allow them to empty into/through a grill and down to another level. Would that sound about right?

Doug

 

[shaneturner12]

That would make sense, looking at the type of wagons in the video.

Shane