I ran into my Uncle Dick on Sunday and he was talking about a couple of weeks ago in Columbia NJ he had seen a Lionel standard gauge weigh station. I don't remember what colors he said it was done it but he described how the engine would pull in and get weighed on the scale(which the dial would measure). So, I'm curious what they looked like, what years the ran, and if the scale did measure the weight.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Looks like it is a Lionel # 441 weighing station and MTH made a repro # 10-1069.
I googled it up and saw that a vendor had pictures of it, so here they are.
There are weights to put on the scale to balance it to get a reading.
Looks like a nice item
In real life such scales were used to weigh loaded cars especially coal hoppers and NOT engines! I have the MTH repro on display on my layout with a red LCT 200 series coal hopper on the scale, along with a couple of Barclay scale workers.
That is wicked, thank you both for sharing.
One of these days I plan build some SGMA modules that will allow my weigh station to be used in conjunction with my T-repo crane, which has been modified with the addition of an electro-magnet. Ideally, the modules would be designed to allow train show attendees to operate the crane and load scrap iron into a gondola stationed over the weigh station. Conceptually, the show attendee loading the most weight into the gondola in a set amount of time would be the "winner".
Bob Nelson
Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Accessories by Peter Riddle notes that the 441 was introduced in 1932, was rather expensive for the time, and only sold in low numbers. Hence it is rather scarce today. Also, the parts for the balance beam scales were zinc diecast and deteriorated, so almost all originals no longer work. MTH has made a nice replica, and they do work: adding weight (pushing down) on the track section moves the balance beam on the scales inside the hut, and the small counterweights can be slid along the beam to compensate. One of the few Standard Gauge operating accessories.
d
Some years ago, while visiting the former coal hauling short line Kentucky and Tennessee Railroad at Stearns, KY, I had an opportunity to stand on such an actual scale complete with its adjacent control booth. This scale was close to the interchange track with the Southern Railway, by means of which the loaded K&T coal hoppers would be transported. Kind of a "just like mine" moment, only more accurate! LOL!
FYI: The former K&T is now known as the Big South Fork Scenic Railway which operates tours into the former large Blue Heron Mine, where there is an interpretive historic site, including an HO diarama of the operation. The founder of the coal company and the K&T, Justus Stearns, preferred to name the different grades of coal from his mines after birds such as the Blue Heron and Scarlett Tanager. Their former K&T steam loco #12 famously acquired its former Southern Railway number 4501, after having been purchased by the late Paul Merriman, and the rest is history!
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
