New River Minning Co

[ChrisNH]

What a great thread.. same kit, so many different results. It really shows how every modeler puts their own stamp on their work.

Chris 

[Anonymous]

Hi 304live,

 

The crane is completely scratchbuilt from styrene profiles/sheets and some bits and small pieces left over from various kits. You can see the building process at my homepage : www.123hjemmeside.dk/modelbanen. Look under kitbashing

Brgds Peter 

 

[cudaken]

 I know what I am picking up from K-10 trains this week, New River and Glacier Gravel . I have been putting them off for a while, not now!

                           Cuda Ken

[Budliner]

Hello to Denmark

great job

I keep saying I will start my new river kit

but As you well know, inspiration can vanish as quickly as it comes.

[304live]

dk4000

 

that conversion looks great..... that crane, is it scratchbuilt or is it from something else?

[Budliner]

wowowowwoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I cant beleve I have not even opened the box on mine

there are the most incredible job's you people have done

thanks for posting for all of us to see

I love these

[Anonymous]

That is a EFFECTIVE CONVERSION!!!!

[simon1966]

DK4000, what am impressive conversion you have made.  The crane is very well done, an excellent piece of work.

[Anonymous]

Hello from Denmark to You all!

This is my try at the New River Mining Company:

I have tried to convert it into a sawmill as this would suit my danish layout better.

The crane is scratch build and the original slackbin has been turned upside down and made into a woodchip container.

More pictures can be seen at my website: http://www.123hjemmeside.dk/modelbanen. Look under "kitbashing"

[Budliner]

My favorite railroad topic.... coal mines & coal trains ! Here's a pic of my Blue Rock # 3 mine... under construction.

 

 

blue rock rocks

thanks for the photos

[Budliner]

hm me likie

[outdoorsfellar]

My favorite railroad topic.... coal mines & coal trains ! Here's a pic of my Blue Rock # 3 mine... under construction.

 

 

[zeis96]

I'm an hour away from Quincy. I know they have a club (www.qsme.org) I've been trying to plan a time to go see it. As for the disaster it depends on my skills. Beings this is my first layout I'll expect the worst and hope for the best.

 

Aaron 

[simon1966]

Hi Aaron,

I am afraid I really don't have a formal track plan.  I kind of designed the track layout on the fly as I went along.  The layout is around the walls design in a relatively small space.  I planned my main lines around the room, built the bench-work and then decided where to put the industries like the mine.  Each area was then planned with paper turnout templates right onto the foam-board bench-work base.  I know this is not the formal, proper way to design a layout, but it worked for me.  I notice you are in Illinois as well, not too far from Quincy.  In your sig line you mention modelling a disaster; are you planning to model one of the many Illinois mine disasters? 

 

[zeis96]

Simon,

Looking at your picture, looks like what I am shooting for. I actually came across your website while looking for coal mine info. Do you happen to have a track plan I could see?

 

Thanks,

Aaron 

[simon1966]

Safety valve is spot on, the New River Mine model is just part of the over all mine complex.  This structure would have housed the crushing equipment and the area for sorting the coal by size as well as removal of any waste material or slag.  There would have been other structures in the mine complex including power plant, ventilation equipment, storage sheds, places for the miners to store equipment and personal effects, offices, water towers etc.  The NRM as it comes out of the box is depicted as a slope mine with the coal being moved to the structure up the angled conveyor structure.  Many mines (depending on the region you are modelling) were in fact shaft mines and would have had a mine head hoist superstructure. 

This is a more general view of my mine depiction.  To model the whole thing would be just too much space so compromise is always in order. 

[Anonymous]

I see the mine area as including the necessary tracks.

Dont worry about me, try to find room for the actual mine building itself and then try to run tracks to and from it with your space.

[zeis96]

Safety Valve

Can you clear one thing up for me? Are you saying 12.5 x 9 is the coal mine alone or does it include the area for the hoppers and mine engine?

Can anyone suggest a 40's-50's era mine that would fit a 16" x 19" area? 

Thanks again,

Aaron 

[Anonymous]

I was looking at the dimensions for the New River Mining Co on Walthers website. It says it is 12.5" X 9". Is this correct because on some of your pictures it looks bigger.  I'm trying to see if I have room for it.

 

Thanks,

Aaron 

Not just that but the total area served by the complex. You see, you need empty hoppers at top where they can be drifted into position to load any of three (OR 5 or whatever number of tipples) you will need a run around for the mine turn engine, usually a Mallet or similar and room to stash loaded hoppers out of the way.

Luckily you can creatively stick a steam era mine on it;s own branch and into a corner somewhere without too much trouble.

I have one of these kits for the mine but it is unopened at this time. Last Chance Mine #9 needs real estate first and am working on that.

[zeis96]

I was looking at the dimensions for the New River Mining Co on Walthers website. It says it is 12.5" X 9". Is this correct because on some of your pictures it looks bigger.  I'm trying to see if I have room for it.

 

Thanks,

Aaron 

[304live]

csx road slug

 

that looks amazing.......

[Anonymous]

wow once again I see a great job csx thats cool

all the minning co. in this thread are awsome

man I think I may open mine out of the box

I did want to make the boston sand and gravel co but after I see these great models and the work you all put in to them wow weeeeeeeee

I may just toss mine out I dont think I can ever compair to these

 

thanks to all that posted you made this the greatest thread I ever started

I did see a new minning co in the mag for like $250 but with the work done here its still not as nice ...

 

Ken 

CSX what color Green did you paint that mine?

Agreed on the awesome thread. If every industry kit had such a thread dedicated to it, I think alot of us would be really "full" on the wealth of meat and potatoes information.

[Budliner]

wow once again I see a great job csx thats cool

all the minning co. in this thread are awsome

man I think I may open mine out of the box

I did want to make the boston sand and gravel co but after I see these great models and the work you all put in to them wow weeeeeeeee

I may just toss mine out I dont think I can ever compair to these

 

thanks to all that posted you made this the greatest thread I ever started

I did see a new minning co in the mag for like $250 but with the work done here its still not as nice ...

 

Ken 

[Anonymous]

I just did what you might call a 'kit-merge' between my New River mine and an earlier-style Walthers flood loader, to solve a major operating dilemma. 

On my point-to-point coal trains, I had to split the train in two sections to load all the hoppers, and do some convoluted switching moves just to get the train pointed the right direction.  I wanted a flood loader where I could load all the cars in a single train: Shove them in, pull them out - then do a 'runaround' on the passing siding.  I already had the flood loader - it was being used as an oversized coke bunker on my blast furnace highline.  So I repainted it to match the New River mine, then surgically removed the original 'tipple' section which left me with the tall part, and voila:

To see a 'before' image of the mine, go to:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/Nov2006_layout_mods/coal_mine_orig1.jpg

What an amazing solution. That is truly thinking outside of the box.

]] Applause.

[CSX_road_slug]

I just did what you might call a 'kit-merge' between my New River mine and an earlier-style Walthers flood loader, to solve a major operating dilemma. 

