Rotary train car coal dumping - GIF and video

[Jon]

Rotary train car coal dumping.




1:50 video:

Previously:

Train pulls out of a turn - GIF
Train dumping slag - GIF
Fixing buckled train track - GIF
Janney semi-automatic railway coupler - GIF and patent
Laying railroad cable troughs - GIF
railway construction machine GIF
Rail moving robot - GIF
Locomotive sandbox spraying sand on rails for traction - GIF
Rail grinder - video
Railroad multi-maintenance heavy equipment - GIF, video, photos

[DIRTYJOHN]

I'm a retired U.P. engineer, used to run coal trains to the power plant in Hermiston Ore. To catch a coal train to the plant was CAKE! Sit on you butt while the plant crew did all the work while the train crew slept and ate nice meals provided by the power company. Always a favorite job to catch. No so much on the road jobs, heavy, dirty, and always screwed by the dispatchers. If you look closely you'll notice that the car "box" is rotated off the carriage and the frame, trucks, air hoses, couplers, etc all remain untouched.

[Frank S]

That triple car rotisserie dump machine is impressive

[nova_robotics]

Cool! I saw one of these in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It grabbed two cars at a time and flipped them. I was amazed.

Slightly off topic but somewhat related. The rail dumper was 99.9% automated, but the union pushed to have an operator. So there was an operator booth over the dumper, and he had a control panel with a big green button. The train cars moved into position, everything lined up, whatever else that had to happen, all completely automated. Then the dumper would wait for the operator to press THE BIG GREEN BUTTON to do the flip. Now here's the really great part. The gentleman, a rather large gentleman, who sat in the operator's booth didn't want to lean forward to press the button. When he was poured into his chair in the morning he wanted to stay there and not exert and further effort. So he had a drumstick. A literal wooden drumstick that you would use on a set of drums. He would use said drumstick to jab at the BIG GREEN BUTTON without having to actually move. It was glorious.

[bimmer1980]

Do the train cars stay connected together? Does it rotate about the hitch point?

[nova_robotics]

Do the train cars stay connected together? Does it rotate about the hitch point?

Yes! It's so cool. I never would have believed it until I watched it happen in person.

[mklotz]

I'm still puzzled about what happens at the couplers that link the car-to-be-tipped with its adjacent, non-tipping car(s). In the first gif, I don't see any car movement that might suggest the cars are being un-coupled prior to tipping.

Are the couplers on these cars mounted such that they can rotate about a horizontal axis to allow the tipping without uncoupling?

[PJs]

I'm still puzzled about what happens at the couplers that link the car-to-be-tipped with its adjacent, non-tipping car(s). In the first gif, I don't see any car movement that might suggest the cars are being un-coupled prior to tipping.

Are the couplers on these cars mounted such that they can rotate about a horizontal axis to allow the tipping without uncoupling?

I believe the coupler is on a captive yoke shaft that allows it to spin. There are some pics in a google search for "coal dumping train coupling" Here is a link to a model railroad exact replica of an FMC4000. ExactRail HO scale FMC 4000 rotary-dump coal gondola | ModelRailroader.com

The pics not great but the article talks about magnetic coupler and proper height.

One of our techs back in the day took some pictures of the Coal Mountains and the trains feeding from the coal mountains to an eastern coal fired plant. Not a long run...maybe a mile max. Coal was brought in from farther away. The heaps dwarfed the loaders. @¿@

[ranald]

Cool! I saw one of these in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It grabbed two cars at a time and flipped them. I was amazed.

Slightly off topic but somewhat related. The rail dumper was 99.9% automated, but the union pushed to have an operator. So there was an operator booth over the dumper, and he had a control panel with a big green button. The train cars moved into position, everything lined up, whatever else that had to happen, all completely automated. Then the dumper would wait for the operator to press THE BIG GREEN BUTTON to do the flip. Now here's the really great part. The gentleman, a rather large gentleman, who sat in the operator's booth didn't want to lean forward to press the button. When he was poured into his chair in the morning he wanted to stay there and not exert and further effort. So he had a drumstick. A literal wooden drumstick that you would use on a set of drums. He would use said drumstick to jab at the BIG GREEN BUTTON without having to actually move. It was glorious.

In Australia, a few decades ago, we had a campaigh to get the "Norm" off his couch and do exercise (to avoid further obesity & get the folk healthier). We fixed that : we found Xbox controllers which have more buttons. That guy would be all at sea with one.

[Jon]