Grain Elevators
I'm going to use the ideas for the auto shop on a section of my module. A
siding track will be a grain elevator. Any thoughts of anything I can put in
motion?
On the road side have grain trucks going in and out. Maybe a little run the
truck into a hidden area and then back around.
Track side you could have the loading chute drop down and load the cars.
You would have to be able to open the tops of the grain cars, maybe a
electro-magnet on the side of the elevator and a regular magnet on the car
roof doors. Turn magnet on and the door pulls up and over. Getting it to
close afterwards will take some discussion here:-)
Maybe using the write heads from an old floppy drive could work. Mounting
them on the safety bar that workers are suppose to use when on top of the
cars. You could have one person standing on a platform on one side and as
the car comes in; he moves out and the magnet picks up the door and then he
stands back on the platform. On the way out another person moves across and
carries the door shut....Not real prototype but at least something:-)
Maybe a grain loader on the ground. The trucks come up and stop over the
end and empty out to the ground. You could use a coarse thread screw inside
a tube for this and the grain would be under the layout (instead of inside
the trucks). Truck pulls up and the grain pours out of pipe unto the ground
during the harvest season when the grain cars are not available. (You will
have every farmer shaking his head in laughter:-)
Donald