On my point-to-point coal trains, I had to split the train in two sections to load all the hoppers, and do some convoluted switching moves just to get the train pointed the right direction.  I wanted a flood loader where I could load all the cars in a single train: Shove them in, pull them out - then do a 'runaround' on the passing siding.  I already had the flood loader - it was being used as an oversized coke bunker on my blast furnace highline.  So I repainted it to match the New River mine, then surgically removed the original 'tipple' section which left me with the tall part, and voila:

To see a 'before' image of the mine, go to:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e182/CSX_road_slug/Nov2006_layout_mods/coal_mine_orig1.jpg

[simon1966]

I set my mine in the 40's and converted it to a shaft mine. (Photos near the top of this thread). I have added several outbuildings. For example there is a shed that the miners changed and showered in. The power station for the mine with a tall smokestack. There is a shed for keeping the pit ponies. There is a ventilation shaft shed and also a maintenance shed, plus a water tower. I don't think that there are any miner figures made, as least not more modern pit miners with Davey lamps on their helmets. I resorted to some industry workers with helmets and plan to add lamps myself. I also got some of the white metal kits from SS Ltd of mine cars to have lying around outside.

[jbinkley60]

In looking at my New River mining company, I'd like to spruce it up by adding things on the outside.  I am thinking of things like crates, dumpsters, trash cans and such.  What have others put around it to add more realism ?  Also has anyone seen a set of miner figures ?

 

 

[Paul W. Beverung]

Hi Everyone: There is a new forum member here and he needs information on coal mines and the New River Mine in particular. I just thought I'd bring this thread to the front to help him out. By the way check out the threads by Rio Grand man in the Model Railroading forum.

[NS2591]

This thread is great!  Came across it researching for ideas as I'm considering re-entering the hobby after 25 years or so.  My grandfather and great-grandfather worked in coal mines and dispatch yards near Fairmont and Grant Town, WVa.  I now know what kit I'll be buying for my first project if I get back into this again.

If anyone else is interested, I have found a website with some great photos of coal mines, coal mining and coal towns of that area:

http://community-2.webtv.net/DizHarris/SHINBRIERALMOST/page4.html

For example, here's a great photo for some weathering ideas:

http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase_new/norfolksouthern/full/nw1462.jpg

That first link was great, That is the area I am modeling and I going to start looking for information on the Coal mines and stuff. That helped me out alot!

[C&O Fan]

...Lots of coal mines there and photos can be found at West Virginia Post Cards

I see if i can find a link

VOILA! Google to the rescue - http://www.wvepostcards.com/

Yep Ken that would be the one!

I used this site for background info when building my version of Thurmond for my layout

[CSX_road_slug]

...Lots of coal mines there and photos can be found at West Virginia Post Cards

I see if i can find a link

VOILA! Google to the rescue - http://www.wvepostcards.com/

[C&O Fan]

When I first saw this kit I just Assumed ( you know how that works}that the Prototype would be found in the New River Valley of WVA

Lots of coal mines there and photos can be found @ West Virgina Post Cards

I see if i can find a link

Terry

[Anonymous]

This thread is great!  Came across it researching for ideas as I'm considering re-entering the hobby after 25 years or so.  My grandfather and great-grandfather worked in coal mines and dispatch yards near Fairmont and Grant Town, WVa.  I now know what kit I'll be buying for my first project if I get back into this again.

If anyone else is interested, I have found a website with some great photos of coal mines, coal mining and coal towns of that area:

http://community-2.webtv.net/DizHarris/SHINBRIERALMOST/page4.html

For example, here's a great photo for some weathering ideas:

http://spec.lib.vt.edu/imagebase_new/norfolksouthern/full/nw1462.jpg

[P & LE RR]

all of these are great photos!

 

i have a question as far as size of the new river mining co... walthers says its 9 x 9-3/8" in size... but i was wondering if this was accurate? if not what is the actual foot print of the building?? i'm trying to figure out if i have room in a certain area of my layout for this beautiful addition.. many thanks!

[jacon12]

I'm glad you found it and brought back to the front.  I have the kit now and was wanting to see all the great work others have done with it.

JaRRell

[Budliner]

binkly thats some layout

wow you guys out did me in every way

 

keep up the good work!!!

[jbinkley60]

Paul,  mine is 11' x 13' .  Mine is a C shape and I am building it in two halves.  It is on wheels and can be moved.  I'd raise it all in one piece but I am not sure you can do all 6" at a time.  Depneds upon how sturdy it is.  One option would be to start at one end and start blocking the legs at 3" then when it is all at 3", start again and go another 3".  You might be able to do all 6" at once.  Once you get it up 6" then you can either lengthen the legs or replace them one at a time with longer ones.  I used a similar approach when I added the wheels to the first half of my layout after the benchwork was completed.  I don't know what your legs look like so I don't know how you plan to lengthen them.  You can click on my URL below to see some of my construction. 

 

 

[Paul W. Beverung]

Jeff: I've used masking tape for foofing, both roll roofing and shingle roofing. One way is to cut the edge with a pinking shears to get the triangle shingles. Steel corrigated would be good. It lasts for along time and would be inexpensive for the company. How large is your layout? If you are moving it around one half at a time I'm curious. I've got a 12X26 foot modular layout that I need to raise up about 6 inches. The question is. All in one piece or take it apart into modules?

[jbinkley60]

Paul,

You're way ahead of me.  I stopped on this part of the layout right now because I got enough landscaping done to move the first half of the layout into place and start on the second half.  I expect that will take 6-8 weeks to complete enough that I can move it into place and have a whole layout.  Once that is done, I'll be back after this porrtion of the layout.  One thing I am interested in is roofing material for shingle roofing.  I checked on Walthers and there are a few manufacturers: Plastruct, Northeastern Scale Models, GC Laser and B.T.S .  I have not ventured into scratchbuilding yet so I am not familiar with the various manufacturers and their product lines.  Any opinions ?  I am thinking that any modern day company house would have shingles and probably not a tin roof, although some still exist.

Jeff

[Paul W. Beverung]

Hay Jeff: How are things going? The thread has gone way back. I'll bump it up to a decent location. I've got the parts all copied and have picked up some card stock to make the mock-ups. I've also been getting together pictures of prototypes. See you later.

[claycts]

Ok, at long last I finished the kit.  Here are some pictures with both coal loaders.

No weathering yet.  I am still contemplating it.

 

Not only a nice building but a very nice scene to place it in.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Hi Jeff: I haven't used any of those buildings myself. I just paged through the catalogue and picked out what looked interesting. When I get to building the mines I'll use some of the brick ones for sure but the Pike Stuff is too modern for my era. I'm doing the middle 50s. By the way. I like the way you added the second loading point. I guess your mine is doing alot of business with the power companys.

Have a good day 

[jbinkley60]

Paul,

Thank you very much for the suggestions.  I will look at them and whatever I choose, I'll post some pictures.  Have you used any of them yourself ?

 

[Paul W. Beverung]

OK Jeff: Here's some suggestions for you. I'm not intending to use all of them just what floats your boat.

Walthers #933-2830, Yard Office. This would work well for the offic that was built when the mine opened. It's an older styly brick building.

Scale Models Alpine Div. #700-1 Furniture Factory. It's a corragated metal building for use as a maintenance facility.

DPM. #243-201 Schultz's Garage. Older style maintenance building.

Great West Models. #24-502  All American Tractor & Trailer. Modern Maintenance building

Pike Stuff #541-5002  Modern two story office building.

These are all in the Walthers 2006 catalogue.

There are some suggestions. I'm not doing too well in the thinking area right now as I have a toothach. I hope that this helps.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Don't dispair, I did have a couple of things in mind. I just don't have the spacifics at hand. I'll take the catalogue to work and have a look.

[jbinkley60]

I know that you've probably heard this before but check the Walthers catalogue. That's what I do. You could also use DPM modules and Walthers and cook something up yourself. Another shop that you could add is a maintance shop for cars and trucks. Lots of clutter there. I'm at work so I don't have my catalogue to look at but I'll take a look when I get home.

