Coaling Tower operations


A

AllenB

Member
I'm looking at the Walther's 3042 Coaling Tower for my layout. I see two lines that this serviced. The one that goes into the shed, I'm guessing is used to load the coaling tower. Would this be a dead end line or on a thoroughfare? It looks to be elevated in the picture. The second line looks like it is used to service the locomotive. My guess is that this would be on the main line?? Any insight would be great.

Thanks!

Allen
 
I am unsure of the actual prototype, but you can pretty much do as you please. If the shed is open-ended, then make it a run-through, or kit bash it and close off the end to make it a shoving operation. However, a shoving operation so close to the main running under the chutes would mean delays and obstruction of the main unless the siding into the shed had an extensive run-around track for the switcher. Pure shoving would be constrained to one car at a time, and a large Texas type such as a coast-to-coast tendered Pennsy J1 would eat up most of a single 50 ton hopper. Believe it or not, the coast-to coast tender, when loaded with full water and coal capacities, weighed as much as or more than the locomotive!!

IMG_6550r_edited_5.png
 
At least in the case of the Pennsylvania Railroad, large coaling facilities were placed on the mains often. The idea was that you had the towers straddling multiple lanes of rails so that one engine occupying the block containing the tower could safely stop and top up. I have video, also available on youtube (2-10-4s at Sandusky, OH, for example), showing long coal drags on them mains groaning to a halt at the towers.
 
The IC had two towers at Carbondale, IL on passing sidings (double main, as one was northbound, the other southbound). I don't know what engine servicing was there since the towers themselves are relics.
 
AllenB said:
I'm looking at the Walther's 3042 Coaling Tower for my layout. I see two lines that this serviced.
Click to expand...

Actually, there are three tracks, if desired. One into the shed, as you noted, which would be used to dump coal to be conveyed into the coaling tower itself.

The next track in runs under the tower itself and would be used for dumping coal into the tenders of engines.

And as can be seen on the photo on the Walthers page, a third outside track can also pass below a coal chute. (Closest to the camera).
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3042

But you can probably modify it for just two tracks when you build it by removing the outside chute, if that's what you desire.

You probably know that these were typically found in engine service areas. And in many of those, it was a one-way shove for delivering coal.

By the way, the model is pretty small, which makes it great for layouts. But in real life it wouldn't hold very many hoppers-full of coal.
 
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