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This blog presents my thoughts, information and activities in my model railroading world.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Clay Excavator

While I am busy installing all of my brickworks models on the layout and doing the scenicing, I thought I would show an alternate clay excavation machine circa 1916.  While I think this would make a neat model it would not fit in my situation.  It is an Adel excavator shown in the photo below operating in a shale bank. The machine consisted of a bucket elevator with cutting tools spaced at intervals between the buckets.  The elevator was carried on a sort of railcar with wheels (RR truck) on one end and rollers on the other end.  It pivoted in  a half circle.  It was a fascinating machine that moved under it's own power.  I am guessing the power was an electric motor.  When the half circle cut was complete, the machine advanced itself as well as moving the half-circle track which the roller moved on.  I would love to be able to see this thing in operation but doubt any examples still exist.  The operator cab is the lower enclosed part on the right with a window.

The buckets discharge to chutes that load a storage hopper on an elevated trestle alongside the machine.  The hopper appears to be pulled by a small electric loco which hauls the hopper to the plant, then returns for another load.


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