IHC Cheyenne coal bunker build

[robwill84]

Thanks Dave! Your comment reminds me I was going to ask how this thing would operate in the real world. I know hoppers would dump coal into a pit under the walled in area, and a conveyor system would carry it up to the top, but what is the purpose of the two chutes on the end that the instructions label "ash dump chutes"? These have their own separate bin.

[NYC1956]

That looks really nice, Rob, and thanks for posting the tips and photos.
This is a really nice kit - I got mine in 2002 when IHC was closing these out.
Big structures like these coaling stations often came from facility contractors' catalogs, perhaps adapted for specific customers' needs.
This makes models like this coal bunker useful for many modelers.
In my case I noted the similarity of this UP prototype to the New York Central's straddling the mainline at Wayneport, New York.
The NYC coaling station looks just like the UP one except that it is covered entirely in corrugated steel siding, and it has a plate girder bridge over the track adjacent to the tower with two cylindrical sand hoppers on it.
See if you have the book “Steam Locomotive Coaling Stations and Diesel Locomotive Fueling Facilities” by Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. There are two photos on page 55 showing the NYC coaling station at Wayneport, NY. On pages 53-54 you can see two more photos of the Union Pacific coaling station in Cheyenne, WY that was apparently the prototype for the IHC model.
Mike