Station 16 - Coal Grove

Location.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Coal Grove (CG) is the northernmost station on WWSL's 1st Subdivision.

History. See O.K. Coal Company.

The mine was originally a wood tipple. A fire in 1937 burned the tipple and it was replaced with a corrugated structure.

Operations. I wanted this module to show a 1950's coal loading activity. Specifically I wanted to show:

• The mine head house, sorting tipple, loading conveyors and warehouse owned by the O.K. Coal Company.
• Auxillary structures include a power house and transformer yard that supplies both the mine and the WWSL with power.
• An empty yard, and a load yard.
• A scale track.

The WWSL arrives at Coal Grove with empty hopper cars. The road locomotive places emptys, and pulls loads. Those loads are moved to the scale track for weighing. On completion, the train is reassembled and departs for Demaine Yard. Additionally, the WWSL may interchange with the OPLC. Empty log cars would be placed on the storage track on the Reload storage track, and loaded cars picked up on the scale track.

Design.

As I contemplated the design of Coal Grove I realized that prototype arrival (empty yard) and departure (load) yards were not consistant with class 3 operations. I chose to selectively compress arrival, departure and mine sidings with a simple yard operation. A diamond yard configuration was selected, the north ladder track would represent the empty yard lead, and empty yard, the south ladder track would represent the load yard. The module would be designate as a yard and operated under Rule 93. The main line would be the south yard lead supporting the load yard and the scale track. 

Track Diagram

Coal Grove is spread out over three modules. The Empty Yard Lead is located on the Reload Station module, the lead switch to the Load Yard Lead is located on a short (5 foot) module located between Coal Grove and Basalt.

Roadway.

• Main track is owned by the WWSL and is built to relaxed standards.
  
• Scale track is owned by the WWSL and is built to relaxed standards.
  
• The empty and load yard leads are owned by the WWSL and is built to relaxed standards.
• The two empty / load tracks and the supply track is owned and maintained by the OK Coal Company to relaxed yard standards. .

Scenery.

• Background is Steep Terrain with Near Forest. 
• Mid-level i s flat ground.
• Near level is flat ground. 

Catenary/Signaling. Main track, scale track, and north and south yard ladders are under wire. Scale track has simple red (turnouts misalignment) / amber ( divergent track aligned) / green (scale track aligned) signal tied to turnouts.

Rolling Stock. O.K.Coal Company requires a variety of 50, 55, and 70 ton hopper cars (HM and HT) and gondola cars (GS). See History of Hopper Cars for additional information.

Structures. Structures located at this station will be:

• Mine head (wood)
• Mine tipple (corrugated)
• Warehouse
• Coal Yard
• Power Plant
• Transformer Yard
• Mine entry  (nice to have)
• Ventilation Shaft Building (nice to have)
• Scale House
• Scale

REFERENCES

Station 15 - Basalt

Location.

WWSL 1st Subdivision

Basalt (BS) is the second northernmost station on WWSL's 1st Subdivision. located at Mile Post xx.

History. Originally named Camp 9, Basalt was originally the northernmost station on the OPLC logging railroad. Logging operations were terminated in 1930 due to the Great Depression. The location was then sold to the Basalt Sand and Gravel Company. 

Operations.

• The WWSL arrives at Basalt with empty hopper cars. The road locomotive pulls loads and places empties. This could be either a local train or a unit train operation. Loads will be moved to Coal Grove andd weighed on the scale track. Any cars over tonnage will need to be set off to be reduced by plant staff. Any rejected cars for mechanical failure will be spotted at the Basalt RIP track. .

• The plant has a locomotive crane that moves cars to and from the interchange with WWSL and within the plant. Track No.1 is the sand plant. Tracks No. 2 and 3 are the gravel plant.
  

Design.

I wanted to show on this module a medium sized sand and gravel operations. Basalt also gave me an interesting opportunity to show a re-purposing of a railroad right of way. A logging camp layout design element would have a logging spur, a wye track for turning steam locomotives and several tracks for swapping out logging cars. This corner location on the layout plan is a good location for a wye track.  The wye could be built on the south side of the module with the two curved legs of the wye leading to the Satsop River bridge module.

A sand and gravel operation has no need for a wye, and certainly not the electrified WWSL. The WWSL's Engineering Department decided to eliminate half of the wye. The north curved leg of the wye was retained to extend the main line. The northernmost straight leg of the wye becomes the passing track. A curved turnout is added to the curved leg of the former wye to become the new mainline. A new turnout was added to repurpose the former logging car spur to become the interchange track and yard lead to three new industrial tracks now occupying the former south curved leg of the wye.  One track services the sand plant, the other two tracks service the gravel loading platform.

The northern end of Basalt where the Main, Passing and Auxiliary Tracks merge and where the xxx Creek Bridge is located is a second 5 foot module shared with Coal Grove. Coal Grove's lead Load Yard turnout is located on this module as well.

Track Diagram

 

 

Roadway. 

• The WWSL main line will be WWSL relaxed standards.
• The WWSL passing track will be WWSL relaxed standards.
• The Basalt industrial trackage will be Basalt industrial track standards.
  

Scenery.

• The background will be far hillside and far trees. The edge of the background will be steep embankment with mid-trees.
• The middle ground will be flat with stone/dirt 
• The foreground will be flat dirt.

Catenary / Signal.  

• (C)The main line and passing track will be under wire. 
• (C) The industrial tracks will not be under wire.

Locomotives. The Basalt plant will be switched by a BS&G locomotive crane (simulated). 

Rolling Stock. The Basalt plant requires a variety of 50, 55 and 70 ton hopper cars (HM and HT) and ballast cars (MHB). Unique cars will be 50 and 55 ton roofed hopper cars and tank cars for sand service.

Structures. Structures located at this station will be: 

• Sand Plant with silos
  
• Gravel loading Platform
• Fuel tank
• Water tower
• Pump house
• Wood logging bridge
• Wood trestle

Reference