Ray Dunakin I used some Lego pieces to form the basic shape, then added various bits of styrene to make it look like an old-fashioned cash register with a wooden case:
If this update would have just shown that cash register, I would have said "WOW, Ray, that is amazing!"
I am at a complete loss of words for the entire structure.
What a piece of beauty. Spectacular.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
The last time I posted any progress on the Princess Shilo Mine was in March 2020, when I built the bridge from the headframe to the ore bin, and a small ore cart to go with it:
In September 2021 I did a bit more work, which has continued off and on ever since. To begin with, I poured a foundation for the mine's hoist house. A copper tube was embedded in foundation for use as a conduit for the wires that will eventually power the mine's lights:
I also started to build up a waste rock dump near the mine using multiple layers of pigmented mortar mixed with red, tan, or white stone grit:
When the waste pile was finished, I built a wooden chute to carry the rock from the headframe to the dump pile. It was a bit tricky because the chute is sloped downward but also turns to one side. My first attempt came out pretty wonky:
On the second try I built the chute in two separate sections. The first section is where they would dump the rock into the chute:
Brass pins hold it in place while allowing it to be removed:
Then I made a test fit with the second section in place. After making sure everything fit right, I glued the two sections together and painted them:
In October 2021 I went to work on the hoist house, starting with a crude foam-core mockup to get a feel for how it would fit and what size it could be:
Next I made a new mockup with a different configuration. From this I was able to determine that there was enough space to extend the front room of the building:
At this point I didn't need to build another mockup, but went straight to constructing the building. I cut the major components from 6mm Sintra PVC board, and began gluing them together:
I carved a notch in the wall between the two roofs, to make room for the wires that will be needed to light the interior:
Once the main structure was assembled, I sprayed parts of the interior with flat black paint so they won't show through the opening for the hoist cable:
The interior was built as a separate unit which slides into the rear of the building. I used 3mm Sintra for this, with styrene strips to represent the wood framing:
The interior is fitted with two ceilings, once for each room. These are held in place with small stainless steel screws:
I painted the interior to represent both galvanized and rusted metal on a wooden frame, to roughly match what will be on the exterior of the building:
I made a door and two windows for the hoist house, using various pieces of styrene strip, then painted and weathered them:
I also made sheets of corrugated metal using .001" brass shim stock. These were glued to the building with Dynaflex 230, a paintable sealant:
I made a simple rain gutter above the door from a thicker piece of brass sheet:
Around the base of the front room I added some 2mm thick Sintra and textured it to simulate a concrete foundation:
I painted the building to look like the front room was added at a later date. The "original" structure has rusty, ungalvanized metal with a few newer patches, and the front room is covered with galvanized metal. The galvanized look was achieved by spraying those areas with Rustoleum's "Cold Galvanizing Compound". The rusty sections were painted with iron paint and then treated with a rusting solution. These are sold under the"Sophisticated Finishes" brand. At this stage the rust is a bit too orange but it will darken with exposure to the elements.
I don't know how much of the interior will be visible but I wanted to try making a blacksmith's forge. I built it out of styrene. The "coals" were made by gluing a clear acrylic dome over a hole, and then gluing coarse, white stone grit to the dome. I got this grit from the craft store, and it looks like it's dolomite or something similar. I lightly dry-brushed some grays onto the grit. The lighting effect is achieved with LEDs with flicker at different rates. I got them from Evan Designs. I also built a smoke hood and attached it to the ceiling:
Hi Ray.
Great stuff as always. The fire in the forge looks very realistic but perhaps the rest of it could use a spot of soot or two. I'm sure you already have that covered.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Always a pleasure to see your layout, Ray.
Wayne
Continuing on...
I made a large, riveted compressed air tank from styrene tube, with elliptical acrylic domes for the ends. I simulated rivets by embossing them on sheet brass which was then wrapped around the tank. Miniature brass rivets were used on the pipe flange:
I painted the tank with primer, then a coat of iron paint treated with a rusting solution:
The air tank was mounted on a wooden rack at the side of the hoist house. The outer ends of the rack will be supported by the rocks next to the mine:
I also added a goose neck lamp from Evan Designs to the exterior:
The completed hoist house in place on the layout:
Here are a couple shots of the whole mine. In the first photo I used Photoshop to remove the fence and a neighbor's tree from the background:
I haven't run wiring to the mine yet. I also want to add some lights to the headframe and ore bin, and I plan to add a few other details to the scene such as a water tank, fuel tank etc.
As usual, great work, Ray! Amazing modeling!
York1 John
Ray, Fun to see your terrific modeling continuing on in sunny Sandy Eggo.
Thanks and regards, Peter
I'm still working on the railroad a bit here and there, mostly maintenance and repairs. One of my earliest structures was an ore bin located on a spur track at the southeast corner of the layout. I'm calling it the Black Rock Mine.
I have long planned to build the rest of the mine structures there but never got around to it. It's been so long now that the ore bin is due for replacement.
