Some questions

Hi Ted,

with a bit more information perhaps we can find a more tailored ore-loader?

The questions:

1. You did say small - How small 1 car load? (100 tons)? 2 car loads? etc
2. What type of ore? A silver/lead zinc mine ore is heavier than iron ore is heavier than limestone. Heavier ores get you a smaller bin for the same weight capacity.
3. Assuming you want some type of a bin - How is the bin to be loaded? Road or conveyor from an off-site mine?
4. would you be happy with a small ore loader that was on a different railroad as your source of inspiration or is it SP only?

Over to you,

Can you narrow down the location?

"Southern Pacific branch-line" is a pretty wide area. 

I take it you are not looking for this sort of thing:  https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/calling-orehauling-modellers-switching-ore-grades-for-transloading-12206946

This might be of interest:  https://nnry.com/history/httpdocs/OreLine/orelineHIST.htm

SP ore loading?

  What kind of ore were you thinking? That might narrow down the loading method as well as the type of scenery around the site.  Up until 1983 the SP had a sand loading facility on the Felton branch out of santa cruz, from what I recall seeing it from the caboose or engine it was a steel framed structure supplied by a conveyor from a prep plant some distance from the tracks. It probably varied over the years as loading technology  changed. It wouldn't take too much room to model such a facility. You might find some photos online if you search olympia SP sand or something similar. I also recall seeing a similar operation at the end of the Hollister branch around the same time.....DaveB 

Tate a look at my iron mine samples

Altho this is for northern Minnesota, it may offer some ideas.  I started showing some prototype and model mines beginning on this page.

https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/the-missabe-road-12192269

A small ore loading facility

Thanks John. Sorry for the delay in response. Quick answers are: Two car loads. Type of ore variable but could be limestone if that would ever have been loaded in such a small facility. Loaded by conveyor from a nearby mine or quarry I'd say. Could have been on another western railroad but of course would prefer SP. Got any prototypes in mind?

Small ore loading facility

Thanks Dave. I'm variable on type of ore though given my space, I'm looking a a two-car loading dock and just room for a similar sized bin and conveyor. I'm just trying to design something plausible but the early 1950s time-frame and western United States. I'll try the search you suggest for the Felton branch.

Small ore loader

Thanks Milt and sorry for the delay in reply. Beautiful modeling for sure. I'm looking for a Much smaller operation however: A two-car capacity loading dock and an area about 12" long by 6" deep - ridiculously small by most standards. Just room for a small bin and conveyor. My search, really is to try and find a plausible, if compressed  design appropriate for the early 1950s in the western states.

Small ore loading facility

Thanks Jeff and sorry for the delay in reply. I'm really pretty variable in location as this is photo-freelancing but I want to design something plausible for the early 1950s and Very small if at all possible. I might her mentioned that the area I have for this only allows for a two car loading dock and an overall space of about 12" long by 6" deep. Room I'd say for a small loading bin and conveyor to it. Wine I said "ore" I might have included limestone, sand or gravel as options though don't know if they were ever loaded in such small quantities. Your reference to the Nevada Northern puts me in mind of the books: Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Vols 1&2 which I have in my collection for inspiration. Thanks again and happy to hear any more thoughts you might have.

Re small ore loading facility

Many thanks to you guys who responded to my original post looking for ideas for an early 1950s design for small ore (or sand, gravel, limestone?) facility for a SP branch line layout. I might have mentioned just how ridiculously small I need the model to be. I have space for a two car loading with only 12" in length and 6" depth. Room  perhaps for a small loading bin and conveyor. Crazy? I don't know. I'm thinking there must have been something this small. If anyone has ideas they'd be much appreciated.

Ok, you want small?

Algoma Central, northern Ontario.  I took this picture in 1993, but from the underbrush, tie condition, spiked siding switch, and other indicators it had been dormant for quite a while by then.  The road leading to the truck dump, upper right, came quite a ways down the hill from some sort of open pit mine.  I've never been able to ascertain what the product was, but it was being shipped by rail.  The siding was probably 500' long, but with no indication of any form of car mover, I'd say if they were loading more than one car, they must have used a backhoe or payloader to shove cars under the chute.

Hope this helps

Blair 

IF you want small cheap easy (forget prototype)

Hi Ted,

IF you want small, cheap, easy and are prepared to look the other way as far as an exact prototype loader goes, have a look for a Lifelke Operating Coal Tipple #8200 like this one This gets you a bin that will carry the load for at least 2 cars should you want to go with "live loading" of individual rocks/ore.

If you don't want to go with "live loading" then you can simply blank off the top of the bin with a "roof"and fudge a conveyor belt from the top of the bin that disappears into the backscene to an off-layout mine/quarry. Conveyor belt structure can be easily modelled as a corrugated-iron clad rectangular tube of a about 8 'by 8' cross-section. It's an easy fudge if you fully enclose the belt structure.

If you want to be more adventurous and show the conveyor belt structure, have a look at the Consolidated Nickel thread Even if the conveyor belts are non-operational, this thread will go along way towards helping you get "the look" right.

This bin is long enough to cover 1 by 100-ton hopper, so position the bin 1 car length out from your buffers in the loading siding. 

While most will look at this bin as a "toy", this operating accessory does have wood grain and bolt detail in the bin structure and will take weathering well. The internals are plain but could be inlaid with weathered planking pretty easily if you so choose. Some of the grain and bolt details can be seen in this photo of the bin as part of my Jaxcilliest Enterprises micro layout.

While modelling an actual SP small load-out bin might be your ultimate goal, this shortcut will get you a load-out bin (maybe even an operational one??) that should fit in your space until that ultimate SP load-out bin is found and a model of is built to replace this "cheapie stand-in",

SP Felton branch ( Olympia) sand loading

    Hi Ted,  If you go to santacruztrains.com and scroll down the "locations" tab till you find Pacific Coast Aggregates Quarry you can see a photo of the sand loading facility. This is a 70's era photo with metal structure. I recall seeing a wooden structure when I rode SP freights up there in the 50's...DaveB

Ore loader

Thanks Blair. That's small for sure! Neat setup though maybe a little smaller than I was looking for as I was imagining an ore bin and maybe conveyor. I appreciate the info in any case.  -tw

Sand loader

Thanks again Dave. Will check it.  -tw

Ore loader

Thanks again John. I'll check that out.  -tw