Iron Belt layout - track laid (plan w/photos)


Thanx for the kinds words Johnny, and a MERRY CHRISTMAS to you too!

enjineerbill said:
I couldn't resist the Toby Keith thing, seen the video? It's a hoot!
I hardly ever get to those music sites, but if you want to send me a link to it I'd sure like to see it.:D
I really like what your doing and the way it's all designed. I'm sure, just by the size of it, you must be proud with the way it's looking so far. Incredible...
Interesting, I've never thought of it as being particularly 'huge' (probably because of the time I've spent at Jim Brewer's), guess it depends on one's frame of reference.
 
Getting closer, but not quite there yet...

12-31-05:
I'm now at the point where I can begin de-mothballing my steel mill structures and placing them back on the layout. I never expected 100% smooth sailing to begin with, so I wasn't surprised to discover that - after laying all of the trackwork associated with the blast furnace, highline and ore unloading dock - the ore bridge was approximately 2 inches too long to fully clear the skip hoist (see 1st photo below). However, after examining several prototype photos of ore bridges, I learned that I could gain the necessary clearance by cutting off the rectangular section of the span point farthest inland. Luckily I had my trusty Dremel and exactly one unused fiberglas cutting wheel left. I've included both a "before" and "after" image of the ore bridge and partially-assembled blast furnace.

In the first preliminary mockup photo, it is obvious that the ore bridge will never clear the skip hoist (see green-circled area). Relocating the blast furnace casthouse and highline is NOT an option. Proposed solution: Eliminate the leftmost recangular section of the ore bridge span.
aib.jpg


Here is the ore bridge after undergoing its corrective 'surgery'. It still resembles a prototype ore bridge, while fully covering both highline tracks.
aic.jpg


My next task is to finish re-assembling the blast furnace. I'll probably have to repair or, in some cases, fully rebuild some of the components - especially if rodent families have taken up residence in any of the storage boxes during these last 3 years :rolleyes: ...
 
Ken

You are a very brave man to attack that work with a Dremmel. I would be choking back tears the whole time.

Impressive stuff.
 
dthurman said:
You are a very brave man to attack that work with a Dremmel.
Actually David, a Dremel was my only option because the span is made of brass. The job wasn't too difficult though since I was only trimming off an end piece and didn't need to re-attach anything.
 
I have a Dremmel though I have yet to use it, sort of like that darn airbrush I have, I have used it 2 X's. Call me chicken.

Looks like your coming along nicely with the railroad. How long before I can start shipping you all our scrap steel?
 
I'd guesstimate early spring - perhaps April 1?:D

Hopefully sooner than that actually, but the way these 'issues' (both MRR and non-MRR-related) keep coming up, I need to give myself plenty of wiggle-room...

At the very least, if Grande Man makes the February photo contest theme 'Industrial Switching', I want to be ready for that.
 
Well I also do need some steel coils for the vending machines at one of our plants, I even have a CSX Steel Coil only gondola I bought just so I can use that quality steel from Ken's customer ;)

105-00-120_500px.jpg
 
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Hey KenL! I hate to be a dumb butt, but as I have said I have much to learn about the steel making. Does the ore come in by ship...up the bridge...and over to the blast furnace skip hoist? How does it get to the skip hoist?

Heck! Guess you need to explain it from the beginning to me in 500 words or less.:confused: :confused:
 
Ken, i read the post with the new pics this morning. sadly, for some odd reason i couldn't get the pics up. when i read you had to use the dremel tool to take off part of the bridge, i cringed. seeing the pics now, looks like that did the trick quite well. if i wouldn't have seen the first pic, i never would have noticed;). looks like you are coming along GREAT!:D cant wait to see more progress! THANKS:), -Dean
 
Iron Ore Processing 101 - Great Lakes-style

RexHea said:
Hey KenL! I ... have much to learn about the steel making. Does the ore come in by ship...up the bridge...and over to the blast furnace skip hoist? How does it get to the skip hoist? :confused:

An understandable question, from anybody who's never lived around the Great Lakes!:D Here's the deal:

An ore bridge is actually a travelling overhead crane. The entire structure can be moved sideways in either direction (see image #1). Hanging from the span is a trolley with a large [~12-15 tons capacity] clamshell bucket. First, the bucket gets lowered into the ship to scoop-up a load of ore (see image #2); then it deposits its load into the stockpiling bin (see image #3). Later, it scoops up ore from the stockpile and dumps it into a transfer car [a sort of self-propelled hopper car] on an elevated track known as the highline (see image #4), which in turn loads the ore in measured amounts into buckets on the skip hoist.

...Any further questions?
 
Dean - thanx for stopping by!:)

Josh and David - I'd love to do the virtual interchange thing but I'm not sure I can keep up with it - unless there's some sort of 'autopilot' mode...:D
 
I say autopilot would work the best, I.E. every saturday 2x loads shipped out for... LA, and 3x for, say NYC?
 
OK Josh, 2 coil loads for L.A. and 3 for New York, every Saturday? I'll have my traffic manager set you right up!:D
 
Well Ken, if you could schedule 1 coil car load every 2 weeks, I would be most greatful, just tell me the name of the company that we are getting the coils from, and what you feel will work for routing, we connect with the UP in Villa Grove IL, that's about as far east a connection as we have, or CSX also owns some trackage in Henry IL that would connect with Iowa Interstate, then interchange with P&PU in Peoria IL and we would pickup from their yard in East Peoria, or if others have a better route, we could use them to get it here. We would dedicate the CSXT 497017 to captive service, as well as maybe get a Railgon to send a carload of baled steel your way ;)

Let Dave our Traffic Manager know. He has to write up the waybills:rolleyes:
 
OK David, the company is United States Steel - Haughschnaegel* Rolled Products Division near Conneaut, OH. CSX has trackage rights on the Iron Belt from that city to Cleveland, where your gon can be routed to the closest CSX-served city for your convenience! I'll hand this off to my traffic manager and let him work out the details with your TM...:D

* 'Hock' for shorthand...
 
Thanks, I will look at the system maps tomorrow and get a route lined up, I can send you what it is, that way if you are using car cards and waybills or whatever method to track your cars we can be in sync :)

Donka shane (sp)
 
Thanks Ken for the info. Now I know what the heck your talking about. I somehow thought it was a converyor. The bridge crane/clamshell operations is how they unload coal barges on the river. Man, that thing is going to look really good when you get it done.

This is a picture I took at the Wrecking Crews layout of an unloading crane at work on the Warrior River. Although not exactly the same type, it does a similar job. The crane was scratchbuilt by one of the members. If Carey sees this he can add some details to this post.
 
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So, Ken, how does this process change with the Self Unloaders? Or do they just unload through the hatches with the clamshell, and turn the unloader away?

Thanks on the interchange, I think we can dig up scrap, or, well hey I can get ANYTHING pretty much. I think I found some boxcars for my RR's fleet of custom cars... Does your RR own Steel Cars?
 



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