MOC: Rotary Car Dumper

[LEGO Guy Bri]

That is brilliant! The final version looks fantastic, definitely on of my favorite train MOCs

[timmyc1983]

Wow this is truly awesome. Given I only joined EB less than a year ago I only have just now seen your original prototype, which is impressive enough!!! But this update is brilliant. You've put so much detail into the whole project, it looks fantastic! It's a shame you have to tear it all down soon

Great work and happy (un)building

[BricksMcgee]

Brilliant, love the dock setting in those photos!

[Anticyclone]

That's amazing! Thanks for the video too, I've never seen this particular dumper design.

[LegoTrainFanatic]

How do the hopper cars not get dislodged when the machine tips over? from the looks of it, it's just hanging on somehow, and I don't see any mechanism that prevents the car from falling over inside the turning area. By the way, good job, when I first saw the video of it in real life, I couldn't believe it was possible, let alone done in lego.

[AussieJimbo]

Looks very cool :) Like all the details :)

Looks like a nice update. Can't wait to see the videos.

Thanks guys.

That is brilliant! The final version looks fantastic, definitely on of my favorite train MOCs

Much appreciated.

Wow this is truly awesome. Given I only joined EB less than a year ago I only have just now seen your original prototype, which is impressive enough!!! But this update is brilliant. You've put so much detail into the whole project, it looks fantastic! It's a shame you have to tear it all down soon

Great work and happy (un)building

Cheers, timmyc.

The prototype sat in a cupboard for ages but I really wanted to give it the full treatment before it had to be put away. Really glad you like it.

Brilliant, love the dock setting in those photos!

Thanks, I'm pleased with how it turned out. Raising the whole model to the right level to accommodate the dock was a job in itself.

That's amazing! Thanks for the video too, I've never seen this particular dumper design.

Cool. I was lucky to find all the great source material for the original machine.

How do the hopper cars not get dislodged when the machine tips over? from the looks of it, it's just hanging on somehow, and I don't see any mechanism that prevents the car from falling over inside the turning area. By the way, good job, when I first saw the video of it in real life, I couldn't believe it was possible, let alone done in lego.

On the left of the track (as the cars enter) there is a set of light grey 2 stud wide plates (green in the video) on top of the red wall in the cylinder (beige wall in the video). This forms small a lip just above the top left edge of the hoppers. There is also a snotted curved slope and tiles on the wall just under the lip to avoid the hopper jamming as it enters the cylinder and stop sideways movement when tipping.

You can probably see this best in the frame YouTube shows before you click on the video. As the cylinder starts turning, the lip prevents the hopper from tipping sideways. As it goes past 90 degrees the flanges of the wheels against the rails stop the hoppers from falling out.

Edited November 15, 2013 by AussieJimbo

[Phoxtane]

And here I was thinking "Well, I bet this would work great with Mindstorms!"! Looks to me like the original model worked the cables by way of a large steam piston pulling on them. Have you replicated that movement with a linear acutator, or is it still a winch setup?

[AussieJimbo]

No, it's still a winch, I don't have any LA's.

There is plenty of Mindstorms goodness hidden away that I'll reveal when I can get the video done. I'll also be taking some photos of the mechanisms during the tear down. The photos give a few clues to speculate on for the moment.

My apologies in advance for the likely delay I'll face in posting a detailed thread on the complete model with video and additional photos. This probably won't happen until Xmas.

:classic:

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

The coast is really well made ...all the layout is wonderful!

Great work with that dumping machine! :thumbup:

[Manx]

I agree with others, everything looks very, very nice, the whole idea is also great!

[lightningtiger]

AWESOME work again from you 'AJ', I like the overall appearance of the depot......plus railway bridge.....hmm, I need to design a bridge.

Brick On 'AussieJimbo' !

[zephyr1934]

Wow! A great idea for a moc and a fantastic build.