Sugar Cane

[jrbarney]

Wanted to update this thread to mention sugar cane cars sold by a Canadian outfit, Miniatures by Eric, whose URL is:
http://www.miniaturesbyeric.com
They offer urethane kits for Hawaiian prototype sugar cane and freight cars in HOn30, in case you are interested. I found them via another thread and have not actually seen the kits - perhaps one of our Canadian forum members can add some more information. Sure would be nice if one of the magazines did a review (Hint - hint).
Bob

[jrbarney]

Wanted to update this thread to mention sugar cane cars sold by a Canadian outfit, Miniatures by Eric, whose URL is:
http://www.miniaturesbyeric.com
They offer urethane kits for Hawaiian prototype sugar cane and freight cars in HOn30, in case you are interested. I found them via another thread and have not actually seen the kits - perhaps one of our Canadian forum members can add some more information. Sure would be nice if one of the magazines did a review (Hint - hint).
Bob

[Anonymous]

We are talking about railroads here. Living in south central Florida, emeraldisle didn't mention The South Central Florida Express, owned by the United States Sugar Co. The railroad has over 100 miles of track, running from Fort Pierce, with a connection with the Florida East Coast, to seabring and a connection with the CSX. The railroad hauls cane to the mills and finished products and other goods mostly to the FEC Railroad. The railroad makes money and was voted Shortline of the year, a year or two ago.

[Anonymous]

We are talking about railroads here. Living in south central Florida, emeraldisle didn't mention The South Central Florida Express, owned by the United States Sugar Co. The railroad has over 100 miles of track, running from Fort Pierce, with a connection with the Florida East Coast, to seabring and a connection with the CSX. The railroad hauls cane to the mills and finished products and other goods mostly to the FEC Railroad. The railroad makes money and was voted Shortline of the year, a year or two ago.

[Anonymous]

G'day,
I live about 40 mins drive from the start of the sugar cane fields in Queensland Australia. Queensland is the only state in Australia to produce large amounts of sugar cane, much of this cane is transported by rail. The cane is transported in Bins which range in capacity from 4 tonnes up to 8 tonnes. These wagons are essentially a skeletal box covered with a wire mesh. All trains run on 2' gauge and are hauled by deisel locomotives. These locomotives are usually configured in one of two ways... 0-6-0 jack shaft drive locomotives or Bo-Bo locomotives (mostly built by baldwin). If you are looking to model QLD sugar trains in HOn2½ (HO on N scale track) there are many kits currently available for Cane harvesters and locomotives. If you are modelling On30 (O scale on HO scale track) there are still some kits available. I am giving you a list of worthwhile sites to visit to find out more about the QLD sugar industry and models available.
http://www.lrrsa.org.au
http://www.angrms.org.au/
http://www.zelmeroz.com/canesig/qld/fainges.htm
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ozbob/Projects.html
http://www.zelmeroz.com/album/oz/qld/cane9-94/index.htm
http://www.wuiskepromotions.com.au/
http://www.zelmeroz.com/canesig/model/supplier/tb/tom.htm

I am the owner of Wuiske Promotions and we manufacture approx 350 kits for the Queensland Rail and QLD sugar Cane market. If you have a look on the "Prototype Info" section of our page you will find around 1000 photos of QR wagons, Locomotives and Coaches. This list of address' should get you started and most of these pages have some really good links and include plans for locomotives and rollingstock.

Cheers,
Adam Wuiske

[Anonymous]

G'day,
I live about 40 mins drive from the start of the sugar cane fields in Queensland Australia. Queensland is the only state in Australia to produce large amounts of sugar cane, much of this cane is transported by rail. The cane is transported in Bins which range in capacity from 4 tonnes up to 8 tonnes. These wagons are essentially a skeletal box covered with a wire mesh. All trains run on 2' gauge and are hauled by deisel locomotives. These locomotives are usually configured in one of two ways... 0-6-0 jack shaft drive locomotives or Bo-Bo locomotives (mostly built by baldwin). If you are looking to model QLD sugar trains in HOn2½ (HO on N scale track) there are many kits currently available for Cane harvesters and locomotives. If you are modelling On30 (O scale on HO scale track) there are still some kits available. I am giving you a list of worthwhile sites to visit to find out more about the QLD sugar industry and models available.
http://www.lrrsa.org.au
http://www.angrms.org.au/
http://www.zelmeroz.com/canesig/qld/fainges.htm
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~ozbob/Projects.html
http://www.zelmeroz.com/album/oz/qld/cane9-94/index.htm
http://www.wuiskepromotions.com.au/
http://www.zelmeroz.com/canesig/model/supplier/tb/tom.htm

I am the owner of Wuiske Promotions and we manufacture approx 350 kits for the Queensland Rail and QLD sugar Cane market. If you have a look on the "Prototype Info" section of our page you will find around 1000 photos of QR wagons, Locomotives and Coaches. This list of address' should get you started and most of these pages have some really good links and include plans for locomotives and rollingstock.