The support structure has fallen off, the ore chutes, catwalk and handrails are damaged, and the whole thing is severely weathered:
I started work on the replacement by assembling the profile frames which are made of 3/8" square strip wood. (All wooden components are made from Western red cedar.) Where needed, I pre-drilled holes for tie rods:
Once the profiles were complete, I began attaching them to the top and bottom timbers:
The support structure from the original ore bin was in very good condition, so I decided to reuse it. I will add additional braces to make it sturdier:
At this point I set the bin out on the layout to see how it looked, and also to test whether it would be possible to add an extension to the top. Two pieces of strip wood were placed loosely on the upper rear of the bin to give me a rough idea of where the sloped portion of the extension would fit:
Next I moved on to adding the planks that will form the front and rear walls, and sloped bottom, of the ore bin. When this was done I added some small strips of wood to brace the planks that will form the sides of the bin:
At the top of the front and rear walls, it was necessary to add small pieces along the sides of the frame timbers to support the short planks between the timbers:
Here's the bin on the layout again. If you look closely you can see some of the additional bracing that I added to the support structure:
That's all for now. I post more on this later.
As usual, Ray, very nice work. Your projects are wonderful.
I decided to add an extension to the top of the ore bin. I started by building a frame, and made it removable:
Then I added the planks to the front and sides:
This shot shows how the extension fits onto the top of the bin. I drilled some holes where I will add small brass rods to keep the two sections in alignment:
Next I added a frame for the sloped section at the rear of the extension:
Ray, I like your work, thanks for sharing. Guessing that the abundance of SoCal sunshine helps add realistic weathering to your fine models.
Regards, Peter
Continuing from where I left off back in August...
I finished the sloped extension at the top of the ore bin:
Next I began building the ore chutes. I started by gluing in place the sloped supports. Then I added planks to form the bottom of the chute:
Before adding sides to the ore chutes, I test-fit the gates. I had planned to reuse the gates from the old ore bin, but I couldn't get them off without damaging them. Luckily they are still available from wildwestmodels.com. I won't permanently install the gates until after the ore bin has been painted:
I completed the ore chutes, then added the deck and handrails:
I plan to add stairs at one end of the ore bin. To make them removable, I first made a special bracket and glued it to the underside of the deck:
I drilled two holes through the top step of the stair and through the support bracket:
The stairs are from Plastruct. I glued two brass pins into the holes on the top step. I also used a razor saw to scribe "wood grain" into the plastic:
Next I added handrails and support posts. I used thick CA adhesive to glue the wood pieces to the ABS plastic:
I wanted another set of stairs at the other end of the ore bin, going from the deck up to a concrete platform on the cliff. I cast the platform in place using high-strength mortar mix and a form made from foam-core board and hot glue:
I added handrails to complete the stairs. I used four brass pins to align the stairs and hold them in place, while keeping them removable for painting or future maintenance:
That's all for now. The next step will be to add another set of stairs going from the concrete platform up to the mine. After that I can begin work on the mine structures.
Nice work Ray!
Good morning
Very impressive modeling Ray! You certainly have a keen eye for detail in your Craft
TF
Continuing the Black Rock Mine ore bin project...
The ore bin was loosely inspired by this one at the War Eagle Mine in the Mojave Desert:
The upper portion of this ore bin is a slightly more recent addition, and the color of the weathered wood is a bit lighter that on the lower portion. I tried to emulate this look when I painted my ore bin.
When I built the ore bin I pre-drilled holes for the tie rods. Prior to painting, I inserted short pieces of styrene rod into the holes to keep the paint out of them:
I bought some exterior grade latex paint in three shades of brown -- a dark chocolate brown, a warm medium brown, and a light, yellowish tan. I also supplemented these with various craft acrylics.
I started by painting the entire ore bin with the dark chocolate brown. Then I lightly brushed the tan paint onto the planks that line the interior of the bin, letting some of the dark undercoat show through:
Then I built up layers of color on the planks. I often used a ratty old brush to apply the paint in streaks. I also used a fan-shaped artist's brush, and a flat brush:
After I had finished painting all the planks, I used the same techniques to add streaks of color to the heavy beams the form the frame. When the paint was finished I sprayed the entire thing with three coats of Krylon UV-resistant matte clear to give it extra protection from the sun.
Next I used needle-nose pliers to pull the styrene rods out of all the pre-drilled holes for the tie rods. I then insert thin brass rods into the holes. I glued the rods in place with CA, then added brass washers and nuts on the ends. These were simply slipped on and then glued in place. When I was finished I used a Dremel and cutting wheel to trim off the excess rod:
The last task was to paint the ore gate hardware and then glue it in place. Here's the finished ore bin in position on the layout. I plan to add some lights to it later, after I've completed some of the other structure for this mine:
I still have to figure out what the rest of the mine will be.
.
Stunning work as always Ray! Thank you for sharing your talents here. Always inspiring.
Mike
Great work, Ray! Amazing model work.
Marvellous work Ray. The skill is beyond words. Thanks for posting.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Hi Ray,
Great work! You got the colours just right!
You truly are an artist Ray! Excellent!
Mike.
My You Tube
Thanks guys!
Hey Ray, Always good to see the beautiful modeling coming out of sunny 'Sandy Eggo'.