Duhhh.  I thought you might have something specific in mind..  My error.

 

 

[Dave Vollmer]

Here's a kitbash in N I did following Jim Kelly's HO Turtle Creek Central series in MR.

[Paul W. Beverung]

I know that you've probably heard this before but check the Walthers catalogue. That's what I do. You could also use DPM modules and Walthers and cook something up yourself. Another shop that you could add is a maintance shop for cars and trucks. Lots of clutter there. I'm at work so I don't have my catalogue to look at but I'll take a look when I get home.

[jbinkley60]

Jeff: Nice job on the mine. I  just got a New River kit and am going to get the Glacer Gravel to help it along. Im' going to do an iron mine.

Instead of company houses how about support buildings? A machine shop, wharehouse. office building, or a power house. There are usually a host of buildings around a mine.

Have fun.

Have any part numbers or manufacturers who make them ?  It might end up being a good idea.

 

[Paul W. Beverung]

Jeff: Nice job on the mine. I  just got a New River kit and am going to get the Glacer Gravel to help it along. Im' going to do an iron mine.

Instead of company houses how about support buildings? A machine shop, wharehouse. office building, or a power house. There are usually a host of buildings around a mine.

Have fun.

[Anonymous]

this is great I had no idea we have so meny people with these kits

keep them rolling in

I have to find time to add mine

 

Ken 

I built a Drayton and found the windows to be an issue but that is directly due to my inexperience and will probably buy several more of these to go with the mine.

One of the best things about it was the stick on parts, cuts down on the odors greatly when spouse is very sensitive to chemical smells at the bench.

[Budliner]

this is great I had no idea we have so meny people with these kits

keep them rolling in

I have to find time to add mine

 

Ken 

[jbinkley60]

Do you think those company houses would be appropriate for the current time period ? 

 

[roadrat]

Who makes a reasonably priced comany house?

I could kit bash a Plasticville house or scatch build one also but a kit would work best for me."Mine " is finished and ready to pack away until ready to be placed.

I will add lites to it then.

 

go to Walther.com and check out this #152-798 for a nice company house, this a laser cut wood kit and it is on sale right now for $8.98.

 

bill

[SilverSpike]

Ryan,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I can't find any labels from our ballast, we're looking for the invoice/packing slip now. We know it's there someplace.

The coal we use for our loads is called Unit Train Coal. I looked at the Scenic Express catalog on line real quick, but didn't see it. We bought all our stuff direct from Smith & Sons.

I'll let you know if we find the info on the ballast.

Mike

Mike,

I am leaning toward the smaller size fine grain Gray Limestone #50 ballast by Smith & Sons.

Thanks for checking the ballast and the coal items for me!

Ryan

[MIKE0659]

Ryan,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I can't find any labels from our ballast, we're looking for the invoice/packing slip now. We know it's there someplace.

The coal we use for our loads is called Unit Train Coal. I looked at the Scenic Express catalog on line real quick, but didn't see it. We bought all our stuff direct from Smith & Sons.

I'll let you know if we find the info on the ballast.

Mike

 

[Dave Vollmer]

In HO, City Classics makes 2-story company houses.  I've seen Tony Koester's article on taking Grandt Line and Rix houses and converting them to company houses as well (don't ask me which issue, but I think it was part of his Coal Fork Extension series in the late 90s/early 2000s).  Those would be 1 floor.  In N scale there are the Grandt Line houses, but that's about it.  AMB makes a laser kit for a company house if you're into wood.  They offer it in N and HO.

[Anonymous]

Who makes a reasonably priced comany house?

I could kit bash a Plasticville house or scatch build one also but a kit would work best for me."Mine " is finished and ready to pack away until ready to be placed.

I will add lites to it then.

 

[Dave Vollmer]

My next challenge is to figure out what to put in front of the coal loaders on the layout. 

the area in front of the hill between the tunnel tracks and the coal loader tracks is around 8" x 32" in size.  All the way to the left will be the beginning of a small town. I am up for suggestion on what to put in this area.  It can't be too tall because that area faces the front of the layout and would block everything behind.  I am thinking of a parking lot for the workers at the coal mine and then a road leading towards the town for the workers and trucks coming from the mine.  A parking lot is low but just doesn't seem like the best usage of space. 

Suggestions anyone ?

That's a perfect spot for a row of small company houses and a company store!  They can all be one story do they don't block the view.  Since you're doing modern operations, you can leave the houses abandoned or paint them different colors to look like they're now privately-owned.

[Anonymous]

I use canned spray paint.

Over the blue paint I mist it with flat black then lightly spray the blue again.

 

Makes a nice effect and tones down the black.

Now I need to find a box to store it in a while, it is bigger than I expected.

 

Dull coat does a great job of covering up the glue.

I dull coat every thing.

Testers is making a killing on that 1.5 oz of paint for $3.50

[SilverSpike]

Mike0659,

From your explanation it seems like you guys have some fun sessions. And yes, I have seen the ROW on some of he Norfolk Southern coal lines where some coal has spilled near the rails, and I was considering that too. You mentioned in an eariler post that you use the Smith & Son coal, I noticed in the 2006 Scenics Express catalog that three pages are dedicated to their product. I also noticed that there are more than one size to choose from, what size/type coal did you use? They also have a variety of ballast sizes, I am thinking of getting the smallest size which is the Gray Limestone #50 for ballasting my track. Any considerations on ballast size?

Cheers,

Ryan

[jbinkley60]

I am still working on mine. The glue is still drying and you cansee masking tape in a few places. Some of you guys have done an awesome jon on this kit.

 

I all most didnt post they are so good. But i worked hard at my level of ability and am proud to show it.

I am not so good with these kits, I spill some glue, get in a hurry, over spray some paint where I dont want it but I generaly have a good time.

 

It pays to have a good camera and I dont so it makes the pic less than it should be too.

I had similar problems with glued fingers and masking tape stuck to the glue etc...  Same thing on overspray.  If you look hard you'll see light blue dots on the black doors on mine.  The thing is, that happens in real life.  I like the lighter roof.  I toyed with a silver roof for mine.  I think I still wish I had gone that route.  What did you use for the blackening for weathering ?

 

[Anonymous]

I am still working on mine. The glue is still drying and you cansee masking tape in a few places. Some of you guys have done an awesome jon on this kit.

 

I all most didnt post they are so good. But i worked hard at my level of ability and am proud to show it.

I am not so good with these kits, I spill some glue, get in a hurry, over spray some paint where I dont want it but I generaly have a good time.

It pays to have a good camera and I dont so it makes the pic less than it should be too.

*******************************************************************

EDIT:

Friday and I about hae it completed.

[MIKE0659]

MIKE0659, I would image that full loads would add a lot of weight to the cars. My concern would be accidentally tipping the cars and spilling the loads onto the layout. I have seen where some take styrene or other flat surface and attach to the hopper then place a small amout of "load" on top of that so as to simulate a full load without all the weight considerations. This simulated full load is also glued down to maintain a static form.

Ryan,

Fake coal loads are for wimps! Actually, we started out with all those cast loads and we made a bunch of loads too. They look good and worked fine, but we just wanted to go with the live loads.

We sold off all the loads at several local train shows, cheap. They all got snapped up and we used the money to buy coal. Real coal.

Yes, if you dump a train it can make a mess.

 Stand by a second while I knock on wood. All of us railroaders are superstitious.