Cheers,
Adam Wuiske

[Anonymous]

Oops, my apologies GDRMCo. /// RogerW I have a link to queensland on page one. That may give you an Idea of Aussie Cane works. We Americans have always had way too much money and room. Good Luck with your expansion!

Lee

[Anonymous]

Oops, my apologies GDRMCo. /// RogerW I have a link to queensland on page one. That may give you an Idea of Aussie Cane works. We Americans have always had way too much money and room. Good Luck with your expansion!

Lee

[GDRMCo]

GDRMCo not GDRM . I have gone one step up and my railroad is now caled the Great Dividing Range Sugar Co GDRSCo. It is made to be a part of the GDRMCo , well an extra part of the GDRMCo. Also the engines and cars will be made from lego and will be narrow gauge like the prototype. Roger W what you posted dosn't come near Sugar Cane Railways in australia. The mill is built some distance away from the cane fields so that the smoke dosn't ruin the cane. The trains run on 2 foot wide track and travel in long 50 car rakes. Here is a pic of a cane train .http://www.zelmeroz.com/album/oz/qld/cm/cp18.jpg

[GDRMCo]

GDRMCo not GDRM . I have gone one step up and my railroad is now caled the Great Dividing Range Sugar Co GDRSCo. It is made to be a part of the GDRMCo , well an extra part of the GDRMCo. Also the engines and cars will be made from lego and will be narrow gauge like the prototype. Roger W what you posted dosn't come near Sugar Cane Railways in australia. The mill is built some distance away from the cane fields so that the smoke dosn't ruin the cane. The trains run on 2 foot wide track and travel in long 50 car rakes. Here is a pic of a cane train .http://www.zelmeroz.com/album/oz/qld/cm/cp18.jpg

[Anonymous]

Roger W

It relates well. Very well. Let's see. I am modeling in the late 40's and various car types brought in all the needed materials to make sugar and sugar was packaged for food stores etc and shipped by truck and rail and also bulk packaged for Bakeries, Agriculture (Cattle feed made from molasses pellets) Distellery and other needed industuries such as bottling plants, candy factory etc etc.

This forum and other internet sources has been very helpful in guiding my own plans for the Refinery. Operation information is supplied by some of kalmbach's books and old MR issues that has a tidbit of wisdom here and there.

I picked this industry to start with on the journey to a future layout. It supports many different types of operations and the switcher crew will be kept very busy dawn to dusk It will take me a year or so in real life to complete this project.

Maybe GDRM will submit a article and we all can see and enjoy his efforts.

Lee

[Anonymous]

Roger W

It relates well. Very well. Let's see. I am modeling in the late 40's and various car types brought in all the needed materials to make sugar and sugar was packaged for food stores etc and shipped by truck and rail and also bulk packaged for Bakeries, Agriculture (Cattle feed made from molasses pellets) Distellery and other needed industuries such as bottling plants, candy factory etc etc.

This forum and other internet sources has been very helpful in guiding my own plans for the Refinery. Operation information is supplied by some of kalmbach's books and old MR issues that has a tidbit of wisdom here and there.

I picked this industry to start with on the journey to a future layout. It supports many different types of operations and the switcher crew will be kept very busy dawn to dusk It will take me a year or so in real life to complete this project.

Maybe GDRM will submit a article and we all can see and enjoy his efforts.

Lee

[Anonymous]

There is an interesting article in Trains magazine for July 2001 beginning on page 56 concerning the Louisiana and Delta short line railroad. A major portion of L&D's business is bringing flat cars with intermodal containers full of sugar cane to the M. A. Patout & Sons sugar mill and taking molasses and "green" sugar from the mill in tank and covered hopper cars respectively.

I'm not sure how this might relate to the Australian sugar industry, but I found the article interesting. The Lousiana and Delta owned about 15 ex-Santa Fe CF-7 locomotives which happen to be of interest to me.

thanks,
Roger

[Anonymous]

There is an interesting article in Trains magazine for July 2001 beginning on page 56 concerning the Louisiana and Delta short line railroad. A major portion of L&D's business is bringing flat cars with intermodal containers full of sugar cane to the M. A. Patout & Sons sugar mill and taking molasses and "green" sugar from the mill in tank and covered hopper cars respectively.

I'm not sure how this might relate to the Australian sugar industry, but I found the article interesting. The Lousiana and Delta owned about 15 ex-Santa Fe CF-7 locomotives which happen to be of interest to me.

thanks,
Roger

[GDRMCo]

Our cane cars are billet bins that have 4 wheels and run on narrow gauage track. They have screens on the side so the cane dosent get too hot.

[GDRMCo]

Our cane cars are billet bins that have 4 wheels and run on narrow gauage track. They have screens on the side so the cane dosent get too hot.

[Anonymous]

As I recall, the delivery trucks that brought the cane to the plant had a kind of a screen mesh, why not try using a bag you buy onions in and cut it up to give you a mesh you could glue to your trucks, it would be about the right size. Have fun.

[Anonymous]

As I recall, the delivery trucks that brought the cane to the plant had a kind of a screen mesh, why not try using a bag you buy onions in and cut it up to give you a mesh you could glue to your trucks, it would be about the right size. Have fun.

