Scratch Building Plans for Mines in HO scale

[rby1rby]

I'm looking for any plans to scratch build some mine buildings for my layout.

late 1800s to early 1900s era. even later would be OK, I could possibly modify them to look older

If anybody has some tips as to where I might find them would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[simon1966]

What sort of mine are you looking to build?  There is quite a bit of difference in the type of structures one might find in a turn-of-the-century shaft coal mine in the East/Mid West compared to prospector type mines found at the same time out west.

[rby1rby]

I'm looking for more of the coal mine type

[dehusman]

HABS-HAER site.

Search for coal mines.

They have pictures, building plans, track plans, descriptions of the processes, histories, etc for multiple mines across the country.

[EM-1]

If you can find some of the back issues of Model Railroader, Railroad Model Craftsman, and some of the defunt MR publications like Motel Trains and Railroad Modeler, There is a chance of finding quite a variety of facilities ranging from simple ramps for a dump tuck to back up and dump into a waiting hopper to several mine buildings large enough to require being serviced by one or two switchers with a need for a mall yard to provide hoppers for several loading track.

In fact, I'd almost suspect the Backman or similar coaling tower could be kitbashed with an angled housing into a hillside and a couple outbuildings to serve.

[leighant]

dehusman

HABS-HAER site.

I don't believe dehusman explained.  This is on the Library of Congress website.  www.lov.gov.

In that site, go to "American Memory" and then to, I believe it is either Engineering or Buildings.  They probably have plans and photos for tens of thousands of history buildings and structures.

Some plans and articles about mines in model railroad publications: 

 

COAL MINE  Coal loader, Ajax Loader #2 HO constrn article _RMC_ Oct94 p.59  Coal mining- explosive mining pre-1965 w varied coal sizing vs continuous mining machine producing uniform sizes, conveyors, eqpt, elevator tower      _N Scale_ MayJun2000 p.50  Morley Mine, Morley Colorado on Raton Pass. Plans, N & HO models_Mod RRer_ Feb95 p.76  Modern Coal Mine, part 2: Loader, conveyor, water reclamation. _RMC_ Jul95 p.72 ; part 3: Storage silos, refuse bins _RMC_ Aug95 p.68  working coal tipple using 1" auger bit & windshield wiper motor_ModRRer_ July99 p.84 SALT MINE    bulk material handling system, cutaway view of International Salt Co., Chicago in ad for Hewit-Robins bulk material handling systems.apparently similar to eqpt used in Imperial Sugar import terminalm Galveston, etc.  _BusinessWeek_ Sept.15, 1956 p.8-9    Large mine for salt used in de-icing roads, Retsof NY_Model RRer_ Dec76 p.60    salt mine- as part of Hutchinson ATSF track plan              Model Railroader  July05 p.79 

There are probably lots more but since I don't model mine country, I have not intensively catalogued those articles.

[cacole]

That link should be:

http://www.loc.gov

NOT LOV -- it's the Library of Congress web site.

[nw_fan]

 Here is a link to Virginia Tech's "Imagebase" which houses approx 10,000 of N&W's official photographer's photos.  This particular link is to a section labeled "Coal Companies, Mines, and Tipples"

http://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/browse.php?folio_ID=/trans/nss/coal

 

Here's a pic from the site:

 

 

 

[rby1rby]

Thanks everybody for the very useful info.

It has given me alot of great ideas!