We have only dumped one partial train and it went to the floor since we didn't have any scenery. It wasn't normal operation that caused it, but something dumb we did. And no, I won't tell you how we did it, even if you say please!

Mostly because I don't remember.

I have knocked a car over in the scenery while working. Yes the smart thing would be to move the car before fooling around in that area, but I got lazy. All you have to do is scoop most of it up with a spoon or scoop or piece of cardstock. Then we use a cordless vacuum cleaner to suck up the rest. Since everything in the scenery is glued down and the cordless vac isn't too strong, it's no big deal and doesn't damage the scenery. And, a little coal along the right of way looks prototypical, they don't get it all up when they have a derailment either.

One bonus of the heavy loads is that they track very well. We took great pains with our trackwork when putting it down, even before we knew we were running live loads, so we don't (Knocking on wood again) have many problems. We also have kept after out rolling stock to keep it all operating smoothly. The most common occurrence, and it doesn't happen often since we have a good operating crew, is someone shoving back through a switch that is against them or running through the switch before the motor has thrown it all the way.

Just as an aside, we haven't seen any excessive wear to the sideframes of any of our loaded cars after a fair amount of running. Even if we do, trucks are cheap, relatively speaking. We also run all Kadee wheelsets on any car that didn't come with metal wheelsets from the factory.

Generally speaking, our operating sessions have been smooth and trouble-free. We push and pull the cars all over the place, in and out of sidings, through turnouts, and uphill and down 2 and 3% grades. With pushers.

A good time is had by all. And yeah, we're the only nut jobs we know running live loads among our group of friends.

[SilverSpike]

MIKE0659, I would image that full loads would add a lot of weight to the cars. My concern would be accidentally tipping the cars and spilling the loads onto the layout. I have seen where some take styrene or other flat surface and attach to the hopper then place a small amout of "load" on top of that so as to simulate a full load without all the weight considerations. This simulated full load is also glued down to maintain a static form.

Also, thanks for the real coal in miniature contact.

Cheers,

Ryan

[jacon12]

Here's mine, greatly modified. I added etched corrigated siding over the walls, opened some of the windows and added a long conveyor to the mine opening high on the neighboring ridge.




Dale Latham

Dale, the mine looks great but so do the trees in the above picture.  What's your technique for making them?

Jarrell

[MIKE0659]

MIKE0659, great explanation on the coal operations on your club layout.

You mentioned that you run live loads of real coal, and it's easy to tell the loads and empties when drilling a loader. Since you are using real coal, how do you get it to scale size and where are you getting this real coal?

Hi Ryan,

Uh, sorry, I was being a bit facetious with the "easy" comment. It's real easy to tell them apart, especially in comparison to those loaded and empty boxes, tanks, and covered hoppers.

Yes, we do run live loads of real coal. We were inspired by Tony Koester's ramblings in his "Trains of Thought" columns way back when he was still modeling the AM. It sounded cool, and we figured it would be different and make the crews work a little harder and pay a little more attention. We ran some tests with cars loaded with all the ballast and sand we could come up with at the time and were impressed enough to commit to the live loads concept. A 15 car loaded coal train of triple hoppers is pretty heavy, I don't right now recall the weight per car, but we did weigh them once just out of curiosity. I want to say a 15 car train, with the weight of the cars, is somewhere in the 4+ pounds range, but can't swear to it. Everybody is surprised by the weight when they try to move a train by hand.

We actually have pulled a little weight out of some of our locomotives and cut back their top speed using programming functions in our Railcommand system so no one will be tempted to cheat and try to make a run at the grade. They'll stall and just get the dispatcher ticked-off. They have to wait for the pushers to get them up the grade. And as you can imagine, lifting a loaded train up the grade takes some good teamwork between the head-end and pusher, just like in the real world.

The coal is real coal from:

Smith and Sons Ballast, 13630 Gar Highway, Chardon, OH 44024

I found him in one of the magazines way back.

He has a wide variety of coal sizes and ballast colors and sizes too. We also bought our ballast from him. He will send you sample bags for a small charge each so you don't have to buy a regular size bag just to check it out. We tried a bunch of different types of coal and ballast. His prices are reasonable and he's a nice guy to deal with. As an aside, he is actually a guy who somehow grinds up this stuff with a little machine in his garage or basement. A real Pop and son outfit.

The one drawback we have found is that after a number of operating sessions the coal loads tend to level out a bit. So we dump them and refill them. In 10 or so operating sessions and Ray's son Shawn running trains around in between, we have had to do so only once.

We are a club of two, not to be confused with an army of one. The R&W railroad is located in Ray's basement (My brother in law). I don't have a basement, but he does, so we got together to build an empire. Okay, a small portion of an empire. We have had some help from friends with various projects at times, for which we are very grateful.

The operations description was pretty basic, but I thought it would give someone an idea how we are doing it., instead of just saying that we run coal trains on our railroad.

[Anonymous]

A small depot for bus/truck and perhaps a diner combined in one building?

[jbinkley60]

My next challenge is to figure out what to put in front of the coal loaders on the layout. 

the area in front of the hill between the tunnel tracks and the coal loader tracks is around 8" x 32" in size.  All the way to the left will be the beginning of a small town. I am up for suggestion on what to put in this area.  It can't be too tall because that area faces the front of the layout and would block everything behind.  I am thinking of a parking lot for the workers at the coal mine and then a road leading towards the town for the workers and trucks coming from the mine.  A parking lot is low but just doesn't seem like the best usage of space. 

Suggestions anyone ?

[Tilden]

I've had my kit for years and hopefuly soon will start construction.  I'm planning to build the smaller version described in a MRR issue and was going to paint all the walls with a metalized paint first, then construct and weather.  Silver might need to be toned down a bit too much.

[skiloff]

Nice night scene, Jeff!

[jbinkley60]

Here's a few pictures at night with the building and yard lights.

 

 

[Anonymous]

Mine just came in today. In N Scale. I ordered it through my LHS and it took a week. I was supposed to be notified by an on-line company when they would have it in stock. Although they assured me I would be the first person to be notified of its availability I never heard from them so I went with my LHS. A good lesson for all of us.

SUPPORT YOUR LHS!!!!

The on-line price might appear cheaper at first glance but when you factor in the S & H charges and consider the extremely slow or non response of some on-line companies, your LHS might be the best way to go.

FritzvB

[SilverSpike]

MIKE0659, great explanation on the coal operations on your club layout.

You mentioned that you run live loads of real coal, and it's easy to tell the loads and empties when drilling a loader. Since you are using real coal, how do you get it to scale size and where are you getting this real coal?

[Anonymous]

Very nice mine.

I am working on the ADM Elevator.

I used pernament marker on the window panes. One or two are blocked out.

I took a box with a cover, dumped the windows into it; added Braxton Mills powder to simulate grain dust. Shook the box with the lid on until the windows were done.

I also have the mine, at this time I cannot decide what to paint it.

[jbinkley60]

Ok, at long last I finished the kit.  Here are some pictures with both coal loaders.

No weathering yet.  I am still contemplating it.

 

[tomikawaTT]

After giving this much thought I have decided to move my "prairie skyscrapers" (the ADM grain elevators) to the other side of my layout so as not to detract from the coal mining operations. I bought the New River Mining kit and will add it to the existing mining operation to have two separate sidings for coal mining. The space is perfect for it. I have a question on what structures are folks using to be consumers of the coal, if any ? The Cornerstone Series has a rotary dumper and a power plant. I am not sure about either of these. Also the coal doesn't have to stay on the layout, it can be destined for other parts. What are folks doing? Also does anyone know of good metal die cast coal trucks ? I've seen some half metal and half plastic ones that didn't look too bad.