[Anonymous]

I was looking into this screening issue. I dont know about rest of "Y'all" but I plan to create a pair of cane cars by using a Athearn 40 foot. pulpwood car with the solid ends. The screening will be cut (With whatever I can cut with) and spray painted black if necessary. It will go on the sides of the car from end to end to create a sort of a "Basket" that is rectangular in shape.

Then I probably will use syrene strips or premade plastic angle strips along the tops of the screen to provide protection against cuts and a sort of a box frame across the car in the middle to stimulate a support for the screen. Proabably paint the entire thing weathered black.

I realize this has no protoypical model, but it will probably do a good job running bulk cut cane from the ship into the storage building. Cane is cut into 6 inch peices more or less and I dont know yet how to figure to create a "Pile" of cane.

That is my input. I guess between Austrialia's fields and Baltimore's refinery and everyone in between we may yet have a way to settle this very 'Sweet" issue.

Lee

[Anonymous]

I was looking into this screening issue. I dont know about rest of "Y'all" but I plan to create a pair of cane cars by using a Athearn 40 foot. pulpwood car with the solid ends. The screening will be cut (With whatever I can cut with) and spray painted black if necessary. It will go on the sides of the car from end to end to create a sort of a "Basket" that is rectangular in shape.

Then I probably will use syrene strips or premade plastic angle strips along the tops of the screen to provide protection against cuts and a sort of a box frame across the car in the middle to stimulate a support for the screen. Proabably paint the entire thing weathered black.

I realize this has no protoypical model, but it will probably do a good job running bulk cut cane from the ship into the storage building. Cane is cut into 6 inch peices more or less and I dont know yet how to figure to create a "Pile" of cane.

That is my input. I guess between Austrialia's fields and Baltimore's refinery and everyone in between we may yet have a way to settle this very 'Sweet" issue.

Lee

[jrbarney]

GDRMCo,
As our late comedian Jackie Gleason was wont to say, "How sweet it is." This topic seems to be drawing a fair amount of attention. Don't know how cane cars in Oz compare to American prototypes, but was wondering about your use of door screening for the sides. Could a photo etching outfit such as Plano Model Products or Sheepscot produce something usable without the possible raw edges and fraying of cut screening ? Don't know how commercially viable the product would be - it might have to be done in batches on a custom order basis, even in HO.
Bob

[jrbarney]

GDRMCo,
As our late comedian Jackie Gleason was wont to say, "How sweet it is." This topic seems to be drawing a fair amount of attention. Don't know how cane cars in Oz compare to American prototypes, but was wondering about your use of door screening for the sides. Could a photo etching outfit such as Plano Model Products or Sheepscot produce something usable without the possible raw edges and fraying of cut screening ? Don't know how commercially viable the product would be - it might have to be done in batches on a custom order basis, even in HO.
Bob

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Scottydog

I don't think coarse sawdust will really represent bagasse, as I recall the stuff was long and stringy, It clogged the boiler feeders something terrible. Maybe if you went to a store dealing in china you could get some of their packing straw and cut it. I think that would be realistic. As for wallboard, we tried that with a sugar cane plant in Jamaica without a lot of success. The problem was drying and bonding the bagasse. We gave up after 2 years. Have fun.

Didn't think about that, but you're absolutly correct, it was kinda stringy looking. Forget sawdust, go with straw as scottydog said, it probably is closer to the real thing.[:)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Scottydog

I don't think coarse sawdust will really represent bagasse, as I recall the stuff was long and stringy, It clogged the boiler feeders something terrible. Maybe if you went to a store dealing in china you could get some of their packing straw and cut it. I think that would be realistic. As for wallboard, we tried that with a sugar cane plant in Jamaica without a lot of success. The problem was drying and bonding the bagasse. We gave up after 2 years. Have fun.

Didn't think about that, but you're absolutly correct, it was kinda stringy looking. Forget sawdust, go with straw as scottydog said, it probably is closer to the real thing.[:)]

[aussiesteve]

GDRMCo,
You might want to source an Australian magazine called Light Railways.

It is produce by an organization called the Light Rail Research Society Australia (I think).

This magazine regularly contains artices on the Queensland cane railways as well as other Industrial railways and items of rail interest.

[aussiesteve]

GDRMCo,
You might want to source an Australian magazine called Light Railways.

It is produce by an organization called the Light Rail Research Society Australia (I think).

This magazine regularly contains artices on the Queensland cane railways as well as other Industrial railways and items of rail interest.

[GDRMCo]

HighIron
i used door screening.

[GDRMCo]

HighIron
i used door screening.

[Anonymous]

I am curious how did you model the grating on the sides of the cane cars? I am trying to decide how to model the unloading of the can from the ship. One choice would be to use clay and roll it then cut it into "Sacks (Ho scale of course)" and put it on a net on a crane. From there it goes to a storage house. Or is it better to stack it on some low side gons and move it into the cane house?

By the way the plant I am modeling burns it's bagasse for some power.