In the early lego idea book there was an operating hopper car. In the early 2000's there was one that was a side unloader. Has anyone come up with any new ideas? I need something to automatically unload either between the rails or on the side. Something on the side of the track should be the operating mechanism, preferably as the car is moving. I've looked at several rotary dumpers but that is not the way I want to go. The design can be prototypical since it will be operated in an industrial plant environment, not main line.

Thanx,

Ed

I am interested to see what responses you get. I have wanted to build a power plant that has its coal delivered by rail.  During the offloading process, the hoppers go through a series of stations that automatically open the doors to allow the coal to dump underneath the tracks where it is scooped up and loaded onto conveyor belts to the silos.  I'll be watching this with interest.

While not "automatic as the car passes" car tippers are really neat to see in action...  Would take some engineering in Lego but would be neat to see.  

the other option would be simply designing a slide ... Perhaps with the spring suspension parts that catches a latch to push it open during a section of track the once off the latch the slide snaps shut. 

 

There’s this one by @AlmightyArjen that might give you a few ideas 

 

Roadmonkey,

Actually the idea of a slide is not a bad one. I'll have to do more study.

Thanx,

Ed

Just a couple links in my searches for "what's already been done"

And I was going to post the one @Andy Glascott already posted lol.   

@AlmightyArjen has a lot of programming involved but it makes for a neat display I'm not sure your looking for a programmed method...  From the sounds of it you want a static point that you have to drive across? So you have more physical control? Am I thinking correct?

Edit: a couple GBC that might be more your style...  Not sure if it can be modified to "coal studs/bricks" but I don't see why not. 

This may be more your mechanism 

 

Edited December 12, 20186 yr by Roadmonkeytj

Roadmonkeytj,

Your thinker is right in sync

I may automate later, in fact I did it once with the Lego hopper I mentioned before, to show an automated sequence using the EV3.

Now just something I could run over and unload is what I'm after. The rotary dumping just would not fit in the diorama and would take away from the blast furnace complex.

Along the lines of something sticking up in the roadbed that would catch a slide to open the hopper and a spring (rubber band???) to close it. My engine is controlled by sbrick so I can run it dead slow at the dumping area. I only have two kinds of material so I was thinking a narrow catch one on either side of the car depending on where I want to unload. The industrial setting allows me the freedom of constructing cars that don't hit the high iron.

Ed

 

Hello Ed!

If the original concept from the 7777 LEGO trains idea book suffices, there is an LDR file in the wild for that which can be found here: http://www.cubic.org/~doj/lego/7777-1/ made by Dirk Jagdmann.

Regards, Chris

Edited December 12, 20186 yr by Capparezza

Capparezza,

Thanks for the link. I downloaded it a year or so. Some good stuff in there.

I just threw an idea together---https://www.dropbox.com/s/uxahwx2vksowytk/100_0741.JPG?dl=0

Since It does not have to go to the main line, I can be creative. The lever will dump the pair of boxes. This is like a device called railveyor.

Ed

That looks fine, simple but reliable low tech not to say I'm curious about the end result...

4 hours ago, knotian said:

Now just something I could run over and unload is what I'm after. The rotary dumping just would not fit in the diorama and would take away from the blast furnace complex.

Along the lines of something sticking up in the roadbed that would catch a slide to open the hopper and a spring (rubber band???) to close it. My engine is controlled by sbrick so I can run it dead slow at the dumping area. I only have two kinds of material so I was thinking a narrow catch one on either side of the car depending on where I want to unload. The industrial setting allows me the freedom of constructing cars that don't hit the high iron.

How about his idea then? I've had this mechanism knocking around my head for the past year or so, so it was good to get it down on paper. Or in digital, at least.

The idea is that the two "pegs" are slid in by an angled brick at the side of the track as it's pushed past. Below I've highlighted the moving section in yellow:

And roughly how it works:

Here the yellow brick opens the hopper, and the blue one would close it again once it's passed. This will only work with 1x1 round bricks or plates for the material being unloaded, but should function with very little external input, and it still looks like a real wagon. The LDD file (for anyone interested) is on my bricksafe.

Whatever you go with, I'll be interested in the result; I love the sound of what you're doing!

ColletArrow,

This is interesting  and I will try it out today.

Thanx,

Ed

On 12/12/2018 at 3:10 PM, Capparezza said:

Hello Ed!

If the original concept from the 7777 LEGO trains idea book suffices, there is an LDR file in the wild for that which can be found here: http://www.cubic.org/~doj/lego/7777-1/ made by Dirk Jagdmann.