Can't speak for the coal trucks, since all the coal at my colliery moves on conveyor belts.  As for where the outbound coal goes, on my layout I load out unit trains (run to down staging after interchanging with the local Class I and a motive power change from tank steam to catenary motors) and loose cars, both hoppers and drop-side gons.  Loose cars are distributed by waybill, but all of them run to the interchange point at Tomikawa.  There they may leave with originating local freights, either up or down, be cut into through freights (ditto) or delivered locally (JNR coal dock, KMT coal dock, local coal dealer's yard.)  Except for those which never leave Tomikawa, all loaded cars eventually end up in down staging, where they are emptied before being returned to the mine.

I've been operating this scheme bare rail on plywood for, literally, decades.  Now I've acquired the New River kit to kitbash into something resembling the prototype crusher-sorter that I photographed near Fukuoka almost half a century ago (time flies when you're having fun!)  After carefully examining my photos, I may need to get the Glacier Gravel kit as well - some of those conveyors ran a looong way, and there are a lot of other structures to model.

Proposed modifications to the kit as designed include an automated loader for loose cars and lots of lights for night operations.  I've designed an "elegant solution" to the empties in-loads out idea for the unit trains.  Now all I have to do is build it and see if it really works!

Chuck  (modeling Japan in 1964, where trains run up and down, even on the level)

[jbinkley60]

I can think of far worse things to put on a layout.  I have two coal flooders and mines.

 

 

[NS2591]

Yeah Thanks alot guys, I wasn't planning on having a coal mine on my layout, but i am now. I'm going to have a big bridge, and a coal mine, a yard, street running, and a fair amount of operations. At the rate i'm going, I'm gonna need a big space!

[skiloff]

I made the mistake of looking at this thread.  Now I'll have to find a place to put a coal mine.  I'll be headed to the LHS next week to see if they have it the New River Mining Co. in N scale.  I know they had it in HO last time I was there.

[CSXFan]

Thanks, I'll pickup some Micro Sol.  Ironically I have the Cornerstone Grain Elevator kit too (still in the box) and I checked, it doesn't have instructions either. 

 

Oh, sorry about that, the instructions came from a Walthers plastic pellet transfer kit. For some reason  they were sitting in the ADM grain elevator box. I decaled all my Cornerstone kits this way so it should work.

MIKE0659, Thanks for the great pics! The first shows exactly what I want my coaling operations to look like.

[MIKE0659]

This is a great thread, as is Ryan's sub-topic. Many of us model coal mining and coal hauling, but there isn't much discussion of how we do so.

First, the New River Mining kit is one of the most kit-bashable structures out there as proven by this thread. We bought several of these kits, Glacier Gravel, and the Walthers flood loader kit (Can't remember the name), as well as a few other kits from other manufacturers to get the pieces and parts to kitbash coal loaders on our railroad.

The first picture is of a loader that Ray built, it still needs an extension to the conveyor, some additional weathering, a few more details, as well as ground stuff (Weeds, loaders, trucks, junk, coal piles, etc.), but you can see it is a part of the New River Mining kit.

The second picture is a loader that is still in the construction phase, but again, you can see the New River Mining kit is the source of the major pieces.

Sorry if the pictures aren't of the best quality, I was walking around, hand-holding the camera - some with flash, some just with the layout lighting.

These are two of the largest loaders on our railroad, there will be one larger that will be almost the foot print of the complete New River Mining kit. There are also several smaller loaders of varying sizes located around the railroad. In total there are 8 coal loaders on line.

As for our coal operations, we have followed the patterns we see in the areas we are modeling. We model a freelance prototype called the Roanoke & Western Railway which is patterned after NS/CSXT and their predecessors. The R&W is envisioned to be roughly the same size as the Clinchfield was, in mileage, equipment and traffic volumes.

Since we don't have a warehouse in which to build our railroad (Just half of a basement.), we decided to model a heavy branch with several smaller sub-divisions and extensions that feed coal to the mainline which is represented by hidden storage. We have chosen to model non-unit train style flood loaders since we don't have the length for unit train flood loaders and it is tough, but not impossible, to model both sides of the loads/empties movement on flood loaders.

What we have done is start our operating session with all of the cars at the mines loaded and shoved through or pulled ahead of the loader. When we swap the loads for the empties, we put the empties on the opposite end of the loaders. Since we run live loads of real coal, it's easy to tell the loads and empties when drilling a loader. It also makes the return trip a little more difficult due to the weight of the loads.

Some of our loaders are served by a single train which comes out to swap 15 empties for 15 loads, one example is the Ranger Turn which serves the Ranger Fuels loadout. With some of the smaller loaders we gather up the empties from several loaders and bring them back to the small, 3-track Clay Yard at Black Creek Junction to be combined with other loads from small area loaders  to be picked up by a  turn from the larger Linwood Yard before heading off the railroad to hidden storage bound for Roanoke.

We always leave enough track on each end of a loader for a loads in/empties out type of operation since this is how the real coal loaders work. We wanted our operators to have the feeling of accomplishing something by spotting those empties at a location on the siding different than where they pulled the loads. The live loads add to this as the train becomes heavier as they make these loads/empties drills, finally needing a pusher to get back up the grade.

We didn't want to force any paired industries just to get that loads/empties cycle, so we didn't model a power plant or other coal consuming operation. We preferred to instead have the loads/empties flow on and off the modeled portion of the railroad. If given enough space, it would have been nice to model either a large coal preparation plant or a coal-fired power plant.

The coal prep plant would have been a big operations booster. The loads from many smaller loaders could have gone there to be cleaned and sized, then shipped back out. This would require yards on both ends for the raw inbound coal and the outbound processed coal on the other end. All this movement of raw and processed coal would require trains to move them around.

To get some feel for coal industry operations you can read two excellent books on the Clinchfield Railroad, the first is Clinchfield Country, by Steve King (Out of print, but you can find copies) and the newer, The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields, by Robert A. Helm. There are sections in these books that talk about the operations on the Clinchfield and many great pictures of the loaders along the line. Every type of loader you can imagine, from the smallest 1 to 2 car a day, mom and pop loaders to the 100+ a day loaders and the big Moss coal preparation plant.

The other thing you might notice in these books is how much like a model railroad much of the Clinchfield appears. It is often a heavily tree-covered mountainside as a back drop with the tracks right against it, a road, possibly a few houses, and then the othe maountainside on the other side of the narrow valley. Very easily modeled in a narrow space. It was also a very curvy railroad with numerous bridges and tunnels.

Sorry to get off on a tangent about the CRR, but it is a good example of what many of us are trying to model and the books are good references for ides on kitbashing and scratch building loaders.

And finally, a few pictures of our railroad, we only have a small portion scenicked and that isn't finished yet, many details are needed.

 

Above is a set of R&W units backing down the lead to the Potter Coal Company loader to pull their daily production of 3 loads.

 

Above is a set of Clinchfield F-Units with loads on the Martins Creek Extension, coming down grade back to Black Creek Junction and Clay Yard.

 

And this is the same set of R&W power idling away while the Conductor strolls over to the tower to talk to the powers that be.

[jbinkley60]

Thanks, I'll pickup some Micro Sol.  Ironically I have the Cornerstone Grain Elevator kit too (still in the box) and I checked, it doesn't have instructions either. 

 

[CSXFan]

It should say right in the directions, most likely on the bottom of the back page. I have the Cornerstone ADM grain elevator and this is what it says about decaling.

