I purchased this kit some time ago and am planning to install it on my layout. 4 questions.
1) How easy would it be to remove the back 3 inches or so of the main building. I'd like the back to all be on the same plane so it could be placed flush against the cliff/back. I realize this isn't realistic, but it's the best fit for my small layout.
2) Is there anything wrong with leaving off the slack loading building?
I've definitely got enough space for the main structure but I'm not sure about the slack loading building.
3) Should the Slack Loading building be serviced by a truck or train or either?
If it could be truck serviced, it'd be easier to incorporate.
4) How easily can the structure be reversed (Left and Right)?
I'd like to have the car loading apparatus on the right and the rest of the building on the left.
This is the footprint that Walthers provides.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
This kit is easy to work with and can be hacked up pretty much any way you want to fit the available space. The slack bin is strictly optional and can be left off for use elsewhere. The prototypes can be either truck or rail served.
Rob Spangler
My experience with this kit is all in N scale.
We used this kit on the Scale Rails of Southwest Florida portable show layout, Randy's NORFOLK SOUTHERN layout, and I used two on my Dream House layout following ideas from an Art Curren kitbashing article from Model Railroader.
Since the model in Art Curren's article was HO, but I built it in N, I assume the kits are very similar or identical.
By the way... In Art Curren's article, one of the New River Mining structures had the legs and loader removed and was mounted to the ground. The building looks excellent like this, and could represent a variety of industries.
I cannot find an image of Art Curren's complex he built, but it is worth looking for just for inspiration.
Eilif1) How easy would it be to remove the back 3 inches or so of the main building. I'd like the back to all be on the same plane so it could be placed flush against the cliff/back. I realize this isn't realistic, but it's the best fit for my small layout.
This should be no problem.
Eilif2) Is there anything wrong with leaving off the slack loading building?
No. There will be a hole in the main structure where the conveyer housing should go into the structure, but that should be easy to disguise or fill.
Eilif3) Should the Slack Loading building be serviced by a truck or train or either?
An N scale train car would not fit beneath this part of the structure, so we assumed it was truck service only. If you raised the frame a bit you could service it by rail.
Eilif4) How easily can the structure be reversed (Left and Right)? I'd like to have the car loading apparatus on the right and the rest of the building on the left.
I am not sure I understand what you are asking. If you are asking if the slack loading building can be on the other side, it would take a bit of work, but I would think so.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks Guys,
That's pretty much what I wanted to know. I doublechecked the dimensions and space avaialble and I think it will be a good fit and having the slack loader truck serviced will make it more likely I can fit it in and more interesting visually.
SeeYou190 I used two on my Dream House layout following ideas from an Art Curren kitbashing article from Model Railroader. Since the model in Art Curren's article was HO, but I built it in N, I assume the kits are very similar or identical. By the way... In Art Curren's article, one of the New River Mining structures had the legs and loader removed and was mounted to the ground. The building looks excellent like this, and could represent a variety of industries. I cannot find an image of Art Curren's complex he built, but it is worth looking for just for inspiration.
Kevin if it is the Art Curren article I am thinking of, it is his "Kitbashing the ArrowMattic Chemical complex in HO scale," published in the May 1995 Model Railroader page 74. He used two of the mine kits (without their "legs") and some other structures to create a really massive looking complex. An entire layout could be built just serving that industry!
Dave Nelson
dknelsonKevin if it is the Art Curren article I am thinking of, it is his "Kitbashing the ArrowMattic Chemical complex in HO scale,
Dave, That's it. Since you verified it was from an article 1995, it must not have been on the dream house layout as I thought, the dream house was torn down in 1992.
Now that I am really thinking about it, I built this project on a 2 by 2 piece of plywood when I lived in the duplex. Man, my memory is getting blurred through the lens of time.
My N scale version of the industry took up almost 4 square feet, that would be 16 square feet in HO. I had six sidings to park freight cars on.
It was a wonderfully fun project.
Art's instructions for the modifications to the industry were perfectly easy to follow.
I have no idea what became of that project. I switched to HO scale right about that time.