The mining and removal of rocks! Rolling Stocks Suggestions

ish6

Since 2001
Hello All --

I am interested in reading your guys' opinions on this --
On my Desert layout I am creating a section where rocks are being removed, so what kind of rolling stocks would carry these rock piles away?

Thanks for any replies
Ish
 
Unless those rolling rocks are crushed to pebble size, those ballast cars will not be able to discharge them through their bottom doors. What are the loading sizes of the rocks?
 
Ish,

You would need ballast-type hoppers for loose gravel rock, or use tipping hoppers for larger stones. If these are blocks like granite, then they would be hoisted using block and tackle hoists on to flat cars.

All of these operations can be pretty interesting.

Ben Dorsey made some tip cars for coal, and Dave Snow I think made a similar but larger tip car as used in MOW trains for ballast. These latter cars would probably work for larger stones, I'm thinking.
 
This looks about right.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BNSF_-_Rock_Train_At_Night_(5027874750).jpg

I guess ballast hoppers would work as well.

Hello Nicky

Thank you, sir, for the link -- I got some ideas now just by looking at the picture!

Unless those rolling rocks are crushed to pebble size, those ballast cars will not be able to discharge them through their bottom doors. What are the loading sizes of the rocks?

Hello Martin

Since my Desert Layout is vast there are a few rock mining operations for example, deep within a canyon wall a mining operation is curving out huge chunk of rocks, where as other locations are dealing with small rocks!

I've rock product, along with the rolling stock, but that was a long time ago -- Going to look what I got at the DLS, and kind of redo / reskin what I have done in the pass.

Thank you guys, :wave:

Ish
 
Ish,

You would need ballast-type hoppers for loose gravel rock, or use tipping hoppers for larger stones. If these are blocks like granite, then they would be hoisted using block and tackle hoists on to flat cars.

All of these operations can be pretty interesting.

Ben Dorsey made some tip cars for coal, and Dave Snow I think made a similar but larger tip car as used in MOW trains for ballast. These latter cars would probably work for larger stones, I'm thinking.

Hello John --

Very very informative, sir, and very exciting since my desert layout has many kind of mining operations!

Where I am confuse is the flatcar, etc ... I've never seen that kind of set up! I'll do a search on youtube for rocks on flatcars.

Ben a dear friend so going to look out for his stuff! I might have too drop him a note on this subject ---
I've downloaded plenty of Dave's contents, and will do a search for those rolling stock now!


Hello Cas

Excellent link --- I am going to incorporate that too to my layout -- thanks!

Thank you guys

Ish
 
Lets use coal as an example:
1. Out of the mine is was in quite different sized lumps (from pea size to really big chunks) all mixed together.
2. It was usually ground to different sizes for different applications, stored, and shipped that way.
3. I can't think of an application that would use coal in chunks so large they wouldn't fit thru the doors of a side dump or bottom dump traincar. Your gonna burn it and you need a good ratio between volume and surface area (lots of surface area compared to volume). Large hunks do not have that.
4. If there actually was such an application I'd think the coal would be shipped in open top solid floor gons and be unloaded by scooping in some manner.

While most other ores might not be ground and graded like coal the mining process itself tends to grind it to fairly small size so there would be no advantage in shipping it other then in side dump or bottom dump traincars. Loading and unloading would be far more efficient (automatic even).

Some loose products were even shipped in boxcars. Wheat and corn for example until covered hoppers were introduced. Copper ore (on the WP&Y) in boxcars and even flatcars (which had been converted to low side gons). The flat cars had a removable end. The boxcars had a door in one end. They were unloaded by raising the back end of the car up and allowing the product to flow out the open end.

The only stone products I can think of that would be shipped in large hunks would be various kinds of decorative stone (marble for example) which was shipped on flatcars.

Ben
 
Last edited:
Maybe it's the Sahara Desert and they need the rock for a new pyramid.;)

@Ben - Make a habit of previewing your post before sending it. You can kill 99% of mistakes that way and often spot passages that need to be rephrased.

Cheers - Trevor
 
We typically use (United states) either a gondola or a bottom dump. Google "mwax" and those are the newer style we happen to use. The gondolas are used when the customers don't have a way to unload other than a backhoe (sometimes on stilts, which, is pretty neat to see) hope that helps, and we run unit rock trains around houston if you are ever around these parts.
 
We typically use (United states) either a gondola or a bottom dump. Google "mwax" and those are the newer style we happen to use. The gondolas are used when the customers don't have a way to unload other than a backhoe (sometimes on stilts, which, is pretty neat to see) hope that helps, and we run unit rock trains around houston if you are ever around these parts.

Thank you, sir for your input!!!

Ish
 
Lets use coal as an example:
1. Out of the mine is was in quite different sized lumps (from pea size to really big chunks) all mixed together.
2. It was usually ground to different sizes for different applications, stored, and shipped that way.
3. I can't think of an application that would use coal in chunks so large they wouldn't fit thru the doors of a side dump or bottom dump traincar. Your gonna burn it and you need a good ratio between volume and surface area (lots of surface area compared to volume). Large hunks do not have that.
4. If there actually was such an application I'd think the coal would be shipped in open top solid floor gons and be unloaded by scooping in some manner.

