Coal Mine Scene


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beiland

Well-Known Member
Coal Mine Scene



I guess by now I have considered at least 5 different location on my new double deck layout plan to place a coal mine scene. And for the most part I have been planning on utilizing the Walther's kit, New River Mining. In order to have some run-thru tipple loading tracks you need a fair amount of real estate. I was running out of available real estate, particularly as I began to consider several 'corner locations'.



This was one of my recent considerations, before I revised the track plan for that upper deck for a third time,...in that upper left corner, but not fully in the corner (that yellow tab of paper).




You might see that I had at that time a custom crossover turnout planned for that corner as well. It was not going to be a good decision to have that mine interfering with that crossover turnout underneath.





So my first decision was to greatly simplify ANY type of trackage that might be placed below ANY structure in that corner of the room. I chose to eliminate that double crossover and replace to with just 2 plain mainline tracks enter/leaving that back wall leading to the helix. Then place multiple rerailers in there to further reduce the risk of miss-happenings in that section of track.
OLD crossover


NEW trackage






Now I could really place a structure (my coal mine) over this trackage. BUT I have to accommodate a 2 level platform for the coal mine,...I need to have a portion of the building sit a little higher than the tipple portion








 
So then I set about cutting out some foamboard (combintion of Gatorboard and PVC foamed board) to eventually build the mining structure onto (it's base), but still have it liftable off the layout to work on in the future, and to gain access to the tracks below.


Installed wood supports to set the removable foamboard base onto,..



weighted down for gluing, and glued support strip along the wall,.....






The foamboard base itself,...






Set in place showing tipple tracks at a lower level than some of the 'building portion' of the mine structure. It will require removing approx 1+3/16" of height of the 'building portion'.






There is now ample room for the trains to pass under this structure, yet still be accessable if absolutely necessary.


This coal mine will be sitting in a carved out portion of a rocky mountainside, and the trains passing under it will enter that mountain structure so as to not appear to go directly under the mine.


Now I need to figure out HOW to make it look like a whole string of coal cars are waiting in line to be loaded under the tipple??
*Does anyone have some photo examples of how this could be painted onto the backdrop there behind the tipple??
 
Two Removable Sections over Mainlines coming in from Helix


So just above you see the removable base plate for the coal mine itself.


I then needed to create a protective cover over the remaining portion of those mainlines. This will be some sort of rocky mountain material built upon this removable cover. You will notice that it is a bump up from the cover behind it, due to the rising grade of the mainlines under it.






 
Been quite awhile since I contributed to this subject thread.

I screwed up !!

Today I was working on this particular corner where I had (have) plans for the coal mine. I am using the Walthers New River Kit, and I thought I had it all thought out as to how it was going to rest on some foamboard I had fashioned to cover the 2 mainline helix tracks running under it.
For some reason I fashioned that foamboard in 2 levels rather than just one,...I don't know why I did that. The problem now is that the 3 tracks under the loader are now at least 1+3/8" too low. It would be nice it I could replace that double level foamboad with a single level one, BUT that would screw up a couple of things,..1) I can't go lower as I need the higher level in order for double stack cars to run on those mainlines beneath it, and 2) I can't go to the higher option as I can't make the access tracks that steep.

What are my options? Do I dare to try and cut (section) that mine kit down by perhaps 1.25",...or ??

DSCF7662.jpg DSCF7661.jpg

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[QUOTE username=Douglas Meyer userid=8784577 postid=1332050849]Build long enclosed chutes. If you look at the N scale version you will see something like what I an talking about.
Second option is to cut the side walls (not the track side wall) of the lower building and “build it into the ground”

-Doug M[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE username=Graeme Nitz OKGraeme userid=8783247 postid=1332052430]A Possibility.[NS5844]
[/QUOTE]
 
Went looking for a few more 'chute ideas'. Don't know why I never thought of this.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Nuttallburg_Coal_Tipple.jpg

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[004396]


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I like this one,...need to find that sort of tower, or build it
[51558972964_991e89a9e6_z]
 
Should liven up that rather dull side of the original kit. Lucked out with that suggestion to incorporate loading chutes.
 
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