equipment height above the rail. The height of the loader
determines the location of adjacent structures and buildings.
Fast loader construction
I started this project with an HO Walthers Flood Loader kit. I
replaced the H-columns and I-beams in the kit with Evergreen
H-column #283 and #284 and I-beam #274 and #275.
Evergreen #123 .020” x .060” styrene strip material was used
for the cross bracing. The structure turned out pretty well, but
I didn’t like the fact that the long dimension was straddling the
rails, and it just wasn’t massive enough. The conveyor entrance
was from the side, but I needed it to be from the end. So I
decided to scratchbuild a suitable fast loader.
The primary dimension
that determined the final
size of the this fast loader’s
footprint was the storage
bin diameter. I wanted a
scale 24’ diameter bin. A
3” diameter piece of PVC
pipe was the closest size I
had on hand, which with
the thickness of the pipe
wall worked out to an over-
all diameter of scale 26’.
11. Fast loader bin. It’s
made with a 3” PVC
pipe. The lower cone is
made from .020” sheet
styrene.
11
Fast loader - 5
MRH-Dec 2014
