I'm considering this kit, to use as a coal mine - yes, I do realize it's modeled after a silver mine:
http://www.blairline.com/cashmine/page2.html
How would the mined substance (ore, coal, silver, whatever) enter this mine? From a vertical shaft inside? I'm not seeing an answer from the photos I've found.
And what's up with the small "porch" on one side?!?
Ed
There would have to be a shaft located in the middle of the structure with the lift equipment located in the "doghouse" that runs along the centerline of the structure at the top. I would assume the ore is brought to the surface in small buckets which are dumped into the bins over the tracks. Never really seen a prototype coal mine use this methods in a single structure. The lifts are usually in a separate building with conveyors linking crushers, screens and storage bins together. The porch would normally be for gaining access for equipment replacement, (motors, cables, buckets, etc) however in this case, there is no "crane" associated with the platform.
If you want to use this structure as a coal mine, you might consider adding a conveyor to feed the raw coal into the top of the structure and a simple "H" column coming out above the door for the porch extending out past the edge of the porch such that equipment can be lifted up.
Robby Modeling the L&N CV Subdivision in 1978 http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/robby-ky/CV%20Subdivision%20Layout/
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I love the look of this structure, and am heck bent on using it as a coal facility - I like the idea of adding a conveyor coming from the actual mine. And if I understand about your H beam suggestion, this beam might have a hoist on it to raise & lower items from ground level?
Not sure if this pic will post or not. If not, the link below will get you to it. This is an example of the "crane" used to lift heavy equipment into prep plants. This one is at the Harris Branch mine near Hazard, KY and has an angle reinforcement on top to increase capacity. I have dozens of pics of these, this one just handy already in my photobucket accout from a previous discussion on another list. The winch slides out on the "H" column and has pulleys with either cables or chains to do the lifting. Just about every mine in Appalachia has several of these here and there on the structure and it's an easy to add detail.
http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/robby-ky/Coal%20Tipples/?action=view¤t=HarrisBranch-Rotary_Breaker.jpg
http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/robby-ky/CV%20Subdivision%20Layout/
Robby
The 'Cash Mine' looks very much like a structure that was in Park City, Utah on the Union Pacific branch line that I saw in the early 1960s. That upper 'porch' with the doors was the entrance for a cable tramway that brought the ore down the mountain from the mine above. Kind of like a ski lift, but with buckets carrying the ore down. I don't remember the railing on the outside of the porch (it looks like it would interfere with the ore buckets).
Thanks to you both for your input. Grinnel, it's my understanding that this kit is based on that very mine, so your memory from 50 years back is excellent - and welcome to the forum!
Robby, I enjoyed looking at your photos, very nice work - your benchwork is especially nice.
Yes, it's modeled after the Silver King in Utah. An interesting fact is the men who worked the mine would ride in the empty buckets to get to and from the mine entrance.
To model the "ski lift" I bought a Plastruc kit for electrical towers which I'll modify. I haven't quite figured out what I'll do at the small porch or deck to unload the buckets.
Terry
Nice job building the mine tipple. The tramway was unloaded inside the building. I don't remember the doors (they would have been open), the cableway just disappeared into a 'black hole'. The buckets were suspended from a support cable with wheels that were flanged on both sides so the wheel would run on top of the cable , while the bucket hung down below from an arm that was on the outside (so it would clear the cable supports at the towers). There was a seperate cable connecting the line of buckets that pulled the buckets along. Just like a ski lift, there was a line of buckets going one way that looped around at the end and went back the other way. The towers looked very much like electrical towers.
The model is much more convincing as part of a hard-rock mining operation than one dealing in coal. The structure doesn't say "coal" to me.
Mark
Here's some installed pictures if you decide to build one:
(that's not ore in the hopper car, it's a dog biscuit so the ol' gal keeps me company)
Every mine needs water. This is the first time I tried WS Water Effects. Pretty easy, just brush it on.
markpierceThe structure doesn't say "coal" to me.
I would have to agree with that, but I don't see many alternative laser cut wood kits, as a recent thread here lamented. I'm still looking...
Tbat, thanks for all the photos, nice job!
AMB makes a nice but rinky-dink wood laser coal tipple kit (Martinsburg), but twentieth-century prototype coal tipples were almost invariably sheathed in corrugated metal. Kalmbach's The Model Railroader's Guide to Coal Railroading has lots of photos (prototype and model) to inspire a kitbash or scratchbuild project.