"1. After cutting out the decal, dip in water for 10 seconds, remove and let stand for 1 minute. Slide decal onto surface, position and then blot off any excess water."

 "2. Lightly brush on Micro Sol on top. This will soften the decal allowing it to conform to irregular surfaces. DO NOT TOUCH DECAL while wet!"

 "3. When the decal is thoroughly dry, check for any trapped air bubbles. Poke them with the point of a small pin or hobby knife blade and apply more Micro Sol."

Good luck.

[jbinkley60]

I finally finished putting together my New River Mining kit but have a question which has plagued me on other kits.  How do you get the decals onto the kit ?  I've has similar problems with Atlas kits.  I've determined that you don't scrape them off the paper. Do you use water or something else to float them off the paper ?  I noticed only 1 or 2 of you that posted pictues had any types of labeling or markings on your finished kits.

 

[Anonymous]

The blast furnace is an interesting thought but probably too large for the space I have and it looks like Walthers is retiring it.

[accord1959]

I got one and am soon going to buy a Glacier Gravel kit to combine with it.

[Budliner]

checkout this Blast Furnace w/Stoves

[Anonymous]

After giving this much thought I have decided to move my "prairie skyscrapers" (the ADM grain elevators) to the other side of my layout so as not to detract from the coal mining operations. I bought the New River Mining kit and will add it to the existing mining operation to have two separate sidings for coal mining. The space is perfect for it. I have a question on what structures are folks using to be consumers of the coal, if any ? The Cornerstone Series has a rotary dumper and a power plant. I am not sure about either of these. Also the coal doesn't have to stay on the layout, it can be destined for other parts. What are folks doing? Also does anyone know of good metal die cast coal trucks ? I've seen some half metal and half plastic ones that didn't look too bad.

[Budliner]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tom russell

I have both glacier gravel and new river mining and went nuts with the chalk and a air brush. will have some pic's in a few weeks if you can wait.[:(]

hello tom have to see your work
this has to be some of the finest work yet
keep the photos coming

I cant wait to get started on mine

K-

[Budliner]

I still have not got to working on this kit
whats up
I need to get motivated

K

[CSXFan]

simon1966,
Thanks for the reply. I found some pics that answer my question also

[james saunders]

yep, I'm Definately getting one, i don't know where i will fit it, oh wait i know, on my layout extension!

James.

[simon1966]

You bet. Coal is still mined all over the US. In fact, in Illinois, coal is making a come back with new mine facilities set to open over the next couple of years.

[CSXFan]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, and this may be a little off topic, but are any of these facilities still used be real railroads? I would like to get one for my modern CSX / Norfolk Southern layout but I don't know how prototypical it would be. Pics would be helpful.
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I have both glacier gravel and new river mining and went nuts with the chalk and a air brush. will have some pic's in a few weeks if you can wait.[:(]

[Budliner]

more more

[Dave Vollmer]

Here's one I did in N scale. It's pretty much just the stock kit; nothing special. Just paint, weathering, and a lot of trees around it.



Dave

[304live]

it is a great looking kitbash....

the lights are a GREAT touch on it... now i know i have to add lights to mine as well...

i am going to drive down the road a few miles sometime soon and take a picture of a mine load out and some conveyor systems for everybody to check out and maybe get some good ideas from

^^^^^
one of the perks of living in west virginia... never more than a little drive from something concerning a mine


does anybody know any roof top accesories that can be added to this.... blowers,vents and the such... i went to the LHS today and checked out the walthers roof top accesories pack but its all for flat roofs and i just dont think my abilities are up to building realistic looking bases to mount them on yet (but i guess you have to start sometime)....

some more idea's ive been given from talking to my father who worked in a coal prep plant for quite a few years about how to make the kit look more realistic was LOADS of conduit and piping on the outside of the building....... as he said most of these building as the equipment on the inside is updated the new wiring is ran out the side of the building to where it needs to go and then into it.... so if this kit is set in a modern setting it would have had its "guts" updated 1-2-3 times from the 50's and would have multiple sets of outside piping/conduit running from the room to room

that is my next project after the weathering (i probebly should have thought the whole thing through before i started... but live and learn) is adding alot of "updates" to it since the kit will be set in the 90's

[Budliner]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rgpool45


Naturally a lot of lights were added. Finally, to fini***he scene,

wow that is incredible

[steveiow]

I have this kit still in it's box, will add it to the layout eventually.
All your models look great-I hope mine looks half as good!
Australia for the cup-not a bad bet that,seeing England won't get any where near it.
Best wishes
Steve

[peterjenkinson1956]

don-csx.... just love the yellow paint...fantastic.... makes me want to repaint my model... grey now looks so boring... windows, try scratching some of the windows and put some of the styrene glue onto the window panes..do it randomly and it looks quite good

if anyone can some how get to look at the magazine called.. RAILMODEL JOURNAL.. MARCH 1993.. this has a very good article on the consolidation coal tipple at jenkins kentucky... the article is 10 pages and looks just like the walthers kit

one more thing... have lots of signs.. danger, hard hat area etc it adds a little color..

ps AUSTRALIA to win the soccer world cup

[304live]

thanks bill

next time i get to set down and work on it ill make sure i take a couple more pictures to show what im doing (making it up as i go along) and my reasons for trying what im trying....

[billlong]

Chris aka 304live , Your mining kit is looking great. I would like to see more along with a little tutorial of your methods, colors, etc. Keep the pics coming, you have the makings of a great modeler.[^]Thanks for sharing.[8D]

[zgardner18]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ulf999

QUOTE: Originally posted by zgardner18

Does anyone have a picture of the real one. If I'm not mastaken the real one is in Colorado. Back when I was in high school, and living in Orem, Utah, we took a trip to Glenwood Springs, and between there and Vail, we headed off to Steamboat Springs, and low and behold there it was. The Mine looked just like the Walther's model that I had back at home. Being only 16, I didn't have my camera at the time, but boy do I wish I could go back and see it again.

Try:
http://www.earthscienceworld.org/images/search/results.html?Keyword=Routt%20County#null
scroll down to "Edna strip mine"
/Ulf

NICE! Yep that's the one I saw and boy did I wish I had a camera. Thanks for finding that picture.

[Anonymous]

The coal mine required a lot of cutting from two full kits and part of a third to create the tower and chutes. The chutes were so long that I had to add support bents made from Micro Engineering bridge supports.
The weathering was all with an airbrish starting with UP gray mixed with B&O Royal Blue, followed by a wash of grimy black, and an India Ink/achhol mix. A little chalk was added in certain areas for highlights.

Naturally a lot of lights were added. Finally, to fini***he scene, proper lighting is a must to bring out the detail, as a lot of small details were added in and around the scene. On the other side of the hill is a typical West Virginia coal mining town.

[ulf999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by zgardner18

Does anyone have a picture of the real one. If I'm not mastaken the real one is in Colorado. Back when I was in high school, and living in Orem, Utah, we took a trip to Glenwood Springs, and between there and Vail, we headed off to Steamboat Springs, and low and behold there it was. The Mine looked just like the Walther's model that I had back at home. Being only 16, I didn't have my camera at the time, but boy do I wish I could go back and see it again.

Try:
http://www.earthscienceworld.org/images/search/results.html?Keyword=Routt%20County#null
scroll down to "Edna strip mine"
/Ulf

[304live]

the coal mine version of yours looks amazing

i'd say thats the best one that has been posted so far

can you go into how you kitbashed it into what you have?

