Thistleton Ironstone mine diorama

[Dunalastair]

Today's 'diorama a day' represents Thistleton ironstone mine in Lincolnshire / Rutland, a short-lived narrow gauge mine railway where, unusually, electric traction came out to the surface via an adit. The gauge was 3' 6"  though 28 days says 2' 8.5".  As usual for East Midlands iron mines and quarries, Tonks provides the best resource, but 28days shows what is left today. For once, I will show a build sequence.

 

https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/thistleton-ironstone-mine-sept-2010.53799/

 

First 3D print the rolling stock, running on 16.5mm track with a Kato pantograph.

 

 

Next use 3D design to help visualise the geometry, somewhat foreshortened compared to the original.

 

 

 

 

Print the tunnel portal (with date) and cut insulation foam for the contours

 

 

Add static grass using my home-made fly-killer static sieve.

 

 

Install and ballast the (Tri-ang) track and print and erect the poles and span wires,

 

 

Finish with pickup wires and add the train. At this stage the PVA water in the stream had not yet set.

 

 

Track maintenance figures add a sense of scale - these were very small locomotives. Actual scale is about 1:64.

 

 

This colour image turned up after a built my model - it seems to have suffered some slippage during digitisation. Or is it colourised?

 

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5317785651676281&id=523375437784017&m_entstream_source=permalink&paipv=0&eav=Afa_8ummsQJvWRKM0DcGAtxfBsWhe26nQc8wWNZP_IbCgdks0qST6HxDbx1XCe-VnUE&_rdr

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Dunalastair

[Dunalastair]

More on the history of the railways at Thistleton can be found in The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands volume eight, by Eric Tonks. There are more rolling stock photos, including one of the two Hudswell Clarke NG diesel locos. The Thistleton operation had been a development of a previous NG mine operation, with a separate tramway from the south. The 224hp electric loco was supplied by EE/Baguley, but the latter five of the planned six were never built.

 

Sidney Lelux, another IRS stalwart, photographed the HC NG diesel, with SG ironstone tipplers in the background. Note the cramped driving position!

 

https://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/60/Ironstone.htm

 

I have not (yet) modelled the Thistleton diesel.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Dunalastair