Hulett Ore Unloader in 1:32th

[Ray Dunakin]

Absolutely fascinating!

[Bill Gill]

Bernhard, It is very satisfying to read about all the thinking and preparations you do in a matter-of-fact way that shows the depth of knowledge you have about the materials, equipment and processes you are working with.

[Hauk]

How much is that monster going to WEIGH when completed???

[Bernd]

Very interesting concept of holding the wheels in the lathe. That is on the order of a "pot chuck". I just love the metal work that's being done on this forum. Very enjoyable and educational.

Bernd

[fspg2]

Bernhard,
these are just great posts! Thanks for the detailed documentation of the individual steps

[Barney]

Impressive and Amazing but way beyond me - I will just continue with my little bits Evergreen strips and Plastic Card - with hope that one day I might Grow up !!!
Barney

[Hydrostat]

Bernhard, I'm deeply impressed, starting from your research to execution. Not sure, if I mentioned that before: an electric narrow gauge switching engine seems to be preserved at J&L Narrow Gauge Railroad. Their Website doesn't give useful information but you can see it in numerous videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@YoungstownSteelHeritage/about.

Cheers,
Volker

[Barney]

Very Interesting site ref to Youngstown Steel Heritage
Thanks
    Barney

[Bernhard]

Thanks Russ, Barney, Ray, Bill, Hauk, Bernd, Frithjof and Volker.

Hauk:
I think the finished model will weigh somewhere between 50 and 100 kg. I can only say exactly when the construction is complete.

Volker:
That's an interesting find. Of course the shunt engines belong to the ore unloaders, and I will also rebuild at least one.
I didn't know that the locomotive was moved from the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania to the Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum. But nice to read that it will be restored to working condition.

Here you can see number 3, waiting to be put into service.

 
(Photo: Library of Congress)

Locomotive No. 3 was built by Baldwin in June 1912 for the Pennsylvania Railroad's ore unloading facility on Whiskey Island, Ohio. It was powered by 250 volts DC, which it drew from a 3rd and 4th rail located between the running rails.
Gauge 3'-6.5" (1'079 mm).

More about this later when I describe the construction of the model.

Bernhard

[finescalerr]

This entire project is just fascinating. The engineers weren't fooling around when they designed the unloaders and electric locos. -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Electrified rails seems so dangerous to me. I would think there'd be a high risk of people coming into contact with the power rail and getting fried.

[Stuart]

Fantastic work.

I just purchased a small lathe and have been learning how to use it. It has been rewarding as I have been able to make parts totally unatainable any other way. Don't think I'll ever graduate to CNC however. But it's a joy to see what you and others with this kind of machinery can achieve.

[Hydrostat]

Electrified rails seems so dangerous to me. I would think there'd be a high risk of people coming into contact with the power rail and getting fried.

I think the inner power rail is completely covered with a wooden housing, there's just the small gap for the collector. Of course maintenance of the covers is a topic. But overhead wiring is dangerous, too. Every year there are accidents with (mostly unauthorized) people climbing cars and getting to close to the wiring. You even don't need to touch it to have a flash over.
Did I get it right that there's a lateral mounted and swiveling knuckle coupler for the standard gauge cars?

[fspg2]

Hello Bernhard,

Here is a color image generated by AI - you can imagine the atmosphere quite well:

Hulett_0059 (fspg2)


(Photo: Library of Congress)-color by AI

[Bernhard]

Thank you Russ, Ray, Stuart, Volker und Frithjof.

Ray and Volker:
Here you can see a cross section of the Shunt Engines track layout.


(Image from The Electrical Journal: Car Handling on Ore Docks)

The power rails were indeed protected from above. However, I wonder if ore pellets didn't get through the gaps at the sides and jam the pantographs, or worse, cause a short circuit. You can see from photos that the whole floor under the Huletts was covered with spilled ore.

The shunt engines had outrigger arms on both sides that could be swung in and out with compressed air, with which they pressed on the rear of the ore hoppers.



Stuart:
I'm only self-taught too, and many an expert will probably shake their head occasionally when reading my thread. But then, one learns quickly with the challenges.

Frithjof:
Thanks for this picture, I like it!

Bernhard