[Anonymous]

This a great kit. I used three of them to make the following two displays. One for coal, the other for ore.

[don_csx]

It's not a good as some other showed on here but here is my tipple.

Don

[simon1966]

304live, it looks like you are off to a great start and doing a fine job!

[ulf999]

For all it's worth, here's my contribution [:)]
http://www.marklin-users.net/applications/forum3/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2968

[304live]

my bad about how big that second one is... i forgot to resize it

[304live]

here is some of my weathering... i'd love to get some feedback on it


remember this is the FIRST time ive ever tried to weather anything so any feedback would be appreciated....

[river_eagle]

took a quick phone photo of car shop to add to weathering pic for tin buildings.

sorry it's not clearer, phones not really set up for high res pics.

[304live]

mine is on a diaroma... so everything is off layout

[SilverSpike]

Simon,
Thanks for the quick reply! I would like to approximate semi-prototype operations with coal loads coming from the mine then being shipped to a coal power plant.
And I like the idea of using the "off site" as an option to send the loads to a staging area too, that gives more options for other freight types too.

[simon1966]

Ryan, I am modelling a particular mine in central Illinois. This was a shaft mine from the 20's to the 50's and so I had to make a mine head structure for the mine. The New River was close enough to the tipple that I decided to use it, though faced with the same decision now, I would scratch build the mine structure.

Due to the location on my layout, the trackage is far from ideal for reaslistic opperations. My coal customers are off layout, though I do have a small fuel dealer. For me, the mine is more about creating a specific scene than runnning it prototypically.

[SilverSpike]

First, let me say that this has been a really great thread. Those of you that have the New River Mining model already on your layouts, would you be willing to tell me what areas you are modeling and how you have approached the issue of prototype coal operations with loads and empties. And do you have a coal customer modeled on your layout for coal deliveries, such as a coal fired power plant?

Thanks,

Ryan

[Budliner]

something abought that polyscale water based acrylic paint
all the hard work of metching color is done
http://phoenix-model.com/paint_charts/flo_rr.pdf
Railroad Tie Brown 1 Oz.

ya $3.50 for a eye dropper full gets to be too much
http://testors.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=54

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Safety Valve
I see all those wonderfully completed kits with the neat colors. Especially the green. What color was that green?

SafteyValve,

The green is from a can of Rust-o-leum "American Accents" spray paint that I picked up at my friendly neighborhood Home Depot. Wish I could remember the exact name of the color but I can't. At least the cap is the same color as the paint so it should be easy to spot on the store shelf...

I've found Home Depot, Lowes and Wally World to be excellent sources of spray paint for industrial structures - at a fraction of what I'd have to pay at a LHS[tup]

[304live]

i was wondering the same thing when i was at the shop the other day buying some new paint colors.....

i saw some railroad linemen figures that looked like they'd fit in well with an older set up.... but since now miners wear coveralls with reflective strips on them maybe fire fighter repainted out of the blaze orange suits would work well?

[simon1966]

Has anyone found any HO scale Mine workers to populate the mine? I have not been able to find any anywhere.

[Budliner]

now I just need some ho cement trucks
I like to use the rubber cement trick with rust
hmm more cement
here is my list
CA cement
cement trucks
rubber cement


cool

[304live]

no problem at all billlong

well im about 25% done with my weathering.... i think im going to take some pictures tommorrow and post them to get some feedback on how it looks from some of y'all who are a little more experienced than myself

[billlong]

304live... Thanks much for the info. I am ordering one today. Can only hope it will come out as well as the ones shown on the forum. Stay tuned, I may need more help, again thanks for your input.[:)][:)][:D]

[304live]

i also found that if you used your sharpie and colored in the outside edge that isnt visible black as well that it helped make the window's look ... im not really sure how to describe it.... but closer to the front edge where they should be and not so much as a peice of plastic when looking at it from an angle...... filling it the backside behind the verticle posts did the same thing

you cant see through the windows thickness to behind the posts when you do that...


im just beginning the weathering process right now on it... hopefully by next week ill have it finished so i can post some pictures and let y'all see how mine (the first project of this size ive done) turned out....

[simon1966]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 304live

FRITSCHSR, did y'all black out some of the windows in the building?

how do you think that it looked if you did?

i blacked out some of mine to give the appearence of broken windows that hadnt been replaced but just covered up.... im going to do it from the outside on one or two with something to see how it looks as well....

The sharpie marker method is really easy compared to painting to get the window frames detailed, but it is still easy to make a mistake and get marker on the pane rather than the frame. In these cases, I just colored in the whole pane to make it look covered up as you describe,

[304live]

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3017

[billlong]

Does anyone know the part # for the New River Mining Co. and the Glacier Gravel kits from Walthers? Seem to have difficulty locating them on Walther's site.[:)] Thanks for any help in this area.[:)][:)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bush9245

I feel deprived. Am I the only one who does not own this kit?

It's a good one. I am just jealous.

I have it, but aint built it yet.

I see all those wonderfully completed kits with the neat colors. Especially the green. What color was that green?

[Budliner]

wow Misteslaus I like that idea


I have to get going with this one

[304live]

FRITSCHSR, did y'all black out some of the windows in the building?

how do you think that it looked if you did?

i blacked out some of mine to give the appearence of broken windows that hadnt been replaced but just covered up.... im going to do it from the outside on one or two with something to see how it looks as well....

[FRITSCHSR]

Here's one on the Beaver County Model Railroad Club's layout.
]

[304live]

yes the sharpy marker is working out GREAT!

just started working on mine tonight... this is my first project in years and years so hopefully in a while here i'll have something to show and get some critiquing (*sp) on

[Melchoir]

Awesome paint schemes....Nice of you to share them..I have one of these and have been trying to give it a unique look..Thanks for the ideas especially the Sharpie marker..Michael

[Misteslaus]

You might consider an old wargamers trick. Start with a primer coat of black and then dry bru***he siding with silver. You can do it in several layers and then "wash" it with a thinned black or blcak ink (see the wargamers for that) or chalks. Try the technique on a piece of scrap before you do it on such a magnificent kit. One of the things that this does is to automatically enhance the depth and shadow to a piece of material made of "metal." (It also works quite nicely on underframes and trucks.

Fr. Stephen

[river_eagle]

thankx,
I painted them the same burgendy/rusty red as the truck loader, sprayed dulcote, let dry about ten min., and then brushed on rubbing alcohol on the areas I wanted to have that dusty look. the more passes with the alcohol, the "chalker"(word?) it gets.
started about halfway down on truck loader.
the bonus of the alcohol is that if you don't like the results, just hit it with the dulcote again, and it all goes away.

[Anonymous]

River: I like the work you did on the steel grider supports. They really stand out nicely.

[river_eagle]

QUOTE: Originally posted by river_eagle

I painted it grey, and used silver paint pen to add color back, and a little black wash for the shadow effect. did dullcoat after assembly,which gave the windows that dirty frosted look, and brushed alcohol over areas that need a chalky/ dusty look {see stairs/post under loader}- same color as door
I have later found that Sharpie makes brown pens, that work great over the silver/grey for rust stains.
sorry don't have better pic, just happened to be in backgroud.


brown sharpie used on coaling tower

click on pic for full size.

This entire mine scene is on a 2'x2' square NTRAK module, so I had to make the
run-ins tight, and more as scenery than for operations.

