Walthers Grain Elevator...WTH?


A

AllenB

Member
Anyone else notice something odd about this? There are 3 doors that open up to a 30-40 ft drop and lead to nowhere. ??? I looked on line for pictures of grain elevators and none have doors that do this with the exception of wide loading doors. I'm going to board mine up,...it makes absolutely no sense. I guess it's a good thing that they put windows in the doors at least LOL :confused: walthers.jpg
 
You may have a hard time believing I found an actual grain elevator with a door to nowhere. This one doesn't have a window in it.

grain elevator 2.JPG

Here are a couple more:

elev3.JPG

(here the railing is gone. Watch out for that second step.) (I don't think OSHA would approve)

Texas Elev.JPG

Maybe your kit was intended to be an unused elevator where the steps fell off.


Have Fun !!!!!! lasm
 
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You could add a fire escape platform and ladder down to the roof of the car shelter and another ladder from there to the ground. In case of a fire in one of the silos the little plastic people would be able to get out. :rolleyes: It would also add some interesting detail to the otherwise plain wall of the building.
 
Could they be openings for slide out rails for block and tackles or another type of hoist to bring parts or equipment to the upper levels if something broke? I know nothing about grain operations but just an idea.
 
Yeah, I have seen those doors before and often wondered what they were for. You may be on to something David. All of the doors look like they are above the loading area right?
 
One photo shows an electrical box next to the door, with the wiring running alongside the building up from the bottom.

Another shows a lamp above the door.

Maybe they dismantled the steps because osha did not like the way they were constructed. Like they changed the rules, the steps were non compliant, and they had to take them down to keep the grain elevator in business.

Or, too many workers stepped out the door for a smoke and the elevator blew up.

lasm
 
Davidfd85 said:
Could they be openings for slide out rails for block and tackles or another type of hoist to bring parts or equipment to the upper levels if something broke? I know nothing about grain operations but just an idea.
Click to expand...

Bingo! They sometimes have a girder that slides out for a block and tackle to raise a motor or other parts. (chutes, panels, screens, etc.)
 
Rico said:
Bingo! They sometimes have a girder that slides out for a block and tackle to raise a motor or other parts. (chutes, panels, screens, etc.)
Click to expand...

The Wather's has a door right above the truck shed (see picture)...it'd have to be a girder that stuck out 25 feet to clear it! LOL The model does have a big door on one side with an included girder above the door for hoisting things, but nothing of any size would fit through these doors.
 
I've seen a number of grain elevators up close and most of them have sections that were added on over the years. Other things have been removed. This can easily explain what seems to be odd door placement.

Carson Grain, the elevator I patronize the most, has the area for loading bulk ground grain which I parked at many, many times when we had ear corn ground to feed cattle, now no longer in use and blocked by a new concrete loading dock. There is also a complete car loading system that was used to load boxcars with grain. I easily remember bothe the wooden and the paper grain doors that covered normal door openings.It was later modified to load covered hoppers. Now there are no railroad tracks anywhere near. I remember the grainloading area very well because one fall I was there with my father. He calibrated theiot truck scale and I wandered the elevator including "helping" load a boxcar with shelled corn. I actually did help some because I got to guide the spout so that the ends of the car filled first so that it ws loaded as full as possible. I was about 8 or 10 years old then. I'll be 65 February 3. :)
 
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Absolutely correct about the doors being used for bringing in equipment and for later additions or modifications making them obsolete. Sometimes the material to be brought in was not overly large but just very difficult to get in place, so a door "to nowhere" could be the answer to allow easy access. There are many examples of these cases on buildings across the country.
 
Can't speak directly to the Walthers version, but most of the older grain elevators that I have been in had no personnel elevator, only a belt man lift. Some had no interior stairs past a certain point. Doors to nowhere, we guarded from the inside, so no one was falling out. Above the door was an extendable trolley so that repair items could be hoisted up or lowered down.

More modern grain elevators do have an elevator for personnel, but even those have a weight restriction, so a door to nowhere really isn't a WTH issue, it is a maintenance parts access issue.

As an FYI - All the cement plants that I have been through have a similar door to nowhere feature as well for the same reason.
 
sort of related

Found this little guy yesterday on an expedition South of here. (phone camera)
Thought of this thread when I noticed the doors and hatches.
Would be an easy scratch build for sure!

elevator1.JPG elevator2.JPG
 
they are used for practical jokes for unliked new hires yeh go up to the 4th floor and stepped out the door..
 
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