While most other ores might not be ground and graded like coal the mining process itself tends to grind it to fairly small size so there would be no advantage in shipping it other then in side dump or bottom dump traincars. Loading and unloading would be far more efficient (automatic even).

Some loose products were even shipped in boxcars. Wheat and corn for example until covered hoppers were introduced. Copper ore (on the WP&Y) in boxcars and even flatcars (which had been converted to low side gons). The flat cars had a removable end. The boxcars had a door in one end. They were unloaded by raising the back end of the car up and allowing the product to flow out the open end.

The only stone products I can think of that would be shipped in large hunks would be various kinds of decorative stone (marble for example) which was shipped on flatcars.

Ben

Good Morning Ben --

Very informative, indeed, Ben --
Going to download your rolling stocks, etc ... since you have over 800 need to find those for rocks -- Ben, I think I will make your cars my official hauler of all sort of rocks ... I am going to assumed that you made products (rocks) for these cars, but if not, ok, I can make plenty of rock products with the texture to go along with it.

-- Too all -- example: Operation of mining granite --- since granite is made for all sorts of household items, like countertops .... RS haul granite to be manufacture into countertops ... I do have granite rock texture and products ... and countertops .... A full all-in-one operations! At a later time most likely will make video displaying all this how it will look like! ;)

Take Care now

Ish
 
You might have to dig a few of these suckers outa' the ground first

kuid2_206307_1098_1.jpg


kuid2_206307_1015_1.jpg


YZ Giant Potato <KUID2:206307:1015:1>
YZ Giant Potato (Load) <KUID2:206307:1098:1>

by: yukonzoom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVDFMDfxuEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksN7h-ZpFWc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZiYR8MadeM

And I don't even like beets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-HfcEx7fJ0
 
Last edited:
Hi Ish:

I don't think I have made any traincars interactive for discrete products like granite slabs. Lots of good candidates on the DLS of course. Any flatcar with 3 or 4 attachment points on the deck should work just fine.

Most quarries cut slabs to a size to fit flatcars and its further cut as needed at its destination. Not a rapid process as I understand it. They have to be cut slowly and carefully to avoid splitting and/or cracking then polished. Finished products were most likely crated and shipped in boxcars.

Might make an interesting set of industries for a route. Slabs from the quarry on flatcars to a cutting industry, smaller (thinner) crated slabs in boxcars to a polishing industry, then those re-crated and shipped to distribution warehouses, and finally to your local Home Depot or Lowes by truck as granite countertops for retail sale. Contractors might get theirs from the warehouse at a lesser cost since they might buy in bulk.

Larger sized blocks for fancy buildings would be pretty much limited to flatcars even after cutting and polishing.

Marble quarries were not gigantic open pits - rather more like a notch in the side of a hill. Bound to be photos on-line to give examples for ideas. Some very specialized marble comes from overseas (Carrera marble is from Italy I think) so it would be picked up from a ship and loaded onto flatcars for shipment to the cutting facility. Give you an excuse for a waterfront scene (but not on MARSZ):hehe:

Ben
 
Hi Ish:

I don't think I have made any traincars interactive for discrete products like granite slabs. Lots of good candidates on the DLS of course. Any flatcar with 3 or 4 attachment points on the deck should work just fine.

Most quarries cut slabs to a size to fit flatcars and its further cut as needed at its destination. Not a rapid process as I understand it. They have to be cut slowly and carefully to avoid splitting and/or cracking then polished. Finished products were most likely crated and shipped in boxcars.

Might make an interesting set of industries for a route. Slabs from the quarry on flatcars to a cutting industry, smaller (thinner) crated slabs in boxcars to a polishing industry, then those re-crated and shipped to distribution warehouses, and finally to your local Home Depot or Lowes by truck as granite countertops for retail sale. Contractors might get theirs from the warehouse at a lesser cost since they might buy in bulk.

Larger sized blocks for fancy buildings would be pretty much limited to flatcars even after cutting and polishing.

Marble quarries were not gigantic open pits - rather more like a notch in the side of a hill. Bound to be photos on-line to give examples for ideas. Some very specialized marble comes from overseas (Carrera marble is from Italy I think) so it would be picked up from a ship and loaded onto flatcars for shipment to the cutting facility. Give you an excuse for a waterfront scene (but not on MARSZ):hehe:

Ben

Hi Ben --

Thanks buddy for the info, very informative!

Ishie
 
Might make an interesting set of industries for a route. Slabs from the quarry on flatcars to a cutting industry, smaller (thinner) crated slabs in boxcars to a polishing industry, then those re-crated and shipped to distribution warehouses, and finally to your local Home Depot or Lowes by truck as granite countertops for retail sale. Contractors might get theirs from the warehouse at a lesser cost since they might buy in bulk.

Hi Ben --

If you're making any such items please note on this thread, Ben -- that would be cool!

You basically detail what my route is about, example, I have a Pickle Company, and the rolling stocks that goes along with it's deliveries, plus all the material that Pickle company needs like empty bottles, printing papers, etc .... the complete package!

Ishie
 
Back
Top