[Anonymous]

This thread comes at a great time. I've had this kit for about 2 months now and will start building it this weekend. I've noticed most people have fairly short runs going to the mine. I built 3 long tracks were 6 to 8 car trains could sit and slowing move forward to get the cars "filled". Seeing the short runs that others are using makes me wonder if I should design my mine somewhat. I dont have any scenery in place yet to changes are possible.
hmmm......

[davekelly]

It never ceases to amaze me how many truly talented people are on this forum. Each mine started with the same kit, yet each has its own personality - and in my opinion, they all look great!

[SilverSpike]

Great job you all! I have been following this thread for a few days now, and you all have really done great work. I never knew there were so many ways that one model could be represented.

Hats off to you all!

Ryan

[304live]

thanks for the info about the conveyor belt

now i just need to go pick this up and get to work!

[GAPPLEG]

Great work all you'se guys. I don't need a building like that on my layout, but it makes me wish I did ! Beautiful work on all those kits.

[railroadyoshi]

Boston Sand And Gravel is a really neat place, isn't it?

I've only seen it from Commuter Rail and on I-93, but everytime I see it, it hits something in me. What I find most interesting about it is it's location. It's plopped square between I-93, the Leverett Connector, the ladder at North Station, and the Charles.

From the limited viewpoints I've seen it, It seems to resemble Glacier Gravel more, but I presume you could convert the New River Mining Company. That'll be one fantastic project, and I cannot wait to see your results.

[Piedsou]

Thank you all for your kind comments.
The conveyor is a Walther's product. It's included with some of their kits and also sold separately.
The town of Shenandoah is fictious on my railroad, but would more resemble Shenandoah, Virginia rather than Pa. The N&W had a division point yard in the real Shenandoah. My freelanced railroad runs from Richmond, Va. to Pittsburgh, Pa. with the modeled part being the transistion area from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia into the coal mining regions of northeastern West Virginia and western Maryland.

Thanks again,
Dale

[zgardner18]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Piedsou

Here are two more photos of the mine. The third picture is one of the Shenandoah coal dock, where some of the coal mined there is delivered.







Dale Latham

Dale,

Your layout, are you talking about Shenandoah, PA? I used to live in Hazelton for about 6 months, Boy does that area have some great coal mines. I used to love going out to the Shenandoah area and to watch the large cranes and dumptrucks work. If I had a scanner, I would post some pitures.

[304live]

the siding does add alot to the look of it

[Budliner]

I like the open windows
nice job

K

[simon1966]

Dale, fantastic work. It really improves the look of the mine structure. The rusting siding is very effective.

[304live]

i registered and joined this forum today just because i was about to buy this product and wanted to get some input on how good of a product it was

from the looks of it ... its great

how did you build (or where did you buy) that conveyor belt that you added Peidsou?

[Budliner]

Piedsou
added siding is the way to go
that is unbelievable
just looks like some old work hardend building

Ken

[Piedsou]

Here are two more photos of the mine.





Click on image for larger picture.

Dale Latham

[Budliner]

wow

[zgardner18]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Piedsou

Here's mine, greatly modified. I added etched corrigated siding over the walls, opened some of the windows and added a long conveyor to the mine opening high on the neighboring ridge.




Dale Latham

Dale,
I think that we need to see more pictures of your layout. Boy that picture looked good.

[Piedsou]

Here's mine, greatly modified. I added etched corrigated siding over the walls, opened some of the windows and added a long conveyor to the mine opening high on the neighboring ridge.




Dale Latham

[Budliner]

I too will like to see the proto type
I need to get some ideas fast

( Ken )not Kent

[zgardner18]

Does anyone have a picture of the real one. If I'm not mastaken the real one is in Colorado. Back when I was in high school, and living in Orem, Utah, we took a trip to Glenwood Springs, and between there and Vail, we headed off to Steamboat Springs, and low and behold there it was. The Mine looked just like the Walther's model that I had back at home. Being only 16, I didn't have my camera at the time, but boy do I wish I could go back and see it again.

[Budliner]

holy smoke
red blue green
every color in the book
and all of them look super fine thanks for sharing

I love the drybru***ip
thanks guys

[emdgp92]

I built one in N scale. Mine (ha!) was painted with Tamiya's "Aluminum" straight from the bottle. I wanted a weathered look, so I used a wide brush. Since I was going to weather the building anyway, I wasn't too concerned about brush strokes. Adding the rust and grime spots was the fun part--I drybrushed everything with rust colors and black...then flowed on a black wa***o tie everything together. As if that wasn't enough, I lightly sanded the sign decals to look worn. Then, I went back, and used an x-acto knife to gently scrape them.

[simon1966]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tatans

Great looking kit, correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't a mining operation of this size whether hard rock processing or a sand and gravel operation be the dustiest or grimeist bunch of buildings anywhere, any sand and gravel mill I have seen is the dustiest place on earth , just a note.

Tatans, I think you are spot on.



This is a more general view of my mine area including the power station that I scratch built. It is all far too clean and nice to be a real coal mine. Time to dirty it up I think.

[river_eagle]

a better view of "mine"

[icmr]

I got mine about 3 years ago and just spray painted it with oxide red paint. Sorry I dont have pics but it is in a box right now.



Victor

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]

[Budliner]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saralovering/117623513/in/set-72057594090227338/

www.flickr.com/photos/juliewoo/25297097/
hard building to find

[tatans]

Great looking kit, correct me if I'm wrong, wouldn't a mining operation of this size whether hard rock processing or a sand and gravel operation be the dustiest or grimeist bunch of buildings anywhere, any sand and gravel mill I have seen is the dustiest place on earth , just a note.

[CraigN]

I'm in the process of building mine. I painted the parts while on the sprue with acrylic paints that I bought at Walmart. I used a silver metalic looking paint, I thinned it with water and air brushed it on. Looks great so far. When I'm done building it I am going to weather the heck out of it. I can't picture a clean mine building.

Craig

[Budliner]

Glacier Gravel
oh man now I need to get that



oh boy

[river_eagle]

bush,
you should get one, or two even it's a great small railside industry, as is or bashed to your needs.
New River and Glacier Gravel are probally the two best kits out there IMHO, for both HO and N.

[Anonymous]

I feel deprived. Am I the only one who does not own this kit?

It's a good one. I am just jealous.

[NZRMac]

And my attempt





Ken.

[Budliner]

well I see I'm in good company

[Anonymous]

Here's another one for ya Kevin, I changed some things around on it.

[Budliner]

`river that looks awsome
oh man now whats mine going to look like


you set the bar high

[river_eagle]

I painted it grey, and used silver paint pen to add color back, and a little black wash for the shadow effect. did dullcoat after assembly,which gave the windows that dirty frosted look, and brushed alcohol over areas that need a chalky/ dusty look {see stairs/post under loader}- same color as door
I have later found that Sharpie makes brown pens, that work great over the silver/grey for rust stains.
sorry don't have better pic, just happened to be in backgroud.


brown sharpie used on coaling tower

click on pic for full size.

[Budliner]

cool
I was thinking silver or chrome
hope to get some more ideas thanks for the info on the sills
its still in the box
hope its a good one this time

[Medina1128]

What perfect timing! I just started working on my Cornerstone New River Mining kit a while back. I just have to prep the scenery/tracks where the final buildings will go. It's built then mounted on 1/4 inch ply. This allows me to set it in place and easily remove if I need to without disturbing the rest of the buildings.

[simon1966]

Here is my version of it



Good wash in soapy water followed by airbrush and then some weathering.

One tip on getting the window frames painted. Since they are molded into the clear window plastic, use a sharpie marker to draw them in. It is much easier than trying to paint them.