Subject:
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Re: Some questions about hoppers from a train newbie
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Wed, 5 Jun 2002 14:49:21 GMT
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Viewed:
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517 times
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In lugnet.trains, Thomas Main writes:
> I went for a bike ride last weekend in a town that had a railroad. There were
> a bunch of hoppers lined up by the road at one point, so I took some pics. I
> hope to model a hooper in LEGO, but I have some general questions about how
> they work first.
>
> **
> My main question is how do they discharge? See this pic:
>
> http://www.appstate.edu/~main/hopper/undercarriage.jpg
>
> It looks like both flaps open up and whatever is in the hopper falls right
> underneath it. Do they have to discharge over a special section of elevated
> track then to keep the contents from just dumping on the track below?
Correct. They discharge over track that has an opening (elevated or not)...
> Also,
> how do the flaps actually open? It looks like the "v" shaped bracket would
> prevent the flaps from opening.
> **
Not sure about that part.
> **
> In this next, shot, you can see the ladders and a wheel:
>
> http://www.appstate.edu/~main/hopper/ladder.jpg
>
> Am I correct in assuming that the wheel is a type of brake?
Yes, it is a "handbrake". It's used when the car is not coupled to train air
to set the brakes manually. The wheel is called a brakewheel. It's turned
manually by the brakeman either to stop the car while flatswitching or when
set out to keep the car in place on an industrial siding.
All cars must have handbrakes although they are no longer used in
emergencies, too dangerous. The train airbrakes are failsafe as they work on
pressure drops, the more pressure drop in the train air line, the more
braking force is applied from the car's internal air reservoir. Working this
scheme out made George Westinghouse a rich man.
> Also, are these hoppers
> open on top? (I assume they are)
These appear to be. There are covered hoppers for cargoes that can't stand
getting wet (Grain, cement, gypsum, plastic feedstock (such as ABS!!), etc)
<cut most of the markings wquestions, I don't know markings well.. markings
will describe the empty or tare weight as well as the fully loaded max
weight, when the car was built, when it had its last major rebuild, and the
date of maintenance of particularly important components>
> Now, I know that people REALLY get into trains...but what does this mean?
>
> http://www.appstate.edu/~main/hopper/hump.jpg
>
> Specifically, what is "humping?"
Pushing a car over a hump in a humpyard. This car can only be flatswitched.
See this month's Trains magazine for a good discussion of humpyards and
flatyards, but basically a humpyard uses gravity to move cars. Cuts of cars
to be sorted are pushed over the hump (a crest in elevation) and decoupled
where they roll down into the correct bowl track for their next destination.
"retainers" or track mounted brakes (like roller coaster brakes except they
grip the wheel flanges) slwo the car. Sometimes the calculations are off and
the car will slam into the cut of cars on the bowltrack. Hence the do not
hump.. this car should not be slammed into other cars.
A flatyard uses switchers and brakemen riding the cars working the
handbrakes to accomplish the same task. It is cheaper, believe it or not, to
flatswitch even though its more labor.
Hope that helps. Others will answer too. Welcome to Trains!!! great stuff.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Some questions about hoppers from a train newbie
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| (...) That bracket is actually an actuator. :) There are 3 joints in it; the bottom of the V is fixed to the frame, the others are just a joint in the arms about halfway. You can see about 1/3 of the way up on the left that there is an arm attached (...) (22 years ago, 5-Jun-02, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Some questions about hoppers from a train newbie
|
| I went for a bike ride last weekend in a town that had a railroad. There were a bunch of hoppers lined up by the road at one point, so I took some pics. I hope to model a hooper in LEGO, but I have some general questions about how they work first. (...) (22 years ago, 5-Jun-02, to lugnet.trains)
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