Coaling plants on the Canadian Northern Railway.
A 100-ton mechanical coaling plant, as illustrated herewith, has been built recently for the C.N.R. at Trenton, Ont., the central divisional point on the Toronto-Ottawa line, which was opened early last summer. It is the intention to erect similar plants this year at the several divisional and turning points on the section of the new transcontinental line north of Lake Superior, viz., Capreol, Foley, Fitzbach and Hector. All these plants will be identical in structural details and method of operation, the only difference that will be necessary will possibly be in the mechanical power, depending on what is available. Wherever possible, as in Trenton, electric drive will be used, but alternative steam and gasoline engine drive have been developed, to be used as conditions warrant. These plants are to be of the same type as those installed on the National Transcontinental Ry., which were fully described in Canadian Railway and Marine World, Aug. 1914. While of the same type, they will only have half the capacity, with provision in the design for doubling the initial capacity when necessary, so that the ultimate capacity of the N.T.R. and C.N.R. plants will be the same. Another important difference between the plants is that the N.T.R. plants are of reinforced concrete throughout, while the C.N.R. are of wooden construction. Other minor points of difference will be apparent by referring to the description of the N.T.R.
The coal is carried in an elevated coal pocket, 14 by 22 ft., and will have a depth varying from about 10 to 20 ft., the bottom of the coal pocket having a slope with regard to the horizontal of about 30 degrees. This pocket is carried on 8 heavy squared timbers, resting on concrete piers, the pedestals being heavily cross braced. The coal pocket, supported by, and contained between, these columns, is composed of heavy planking.
To the rear of the coal pocket, at one end, there is an elevator shaft, consisting of four wooden columns, two of which are those of the coal pocket supports, the other two being carried on the concrete side walls of the receiving coal hopper. The elevator shaft extends into a pit, 18 ft. deep.
Back of this elevator shaft pit, and forming a part thereof, is a receiving hopper, underneath the delivery track, which span the pit on two tracks, supported by I beams. The receiving hopper and elevator pit, consists of a concrete lined chamber, the receiving hopper having sloping sides towards the elevator shaft, the slope corresponding to that of the bottom of the coal pocket above. The coal for the plant will be delivered on cars, which will be run over the top of the receiving hopper and dumped. The area of the receiving hopper is 11 by 14 ft., and as it slopes in three directions towards the front, the coal will all tend in that direction to a central point in the front edge of the bottom of the hopper. At this central point, there is a feeding mechanism, which consists of a gate cute and feeder, the latter delivering the coal automatically in 1 1/2 ton lots.
The elevating bucket is of the same capacity as the automatic feeder, 1 1/2 ton, and is 4 ft. square, the bottom sloping the same as the receiving hopper and coal pocket. Hinged to this low edge of the elevator, along the front face, there is an apron or folding chute, kept closed in its upward travel by a roller on its front face bearing against a guide. The elevator ways are 30 lb. rails. The movement of the bucket from the bottom of the pit, automatically causes the feeder to revolve, filling up with the measured 1 1/2 ton. At the top of the elevator travel, the apron roller guide bends forward, so that in the final position, the apron has swung open, the sloping bottom of the car discharging the coal through the apron to a chute, which delivers the coal into the coal pocket. As the bucket commences to descend, the apron is closed. On approaching the bottom of the pit, the feeding mechanism is automatically operated, so that the feeder revolves, dumping the contained 1 1/2 tons into the bucket.
The sand storage plant is a small frame building adjoining the hoistway, the base of which is at an elevation of about 14 ft. It is of similar construction to the coal pocket, only lighter. A chute, leading into it from the top, is fed in exactly the same manner as the coal pocket, a valve in the coal pocket chute diverting the sand as elevated from the receiving hopper into the sand pocket chute. Beneath the sand pocket there is a sand drying room, fed by gravity from the supply above. The dried sand is delivered by compressed air to a 10 ton dry sand tank, situated directly over top of the coal pocket. There is also a 50 ton ground storage plant for wet sand.
The coaling plant Trenton, Ont., will be electrically operated, with the power located in a small building adjoining the hoistway, on the ground and will be automatically operated so that the operator will be free during the unloading period to attend to other work around the plant. With the plants that will be either steam or gasoline engine drive, the same automatic operation will be provided.
Considerable storage areas are being provided at all the division points along the C.N.R., those on the transcontinental line having capacities of from 9,500 to 14,000 tons, in order to use this plant for unloading to these storage areas, there will be a special chute from the main chute which will lead from the top of the hoist, running back over the unloading track, through which the coal can be chuted to the storage pile in rear of the plant.
Special features of the Trenton installation are the facilities for handling the coal to and from the storage yard to the rear. At this point, the storage yard will have a capacity of 5,000 tons. Around the edge of this area, there wlll be a series of posts, to any one of which a cable from the coaling plant may be attached. This cable will act as a drag line, to which will be attached a scoop with a capacity of about three-quarters of a ton, to be operated from the mechanism on the platform over top of the receiving hopper. where the operator who will manipulate the drag line will be situated. The coal, after being chuted out the back of the plant, will be picked up by the scoop, and dragged to whatever part of the pile it is desired, by attaching the cable to the most convenient post. When it is necessary to use the coal from the storage pile, the operation will be reversed, the coal being dragged over to the coaling plant, being run into the receiving hopper, and then elevated into the pocket in the manner before described. This installation is in the nature of an experiment, and if successful will be applied to the other plants.
As mentioned, the plant is designed so as to be capable of extension to double its initial capacity by the addition of a further bin of similar size to the original one, on the elevator side of the plant. We are indebted to L. C. Fritch, Assistant to the President, C.N.R., for the information on which this article is based.
100 ton coaling plant for Canadian Northern Railway divisional points.
100 ton mechanical coaling plant, Canadian Northern Ry., Trenton, Ontario.