Skip to main content

Replies sorted oldest to newest

I purchased the back issues of Railroad Model Craftsman from December 1976 and January 1977 that describes kit bashing the "Frenda Mine" out of two plastic kits; Bachman's coaling tower, and an AHM store house. I'm re-drawing them in Adobe Illustrator and have them almost done. I can sent you PDFs of the mine when complete. Here's the drawing images.

 

This right-side view shows a single-level tipple. It also shows a vertical mine shaft as evidenced by the house with the big sheave on top.

 

Frend Mine 1 tipple

 

The left side view shows a double-height tipple and a horizontal shaft entrance. I'm designing it entirely for scratch-building. I've built a Gloor Craft coaling tower which closely follows the same timber building practice. I like the verticality of the design, I also like that it doesn't take up too much lateral space. I'm going to structure the mountain so this structure will fit right in. The houses will be board and batten siding.

Frenda Mine 2 Tipple

 To scale the drawings, I assumed that the door ways were 79". I resized the windows so some Tichy products would drop in.

 

Hope this helps.

Attachments

Images (2)
  • Frend Mine 1 tipple
  • Frenda Mine 2 Tipple
Last edited by Trainman2001

Hello Trainman, 

 

I love your drawings, and like you I agree that the BTS kits are sensational, but they don't fit in my budget.....  

 

I  would be very interested in getting a set of your drawings.  I have a similar issue which is I can give up vertical height, but don't have a whole lot of horizontal real estate available, particularly since it needs to be built on the side of a mountain.  

 

I have already kitbashed two plasticville coaling towers  together for my engine coal service,  I should take a photo as it's about 90% done, but it's two kits wide and I made it taller as well... Anyway, I'd love a set of drawings.  If you are printing them out on something larger than 8.5 x 10, I would also be happy to pay postage for a set of larger prints.  Otherwise I should be able to print them on my B/W Canon laser printer. 

 

Chris Ambrosini  -  Chris a

Middleboro, MA  02346

Hello Trainman,

I know this thread has been inactive for a while, but I was wondering if you might still have the mine drawings and be able to send them to me? I'm building a layout and from the looks of the two drawings in this thread, a mine of this size and structure would be just the ticket.

Thanks!

Edit Add:  The retention walls are part of the kit.  You have a fair amount of work creating the hill side.   Here is a picture of the construction of the Cabin Creek model.

Takes some time, and a small band saw to cut parts.  I was fortunate there were only two or three foundations to model. Small blocks of clear pine work well/painted.

Note that the model is modular, easy to move and work-on.  I've always believed that a very good model foundation is a plus. 

Last edited by Mike CT

Hi Trainman,

Relatively new member here. I came across this previous thread while searching the forum for info on a mining scene. Do you still have the drawings mentioned above?  It appears to be in the size range for my small layout. Have you built it and could you share some photos?  

John

 

I am modeling in On30 and loosely basing my railroad on the few Narrow Gauge railroads that ran in Kansas the longest of which was the Kansas Central Railway/ Kansas Central Railroad/ Leavenworth Kansas and Western (the railroad after conversion to Standard Gauge.) As I am doing a fictitious railroad running south from a point on the Kansas River between Lawrence and Topeka into Osage County I am modeling a fictitious coal mine as one of its industries.  The image I am inserting below is of a real Osage County, Kansas coal mine.

I am thinking of taking the Berkshire Valley small ore bin that I have in O scale and either scratch building or kit bashing a structure similar to this one nested on top of the ore bin. Here is an image of the small ore bin.

Berkshire Valley Models HO/HOn3, 1/87 Small Ore Bin - Mine Track kit, #2015 | eBay

mceclip0

Attachments

Images (1)
  • mceclip0: Osage County, Kansas Coal Mine from the late 19th to early 20th Century
Last edited by DLHemmOn30andO

On the Berkshire Valley small ore bin in O scale it's real foot print is 3 5/8 inches by 3 1/2 inches with a height of 5 1/4 inches to the top of the mine track's rails. I am looking at running the mine track out of the mine structure to the right as one faces the mine from the spur tracks similar to the landing the men are standing on in the mine photograph in my original reply/ post. For the base track plan the Kansas River and Southern is using a modification of the O Scale Lionel variation of the Gold Hill Central as it is already spaced for O Scale Buildings. The mine will be on the S shaped spur on the far side of the layout from the yard/ passing track. When I researched the Coal Fields of Osage County and Coal Mining in Kansas I found out that most of the mines were near the towns of Carbondale and Burlingame. This part of Osage County is hilly and on the south bank of the Wakarusa River. That terrain down there is almost as rugged as it gets around here with the highest summit being 1300 feet above sea level for Osage County. A structure like the one pictured could be placed on a hillside easily in that type of terrain.

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×