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[jobywalker]

It has been mentioned in the past http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=93624.msg2632566#msg2632566, but it would be extremely helpful to have a hopper. This would be an integral part of automated minecart operation. The hopper would accept items dumped from any cardinal direction or above to be deposited in a minecart below the hopper.

The hopper would be a construction that takes one block and a mechanism.  It must be placed in a channeled space (no wall or floor section). Minecarts (or other hoppers above) can dump their contents into the hopper or dwarfs can directly place items in the hopper.  When a minecart passes under the hopper, the hopper will drop its contents (up to a configurable maximum) into the minecart. This receiving minecart can continue on to its destination.  Any creature in the hopper space could be dropped into the minecart as well (so they could be source of infiltration by invaders -- !!!FUN!!!).  A hopper submerged in liquid (water/magma) should be able to operate normally filling a minecart with the liquid.  A hopper constructed from non-magma safe materials should melt leaving a hole for the magma to flow through unrestricted -- resulting in !!!FUN!!!

 

[SixOfSpades]

Sounds useful, dwarfy, and I can't think of a reason not to. One alteration I'd suggest, though, is a speed moderator: Minecarts can't zoom below at supersonic speeds and still pick up their intended loads without even slowing down. Ideally, arrival at the hopper would bring a slow-moving minecart to a halt, the hopper dumps its load, and the minecart requires a new push to get moving again. Perhaps this could be locally automated, where the fast arrival of a new, empty, second minecart provides the system with enough energy to give the first, full, minecart a much slower departure (a faster departure would require additional power). Meanwhile, minecarts that pass below the hopper too fast would only be slowed down a bit, and the materials stored in the hopper would miss their target entirely & land on the tracks.