Rotary Car Dumper History lesson

The first rotary dumper was installed at Newport News, Virginia in 1895. The technology didn't become widespread until the 1970s however. Today, solid unit trains of coal cars are among the most common sights on the rails. While many railroads and utility companies prefer gondolas for these trains to cut maintenace costs (no moveable doors,) hoppers can also be dumped in rotary dumpers and offer more flexibility for serving older or smaller plants or if the rotary should fail.

Rotary car dumpers are massive rotating drums that can turn a train car upside down to unload contents. Most commonly used for unloading coal, rotary dumpers can unload any commoditity carried in a hopper or gondola car; coal, coke, ore, woodchips, and stone. Dumpers are typically found at power plants, steel mills, export piers, and other places where massive quantities must be unloaded quickly and efficiently.

You asked for It and thats the truth.

Dan

So they were "rare" in the

So they were "rare" in the 1950s but not unheard of then, I presume based on what you have said.  Or should I stick with the more traditional configuration of having the cars emptied through a dump shed? 

Thanks again.

Ken L.

It all depends on you. 

Do you want one?

As a Model Railroader you can do what ever you want, if your building a free lance Railroad there are no era rules you can Have Old steam and diesels running at the same time and no one can make the rules as to what is right or wrong on a freelance railroad just remember there isn't a need for a rotary coal dumper on a spir that receives only one car a day. But then again who's to say it's your railroad.

Just have fun and if you want a rotary coal dumper then build it if you can find one. If your building an era spacific railroad then it's up to : What was the railroad, Where is the rairoad, and is your railroad centered around the coal industry.

Good reason for a dumper, do you have a ship needing to be loaded or a steal mill needing 50 or more car loads of coal a day. Maybe you have modeled a cement plant that makes bags of cement and concrete for delivery to warehouses that distrubute to hardware stores and contractors and need alot of rock, sand and raw cement delivered 24/7.

You can find a 1000 reasons to have a Rotary dumper including on a railroad that you have picked for a particular time period and never had one but on your model it does. Again it's all up to you and nobody can falt you because you put one where there never was one, Just make a reason and build it we won't tell except some of the rivet counters may make noise but most of them couldnt build a linemans shanty let alone a Rotary Car Dumper.

Just have fun Ken and do it up nice, take some photos or a short Video of it working and post it here for all to admire and evjoy.

Dan

Appreciate the encouragement....

I do appreciate the encouragement Dan.  And I know Rule #1, it's my railroad.  And Rule #2 is, IF you don't like it, CONSULT RULE #1! However, I am trying to set certain benchmarks that are based on what actually happened back in the 1950s.  On the Freelance-Exact Prototype Modeling Scale, I am definitely proto-freelancing, but the closer I can get to the Exact Prototype Modeling the better.  The reason I'm proto-freelancing is I basically there is no prototype in the 1950s that matches exactly what I want to model.  I love the New York Central and it's equipment.  And if i was being a "Prototype Modeler" I would most likely choose the Franklin Division in western PA, or the C&O/NYC joint operations for coal operations down in WV/KY.  But there are several things that are missing from those lines that I want.  Even the P&LE, which for a while I was considering, but even then, there are certain things that are absent that I really wanted. 

On the other hand, I don't want to stray so far away from the prototype (reality) that it strains credibilty to the breaking point.  I have spent enormous time in research and planning, developing a history of the P&A, determining the right of way, etc, and now that I have done that, it's hard to just let all of that go, just to go back and have to do MORE research and planning! I have spent (on the current plans for the P&A) over 6 years in reserach and planning! I want to start building! 

So in asking about the Rotary Dumper, what i'm trying to determine is how much does it "stand out" and require explanation, especially to those who know what was and what wasn't common in the 1950s.  If there were a few that existed then it could be considered credible.  If there was only one or two, then it becomes more difficult and begins to stick out. 

Thanks again for the feedback! 

Ken L.

There are many options to follow.

Well you could always run a spir along one wall 1 foot wide away from the rest of the layout and make a small Virginia Dock with a Rotary coal dumper loading a Ship at the last 4 feet of the spir.

Or just build a 4 foot Modual of a dock area with a coal dumper and call it a sepreate model just because you like the operation.

Dan