Stubby47's Project #1 - DM Four Mill Something

[dhjgreen]

This little beauty has arrived today:

 

h1.jpg

 

h2.jpg

 

h3.gif

 

from here : https://www.cwrailways.com/

 

It needs a Kato 104 chassis, and will be put to work underground.

I found this on another topic, a bit expensive though!

http://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Cast-Mould/Coatings/Item/XTC-3D/ITM7368

I have not tried it yet.

[Stubby47]

The body I was offered had already been finished and primed, and to me, looks pretty good up close.

[Stubby47]

A Kato 104 chassis was purchased today, along with a Peco N-gauge 15ft chassis kit. I'm not sure how long I can stretch this to, to form the chassis of the low-loader, before the wheels are too far apart to traverse the points (although using N-gauge long points would help here).

 

This weekend should see the baseboard holes cut for the hoist, followed by the completion of the main baseboard. I will need to consider how to attach the two Fiddle areas, plus position the track exits and consider how/where to add the control panel (for the mechanical rather than servo powered items).

 

Then there's the lighting to consider, plus the rest of the overall presentation framework and information areas.

 

 

Further thoughts on the buildings will probably see the removal of the boiler house, as the hoist winch can be electrically powered, rather than steam. This removes the need for coal-in, ash-out freight movements, but, from my experience with Wheal Tiny, viewers are more interested in the hoist than the prototypical train movements.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Stubby47

[Stubby47]

Having checked the relative dimensions, I realised that a simple pair of U channel strips is all that's needed.

 

[Stubby47]

A bit more progress.

 

 

Both the open's wheels are in a filed dimple in the U channel. I'll need to see if this is enough to hold the wagon in place whilst being moved around the NG track.

 

There should be enough room to couple the loco directly to the low loader, if not I can use a match truck.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Stubby47

[Stubby47]

Dilemma time:

Do I:

Buy the track from Track Shack & pay the postage

Buy the track from Kernow and pay higher prices but no postage

Rip up Treamble and re-use the track for free

 

Hmmmmm...

[St Enodoc]

Dilemma time:

Do I:

Buy the track from Track Shack & pay the postage

Buy the track from Kernow and pay higher prices but no postage

Rip up Treamble and re-use the track for free

 

Hmmmmm...

Support your local retailer.

[Stubby47]

Marking out for hoist hole cutting.

 

[Stubby47]

I'm glad I didn't actually cut the hoist holes at the weekend, as further thinking reveals they would be too close to the right side, with not enough room to get the winding house in.

 

So I'll move them another couple of inches to the left. this will mean a slight compression of the lower grounds levels, with an empty void to the right of the hoist - not sure what to do about this yet.

 

I've also made a start on painting the body of the Hunslet.

 

 

 

The original colour was going to be bright yellow, but images of the Dean Hill version were some sort of dull green, so I've sort of compromised between the two...

 

I still need to add the wasp strips front and rear, and possibly add a couple of small LEDs.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Stubby47

[Stubby47]

Support your local retailer.

 

That appears to be the general consensus, so a trip to Kernow it shall be.

 

Over the weekend I also experimented with the raised track to access the NG low loader. One option is to raise the whole standard gauge track area, possibly on 2 x 5mm foamboard, to reduce the incline. This would also give a couple of levels to the baseboard, breaking up the monotony a bit. I also think I can get one underground siding on the top level, so this too will change the terrain.  This siding should also be accessible from the main FY, so allowing a change of wagon / load.

[Stubby47]

Winding houses - these appear to be completely non-standard, styled as the mine owner saw fit / could afford.  Some of them are very ornate, some are massive.

 

With only about 5" to play with (approx. 30ft) the length of the building is quite short. But there should be enough room to get the main frame, the shear legs and the building in the corner.

 

History (fictitious-ish) now comes into ply.  Was the armaments store in use in Victorian times? Or was it established in more modern (WW2) times ?

 

A Victorian building would be far more ornate, but could have used electric motors rather than steam-powered winches.

 

This is too big : http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/96/84/1968421_064a8e50.jpg

 

This might work: http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/63/90/639091_eaaf7423.jpg

 

This looks favourite: http://chatterleywhitfieldfriends.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Chatterley_Whitfield_Mining_Museum_-_geograph.org_.uk_-_686583.jpg

 

But then there's this: http://petebridgwood.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/HETTYPIT-MASTER.jpg

[Siberian Snooper]

I like the forth option.

[Stubby47]

Using the South Wales winding house as inspiration, I hacked some card into some vaguely mine buildings shape today. 

 

 

 

 

 

By moving the hoist hole another inch inwards, I can have a 2" gap between the hoist and winding house, plus a couple of inches behind before the sidescreen.

 

Although the prototype is built on a falling hillside, hence needing substantial foundations, I might reverse this and embed the lower part of the winding house in a low hillside.

 

[Stubby47]

I knocked this up last night. Still a bit more to do adding brick embellishments and the door and window frames, and a roof, but it's looking like I wanted it to. 

 

 

 

 

[Stubby47]

Now with a coat of paint.

 

Edited February 16, 2018 by Stubby47

[Mikkel]

Very nice Stu, everything perfectly square.

 

Is that a new cutting mat or are you always so neat! 

[Stubby47]

It's a new mat for my new tool box which I keep at work. It saves lugging the big box around, I just take a shoe box with the item to be worked on & the necessary materials.

[Stubby47]

I've made a start on colouring the brickwork. I'm aiming for a creamy-tan colour, rather than red.

 

[Stubby47]

Baseboards now complete

 

 

I've increased the height of the two lower levels from 3" to 4.5", as it was obvious there was not enough room to see anything.

[Stubby47]

Lower level track planning.

 

[teaky]

Hope you don't mind me saying this but it's a little "parallel with the front edge" Stu.  Is that the look you're after?

 

There are plenty of prototype examples and lots of layouts that work well in this style but I've always felt a slight change of angle introduces some added interest.

[Stubby47]

You're right Rob, it is parallel, and for the lower two levels this deliberate, especially given the limited visibility.

 

The board shown is the middle one, which is narrower than the other two.

 

The upper, or ground, level will be more conventionally skewed, for both gauges.

[teaky]

Just in case you haven't seen it.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/58826-grantham-the-streamliner-years/?p=3051709

[Stubby47]

I'm still debating which buildings I'll need on the ground level.

 

I quite like the little Traverse sheds at Dean Hill, so could add some with abandoned n/g track. I would also need a high earth bank around them, and the back of the layout - quite a convenient edge to the backscene.

 

This is the latest plan...

 

Edited February 20, 2018 by Stubby47

[Stubby47]

This evening's modelling project (building a set of Traverse units), has been replaced by trying to fix No 2 son's pc, which won't boot after an enforced Windows 10 update.

 

Joy.