1915 Hulett Ore Unloader

[teejay99]

I enjoy industrial modeling , particularly the steel industry circa 1950 .

A little background : Iron ore , usually taconite , is brought to the mill site by ship . It was actually hand-balmed until the late 1800s when a fellow named George Hulett invented the electric powered unloader . My scratch build is the 1915 version , fresh off the showroom floor .....not too fresh , it is heavily weathered .

The model operates in the sense that all the pivot points are balanced and move up and down ...the trolley moves back and forth . I am missing the wheels and trucks in these pics . They too had to be scratched and are now complete as we speak .

Terry

[MinerFortyNiner]

Terry, welcome to the forum!  This is an impressive model...what scale is it in?  The photos certainly don't reveal it's overall size.  What did you use to source the chain drive?

[Ray Dunakin]

Beautiful work, and a very interesting subject to model!

[marc_reusser]

Very cool.  I remember way back when you started this on RRL.....but I never saw finished pics before I left the forum. Really nice to see this done. What a piece of work.


Marc

[SandiaPaul]

Great model! I love these and have always wanted to build a model of them. I had an Uncle that ran one in Ashtabula.

Paul

[lab-dad]

Awesome and another scratch builder!
Really impressive work!
I love things like this.
Also wondering about scale, and the track it worked on.
-Marty

[TRAINS1941]

Very nice.  I remember to when you were doing this on the RRL.

Jerry

[teejay99]

Thanks , Everyone :

Your questions answered ; 1)Scale is HO
2) The chain ....probably the only purchased item that I can think of , is a Tichy unit made of delrin I believe . It is slightly too large in scale but it is all I could find .
3) The track I'll post a picture of below .
4) The gons were pushed underneath the Hulett by a nifty little narrow gauge ( I'm guessing 2 foot gauge ) electric loco that I plan to scratch some day for my dock scene with the other Hulett and my Edmund Fitzgerald ore boat .
5) I'll post a pic of the shovel which held the driver of this contraption . You can barely see him about 1/3 way up from the bottom of the shovel.
6) Photos were courtesy of Karl Osolinski ( the model photos )

Terry

[teejay99]

Chatham , a lot of people would have a coronary at the price of that model . It looks exceptional and if he had put 7 months work into it , like I did , it's worth the money IMO .
Shortly after finishing my Hulett I had a guy offer to buy it . It didn't take me long to come up with a realistic number ....of course it was " way too high , he says " . No problem , You Build It ! , I suggested . The conversation ended quickly .

T

[RoughboyModelworks]

Nicely done Terry... an impressive build of the sort of equipment that most modellers are afraid to tackle. Welcome to the forum...

Paul

[teejay99]

I'm thinking out loud here , I guess , but , while I'm happy with my effort on the model , a look at the modeling skills of many others on this forum and their obvious modeling discipline , makes me realize I could have done a better job . Scratch building railings gives me trouble and part of it is I'm not as steady handed as I was back in the day . On the Hulett I can get away with it because , in real life , the railings were constantly bashed and rewelded quickly . Beauty was not an option on these monsters . I guess with my shaky hand I can claim I was modeling the real thing ! 

Terry

[JohnP]

Awesome model, awesome prototype. They were a mighty example of American industrial strength and achievement. Your model captures that sense well.

I think in a prototype that size, if you manage to communicate the scale, mass and proportions of the thing successfully the little details do not matter as much. Layers of minute details may distract from experiencing the model.

Of course, didn't most docks that used Huletts have three to six of these beasts in a row??

John

[teejay99]

Thanks John , the machine " grabbed " me many years ago and I knew I had to build one some day . I did a lot of research , given that there are no operational Huletts to get first hand knowledge . I went to the Marine Museum in Ashtabula , Ohio , about 3 hours from my house in Southern Ontario. All they have at the museum is the Hulett bucket that was cut off an old machine . I jumped inside the bucket , disobeying the many signs  and tried to grasp just how dangerous that thing could be . Behind the operators head was a big electrical control panel ....if that blew , well ......... can you say " toast ?" .....I knew you could .
Most pics that I've seen , and I bought a CD of about 350 pics from a guy in Ohio , grouped the Huletts in fours . I've also posted a couple more pics of my model

Terry

[Ray Dunakin]

Wow, I didn't realize how huge these things were! Your model, in HO scale, is quite nice.

It must have been pretty hairy for the operator, working in that tiny space on the arm of the shovel.

I like that grimy little loco. Is it electric?

[teejay99]

Right , Ray , the pusher loco was electric ......I've posted a better pic of it in action . Scratch building one shouldn't be too difficult , if I ever get around to it .

Terry