Central Texas is a good starting point

Rock trains have always been an interest to me. Talk about chalky looking paint on every piece of rolling stock! The Georgetown (Texas) Railroad (reporting marks: GRR) or The Western Rail Road Company (reporting marks: WRRC) are two great examples of aggregate haulers and older locomotives. The WRRC has a balloon track at their facility that looks very similar to the "balloon tracks" many modelers use to turn their run through trains.

Not far from these two railroads is Marble Falls, Texas. The Southern Pacific had a branch line that ran from the main line at Giddings, Texas through Austin and out to Marble Falls. The end point on that branch used to produce giant blocks of pink granite used in the construction of many famous landmarks. As a kid in the 70s, I remember seeing huge SDs pounding on 90-110 pound jointed rail. Most of the time, the trains of gons and flats with 2-3 huge blocks of granite made it back, but blocks along the right of way provided a testimony that there were derailments and often.  The line was sold to a short line in the 1980s and saw limited activity. Apparently, there is a good source of crushed stone out there as it appears that a fairly new facility called the Marble Falls Quarry is now sending 100 car trains down what was almost an abandoned line.

This is a link to some pics from the facility:

http://flbtrain.smugmug.com/Railroads/CONSULTING/Marble-Falls-Quarry/24131459_dXM7LM#!i=1977626605&k=gPgmdvq

Now, you asked for modeling photos. There two are from the Naptown and White River Railroad Club in Indianapolis, Indiana. I just thought it was well done and fairly compact. The vehicles could probably be revised but just see it for its potential...

Runaround

 My layout's primary industry is going to be a stone quarry. The layout is a folded Dogbone with dual reversing legs. Here is a rough layout plan. My benchwork is up and I have been tinkering with the layout, I am currently sold on extending the outside portion of the return loop that is in the tunnel even further, having it stay in the tunnel all the way back to the corner and exiting there. This will make the train disappear for quite a time before it reappears, helping with the illusion that it has gone somewhere and is returning. There will be access from underneath however long I decide to make the tunnel. Putting one leg of the loop in the tunnel, and pushing the turnouts for entering the reversing leg over to the top part of the layout will allow me to expand the Quarry to the whole right portion.

Moderator note: (photobucket photo removed because it's behind a login wall - use the direct link to paste here)

The era is ~1900 and location is Mexico. The Quarry is meant to be primarily building stone, with aggregate as a by-product. The Quarry will be cut laterally into a hillside rather than making a pit. Ginpole type cranes will be the loading method.

Thanks for the link to that quarry site Kirkifer. That is really neat. Gotta love the runaround loop. The track at this quarry looks a lot like my layout's trackage.

Looks like the "Loops are not prototypical" guys "got some splainin to do".

Stoker, you will certainly

Stoker, you will certainly have one nice un-compressed looking quarry will all that real estate on your layout.

Kirkifer, Nice depth on

Kirkifer,

Nice depth on that quarry. I've never seen a quarry in real life in North America.

My humble little ballast

My humble little ballast quarry from a previous layout. Too small for wide shots so here are some close ups and a pic of a train going by on the mainline near it. I regret not taking more pics of my last layout.

Vulcan Quarry at Granite Falls On Apple Valley Model Railroad

This is the quarry at Granite Falls on the AVMR club layout 

Bill Michael

It's been a while, wondering

It's been a while, wondering if there are any more quarries out there?

One I saw

I don't have a pic, but I remember, some years ago in a print model railroad magazine, a good pic.  It was a gravel pit in new jersey, and there was a car at the bottom, someone digging a hole, and a fresh corpse that was due to go into the hole.  Model railroad folks do have a sense of humor...

On2 slate quarry

Several years ago, I worked in On2 and modeled a slate quarry plus finishing sheds, based on a prototype in Monson, Maine. I've written about this on my Achieveable Layouts blog. The post includes several photos.

Enjoy if you visit!

- Trevor

IrishRover, indeed some do.

IrishRover, indeed some do.

Very nice Trevor and thanks

Very nice Trevor and thanks for sharing. I recall seeing a lot of slate on my visit to NB a couple of years ago; quite an interesing region geologically. 

Dean's Rocks quarry

I've just completed this quarry (except for the foreground) at Dean's Rocks on my N scale layout based on Central Victoria. The rocks are casts from a couple of Woodland Scenics' moulds, painted with a grey acrylic wash then detailed with oils, more or less following Mike Confalone's methods in his excellent series of articles in MRH September - October - November 2012.

I forgot to put something in the shot to give the scale, but the two main benches are about 50 mm high.

Tony in Gisborne, Australia

Looks great, Tony. I like how

Looks great, Tony. I like how you depicted the more recent cut rock.

...

Open up Google maps and use aerial photo.  They're everywhere.

Now I'd love to model this,

Now I'd love to model this, but it seems it would be quite the challenge.

No one remembers Mike Confalone's 2012 series in MRH?

See the September 2012 through November 2012 issues of Model Railroad Hobbyist.

I am an Indiana University

I am an Indiana University alum (twice over) and they had a lot of lime stone quarries around Bloomington Indiana.  Those quarry sides looked a lot blockier with the joints further apart.  

Hey Jim

Assuming you've seen the movie "Breaking Away", do the actual quarries around Bloomington look similar to the one in the swimming scenes in the movie? Wherever they filmed those old quarries they were really beautiful.

On30 Quarry Modules

Here is a set of quarry modules I built for our On30 modular group, representing a central Texas limestone quarry.  Much of the quarry scenery was done by other club members.  My first attempt turned out too "sandy".  The second attempt was too white, resulting in having Texas' only snow quarry.

The lighting in the show hall wasn't optimal at the time, so the pictures aren't the greatest.

Craig

Kirkifer

Really enjoyed your description and the link. I used to live in Temple/Belton...too bad I wasn't a train nut then! 

Awesome quarry there in Marble Falls, and the 'formerly known as' AC6000's run out of there for the UP. Love it!

Thanks for posting.

Matt

Then there was the slate

Then there was the slate quarries in Delta Peach Bottom on the Maryland & Pennsylvania, sorry  no pictures.  Zeke

What timing I find this post.

What timing I find this post. I'm just building a quarry on my new home layout. I'm far from photos but I can say seeing these was a great help. And inspiration too.

Dave

Will look forward to those

Will look forward to those photos, Dave.

I remember it!

I had to laugh, I was looking through the posts, and just as I thought about Mike's great series on this, Jerry posts his reminder.

Plus there was the DVD's too. I really need to watch them again.

Thanks Jerry!