New Book

Kalmbach publishing sent me a notice recently of a new book called Model Railroaders Guide to Grain.  Looks like an interesting read.  I also drive a grain truck and have included a pic of one of our elevators with rail transfer.

Looking good!!!

Hey Luis, I think your build is looking great!!!  It looks like you're taking your time and getting everything square.  I think the size is perfect for a small switching layout.  

Tom

10,000 pictures

http://www.grainelevatorphotos.com/    Check out Bruce's site on grain elevators.  Click on Photo Gallery.  There are over 10,000 pictured listed by states. 

I assume there is an auger that runs under the cat walk to the two silos.   Ideally there should be an auger feeding the loading bin also.  I guess the grain could be blown with compressed air.  Although grain usually travels down a tube by gravity.  The frame work for the loading bin could use diagonal cross bracing "X" on the one side and maybe some 45* gusset bracing in the corners above the track.  A caged ladder from the ground would allow workers to get to the walkway there.  I like your overall layout a lot.  You did a great job scratch building the structure itself.  I'm sure you'll find Bruce's pictures to be a big help in further detailing this project.  Nice work!

I like the look of the

I like the look of the elevator and silo layout. We have one just like it in the nearby town of Baileyville, IL. It looks like that is suppose to be a conveyor under the cat walk. I would do one of two things. Either put a conveyor angled out of the wood elevator structure to the top of the loadout bin or put a exposed grain leg along the wood structure to feed the two silos and the loadout bin. The one in Baileyville has the leg coming out through the roof of the wood structure. Back in the day they rebuilt the internal leg in the elevator house and ran it out through the roof to catch the other bins and conveyors. It's looking good so far. Michael's right, get some caged ladders for access to high areas.

Hi all. Thank you so much for

Hi all.

Thank you so much for all you comments and sugestions. Just wanted to show the backdrop paint in blue here. 

On the photo below, I have the bracing placed in "x" on the side, and the 45º bracing above the track. Also added the ladder for access to the walkway. All of there where sugestions from Michael, that I gladly followed

I am thing about adding that thing that is on top of the silos. Is that the "auger"?  Sorry, but I don't know the meaning of the word.

Maybe I could cut a square hole on the roof of the elevator for that. From this, then I could add two drop down pipes to the silos..

What do you folks think?

That tall gray thing against the

backdrop is reffered to as a "LEG".  I have no idea why.  I would not go to the trouble of cutting a hole in the roof for this.  Just attach it to the outside of the back wall.  The elevator close to where I live has the leg attached to the outside wall.  It lifts the grain from trucks (which could be hidden behind your elevator) to the top of the leg for distribution into selected bins.  These tubes can be about 10 inches in diameter.  I would use a solid wire of the correct size to make these.  All the details you've added looks great.  I would not change anything on your walkway.  Just tell people there is a conveyor under the grating.  I hope Bruce's pics helped.

Real life operating wood elevator in Canada

http://www.nfb.ca/explore-all-directors/charles-konowal

Looks Good!

"Looks good to me"!  Be sure to post pictures as you work towards completion.

Tall gray part

Is the housing of a modern grain bucket elevator. from its top spouts will move the grain to the desired silo.

An auger is basically a "screw in a tube", so by turning the "screw the grain is moved

If you go with the bucket elevator you'll need the grain spouts

Regards

Daniel

Mulvaney66

Awesome shots there!

Scratch-build and replicate that image in HO...if nothing than just for the challenge.  Ah, so little time...

"I am thinking about adding

That's the lifting conveyor ,as Michael noted called the leg. The old wooden elevators had that mechanism and the distribution pipes inside. The modern open plan metal elevators just basically eliminated the wooden enclosure and spaced the silos out more with the leg and pipes visible. The concept is that the leg lifts and the grain falls by gravity so incoming grain is dumped into a pit where it can be directed to the leg, lifted up high then fall into the desired bin, when sold it falls down to the bottom,into the leg, goes up high again and falls down the pipe to the waiting grain car or truck . It's a very clever method of making one leg serve a lot of grain routing possibilities with pipes and gravity.....DaveB

Elevator film

Thank you so much for posting the Grain Elevator video.  Most informative and very helpful.

Jim

Your Grain Elevator

I think your grain elevator looks terrible, so bad that to avoid the embarrassment of having it on your layout, why don't you box it up and ship it to me.  I suffer the humility and put it in service on my layout.  Is this how you show a joking face on a keyboard    ; )   

Actually your elevator is a stunner and I would really love to have one like it on my layout,

Pat

"Thank you so much for

I second the Thank you.  I haven't seen that kind of operation since they closed the local Co-op in the late 50's....DaveB