tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post8875954956584935734..comments2023-06-04T04:11:05.291-07:00Comments on Santa Cruz Trains: Stations: OlympiaDerek Whaleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17715926686413316877noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-1584049232075998022012-05-04T11:40:48.711-07:002012-05-04T11:40:48.711-07:00The loading device you photographed appears to be ...The loading device you photographed appears to be a somewhat collapsed gravel loader for hopper cars. Trucks working the sand/gravel plant would back sloly out onto it, and the raised (counterweighted) ramp portion would be pushed level by the truck's wheels. Then the truck could dump its load into the car. This allowed the cars to be loaded with minimal extra labor and the loading 'ramp' would stay up and out of the way when not needed. There is another one of these a ways off in the woods about 1/4 mile south. The sand quarries there used to be quite large. This was all explained to me by a fellow I met named Ken, who is in his eighties and lives adjacent to the tracks near Olympia.Tom Padulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14614148447033303726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151799760990306051.post-65852130308941037832012-05-04T11:33:30.267-07:002012-05-04T11:33:30.267-07:00Thanks for this post, Derek. Always good to hear m...Thanks for this post, Derek. Always good to hear more info from a fellow SPC enthusiast. <br /><br />Some thoughts on the flatcars, having hiked by them a number of times in the past few years: The wooden one is actually two flatcars, the second one is upside-down on top of the first and has no trucks. The wood base for the lower car and its truss rods appear to have collapsed recently. What little remains of the frame would likely disintegrate if an attempt was made to move the car. And the archbar trucks of that era are always suspect.<br /><br />The steel one may be movable if the bearings can be made servicable (some of the covers are missing) but it would take some work. The wooden cars would need to be cut up and loaded onto something else for transport. I can see why Roaring Camp hasn't bothered with these cars.<br /><br />-Tom PadulaTom Padulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14614148447033303726noreply@blogger.com