The author’s HO coal loader (above) is based on one used by the Belfast & Moosehead Lake to fill the tenders of its steam engines (below). MODEL PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR


Build a bucket coal loader This simple wood structure was used to load coal in locomotive tenders/Bob Bennett S


ometimes, model railroad topics or projects just sort of insinuate themselves into one’s conscious-


ness. Such was the case with this small HO structure. As I was preparing the text for the August, 2013 PERSPECTIVE on the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Rail- road, RMC editor Chris D’Amato came up with a couple of great photos of B&ML steamers being fueled by a bucket coal loader on the Belfast wa- terfront. In our conversations Chris ex- pressed an interest in a possible article on the little facility, and armed with some photos from both the RAILROAD magazine and Allan Socea collections, I set to work. I had a few parts to start with, the overall work was not difficult, and the result is a structure that is right at home on any shortline, branch- line or narrow gauge railroad. For this model, the biggest obstacle could be the crane itself. However, I ac- tually had several alternatives, all of them cast metal parts from Fine Scale Miniatures. The crane that I ended up


RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN 45 RAILROAD MAGAZINE COLLECTION: BELFAST, ME


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