Build a bucket coal loader
using, had a separate air hoist cylinder and that also led to my biggest dilemma: how to operate the crane. I made several queries about the B&ML prototype and the consensus was that it was operated by hooking the lines or cables to the spe- cific locomotive to be re-fueled, moving that loco to raise the buckets and then securing the crane’s lines to dump the buckets. No one seemed to know any more than these basics. The other part of the dilemma was my own lack of knowledge about the workings of crane riggings, blocks and tackles and the like. I spent some time online trying to fathom this to little avail. I taught history, not engineering! The FSM crane had its pulley mounted at the extreme end of the boom, so that really precluded anything save the rig- ging I used, a simple line strung over the crane’s pulleys and an attached hook. I cobbled up an air hoist system that made sense, at least to me, as well. With this issue solved, more or less, the remainder of the construction was pretty simple. Working from the photos, I came up with some basic dimensions for the support framework. The timberwork is twenty feet high, thirty feet long and
ALLAN SOCEA COLLECTION: BELFAST, ME
the sloping support timbers are about twenty five feet in length, at an angle of about 45 degrees. The principle tim- bers are scale 8″×12″ and the smaller
supports are 3″×8″. For weathering, I distressed the tim- bers with a fine-toothed razor saw and stained all of the wood with a mixture
This rear view of the B&ML coal loader (top) shows the timber sup- ports. The author built his model using scale 8″×12″’s with 3″×8″ bracing. In this view showing the timber frame pieces (above), the bottom timber has yet to be installed. It is laying diagonally across the frame, allowing a view of the brass wire inserted in the bottom of the vertical supports. These match up with holes drilled in the
bottom support. The Fine Scale Miniatures crane has been in- stalled in the frame (above right). The top of the casting that holds the crane in place was modeled with styrene and n.b.w. castings and painted black. Note the small piece of 8″×12″ mounted to the top support just above the crane (below left). This close up (below right) shows one of the support beam and braces.
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NOVEMBER 2013
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