Regards, Chris

That is brilliant, with peeron scans here. I could easily see the mechanism being made smaller and more discrete. Then put a gear on the opposite side to bring the bucket back up to normal position.

On 12/14/2018 at 12:52 AM, zephyr1934 said:

That is brilliant, with peeron scans here.

Oh sure now you post this lol...  Well I was inspired by the little tipper car but I have issues with short wheel base cars so I modernized the mechanism and made it sit lower (the bucket is structural to the car)  with the heavy use of technic bars with stop bushings I was able to come up with this design

I moved the gearing to the top of the car so I could make it sit lower.  You simply drive it through a set of gear plates and it tips the gear on the other side will right the car 

Edit: I just realized I left the idler gear in on the reversing gears this should be removed I will fix the renders at a later time. 

The return side should be two 6 stud half beams without the 8 tooth idler gear instead of the 7 stud with idler.   This the correct gear configuration:

 

On 12/14/2018 at 12:52 AM, zephyr1934 said:

... smaller and more discrete ...

Challenge Accepted lol

Edited December 16, 20186 yr by Roadmonkeytj

On 12/14/2018 at 12:52 AM, zephyr1934 said:

I could easily see the mechanism being made smaller and more discrete. Then put a gear on the opposite side to bring the bucket back up to normal position.

So smaller and more discreet.   I've back burnered this several times since telling you challenge accepted lol however I've done it.

How it works: There are two floating gears either side of the inside rails - these connect to the same bevel gear which is on a central axle that runs both sides of the hopper gears together.  Depending on direction of travel and which gear rack tile it passes first depends on if the car tips or rights itself.

 

That's great!

Could you post a couple of pictures of the details? Or plans?

I can't quite make out the gearing under the hopper.

Thanks a lot.

Ed

6 hours ago, knotian said:

That's great!

Could you post a couple of pictures of the details? Or plans?

I can't quite make out the gearing under the hopper.

Thanks a lot.

Ed

Pm me your email I will send you the file!

@Roadmonkeytj Hell, this is awesome! I think I can make out the mechanics without a file. Congratz on this genius solution!  Wonder why LEGO hadn't come up with a system like this in the past years, would add so much fun and play value to those cargo trains.

 

What I totally forgot to add: I found a GBC "module" from 2013 that is using the same principle of mechanism: http://technicdelicatessen.blogspot.com/2013/03/self-explanatory-lego-gbc-module.html

Edited January 17, 20205 yr by Capparezza

24 minutes ago, Capparezza said:

@Roadmonkeytj Hell, this is awesome! I think I can make out the mechanics without a file. Congratz on this genius solution! 

Thanks!

25 minutes ago, Capparezza said:

Wonder why LEGO hadn't come up with a system like this in the past years, would add so much fun and play value to those cargo trains.

Lego did ... They had a gear mounted to the side in an ideas book with the old crown gear.  I believe it's posted in this thread if I recall.  My first edition posted earlier was based off this idea book with revised updated parts.

27 minutes ago, Capparezza said:

What I totally forgot to add: I found a GBC "module" from 2013 that is using the same principle of mechanism:

I'm actually thinking of using it as a gbc ... At least the first car design. Not sure if the latest will hold balls but it will dump 1x1s just fine ... I'm working on a conveyor system to make it look as if mine Jenny's are dumping then going back and refilling for a layout.

Just now, Roadmonkeytj said:

Lego did ... They had a gear mounted to the side in an ideas book with the old crown gear.  I believe it's posted in this thread if I recall.  My first edition posted earlier was based off this idea book with revised updated parts.

Yes, but that was back in the 80ies, wasn't it? I wonder why that idea was never revived. Lot's of cargo trains have come and gone, and most don't have adequate possibilities to load "gravel" or the like.

 

Just now, Roadmonkeytj said:

I'm actually thinking of using it as a gbc ... At least the first car design. Not sure if the latest will hold balls but it will dump 1x1s just fine ... I'm working on a conveyor system to make it look as if mine Jenny's are dumping then going back and refilling for a layout.

Reminds me of that fully automated train layout, where the cars are loaded infront of a building, go around the tracks, come to the back of the building where they are unloaded. Conveyors then transport the load back to the loading area. Hell, this is sure great fun with balls too! Would love to see that as a GBC.

Lego City needs to do some standalone train cars for its train line. Guess its kinda the wrong time to ask for an engine shed similar to the one that's from World City.

I actually used that original, side gear dumper, in a test automated layout. That has since been deleted. The side is ok but it really does not look too much like a real car. This looks a lot better.

Ed