My new project, coal loader

Coaltrain Mar 1, 2004

  1. IronGoat

    IronGoat TrainBoard Member

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    Coaltrain,

    Just had to tell you what a great job I think you've done on the coal-loader project ! The whole scene is fantastic....
     
  2. BELG

    BELG TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff, I learn something new every day about RR's(kinked rails) I love building the scenery more than the actual running of the trains but the two go so well hand in hand that I've commited myself to learn more about it. I hope you know that all my comments are made with good humor and no mean spirited intentions at all. I hate when things get said as FLAMES and there is no such intent on my part. Pat
     
  3. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    Pat; I took no offense, don't worry about it. Those rails look scary in the photo.

    I got the sides on the scale house and I started to make the roof out of styrene. I will cover the roof with the same material on the loader. I will add rafter ends under the roof and a light inside. I left the door open to see the interior framing, which will be easier when the room lights are down and the interior bulb is lit. Inside the scale house is a WS scale from their Otis Coal company kit.

    I used a LL truck for the dump truck. I did several things to the truck to improve its looks. After I removed the dump box I had to fill the tops of the fuel tanks because they were hollow. Then I added new, thinner, tank straps. I also removed the 9" scale thick mud flaps and made new ones from 0.015 brass wire and 0.005 styrene. I added a drive shaft and hydraulics for the dump box. I noticed that the front wheels looked too narrow so I cut the axle and spread out the wheels a little. Then I noticed that you could see through the front wells. I made inner fender wells from styrene to block the view through the wheel wells. I also thinned the edge of the front fenders because they looked like they were 9" steel. Then I added a cab floor and firewall to block light from shinning up from the bottom of the cab. A little repainting, weathering, some coal boards, and dull coat round out the project.

    I wanted to set some kind of action in the scene with some figures. I knew what I wanted the figures to be doing but I had trouble trying to find the right figures for what I was looking for. I finally found the ones that looked close to what I wanted, the trouble was that they were in two different sets of WS figures. So to get what I wanted I had to spend $18.00 just to get the two figures I wanted, for that kind of money I could buy a gallon of gas [​IMG] :mad: . I did find places for the other figures that came in the packages so all was not too bad.

    What I am setting up is one guy that just finished unloading his truck while the guy in the scale house watches and waits to reweigh the truck to get it's empty weight.

    Almost done now. I will finish the scale house and set it into the scenery (and get it all plumb). Then I will build the ladder to the loader platform (I now have the wood for it). Then I will hook up all of the lights and that will be that.

    [​IMG]
    (sorry about the edge of the backdrop on the right of the image)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    here is the truck
    [​IMG]

    Here is a comparison of a similar truck and the finished truck
    [​IMG]

    P.s. the camera is a Kodak DC100 megapixel camera. It is old and slow.
     
  4. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Jeff,

    Once again excellent modelling and great pics. I think the kink in the track is more prototypical than you think lol, I see it quite often when I'm out on track.
     
  5. Mike Sheridan

    Mike Sheridan TrainBoard Member

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    Great scene Coaltrain. I'm impressed with the trouble you took on the truck. So often I see beautifully created scenes at shows or in MR that are kinda spoiled by out-of-the-box vehicles just plonked down in them. Even clean cars don't often have gloss tyres :(

    I have a few vehicles to go on my layout in due course, and your ideas/methods will be useful.
     
  6. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff:

    I sure do like this project. It is very realistic, to me.
     
  7. WPZephyrFan

    WPZephyrFan TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff, there's only one word that describes your coal loader...SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET!
     
  8. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you all again.

    By the end of the week this project will end :( :D . I finished the scale house today. I will finish that ladder and the little bit of scenery.
     
  9. racedirector

    racedirector TrainBoard Member

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    I'm looking forward to seeing the final pics on this "little" project - I can only hope to be this good in time. You must be very happy with the way it has turned out, I know I would be over the moon!

    Cheers
    Bruce
     
  10. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    It is done [​IMG] :( [​IMG] I just added the last details and finished the scale house. It has been fun sharing this project with all of you, the emails I have received help encourage me and they have kept me focused on finishing it. Thank you Trainboard for providing a site like this that allows us to share our work with others and get new ideas and help.

    Here are the final pictures of my coal loader.

    [​IMG]
    The figures are from a Woodland Scenic Accents set of two old guys playing checkers (I will put them somewhere else). I only used the guy that is standing and the old dog taking a nap. This guy is waiting for a coal truck to dump its load so he can get the empty weight of the truck, Flash (the dog) is resting up so he is ready to chase the next coal truck or rabbit. The roof on the scale house is the same material I used on the loaded weathered with the PC board etching liquid.

    [​IMG]

    Here are some photos of the finished scene.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    One last shot, loading coal at night.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Flash Blackman

    Flash Blackman TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff:

    Really just a beautiful model.

    Why is the coal conveyor/loader covered with the shed part? Doesn't look like it would hurt the coal to get wet. Is there some other reason?
     
  13. jkristia

    jkristia TrainBoard Member

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    beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, what else can I say... eh... oh I know - beautiful :D :D :D
     
  14. racedirector

    racedirector TrainBoard Member

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  15. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you all.

    I don't know why the coal conveyor is covered but that is common to most of the photos I have seen of coal loaders of this type, maybe someone that lives in that part of the country would know better.
     
  16. BELG

    BELG TrainBoard Member

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    Jeff [​IMG] this brings to a conclusion a VERY nice project and some excellent photos, the nite shot is something different and much appreciated. So what can I help you to finish next? :D I'll be glad to encourage you some more. I would like to know more on how you do your roofing for the shed thanks for sharing, Pat
     
  17. watash

    watash Passed away March 7, 2010 TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Excellent workmanship Coartrain!

    It would seem a shame to cover up all the detail inside by enclosing the whole side. Have you given thought to place a couple of workmen putting up siding? Maybe a pile of siding near them? One holding a sheet up in place while the other guy is up on a ladder nailing the top of the sheet in place. That way, the area they have not covered yet would be visible to visitors (and photos) when the lights are on. Just a thought because of all the work you went to on the conveyor system.

    It would be like building a house complete with people sitting down to lunch with all the plates and silverware, then close the door and pull the shades down. You know they are in there, but we can't see all your handy work, see?

    Are you sure you are through with it? :D
     
  18. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you again.

    I'm not 100% sure I'm done with it but I am not planning to work on it any more and I have planned to move on to another area to work.

    In person, it is not as hard to see the conveyor as the photos make you think. The coal loader is located at the end of a peninsula and close to the edge of the layout and is one of the first things you see as you walk into the room. The coal loader siding is at eye level so as you look at the loader you almost have to look up at it. Just an FYI, there is a raised platform on this side of the layout to make it easier to do switching.
     
  19. ilovetrains

    ilovetrains E-Mail Bounces

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    Umm, how long does it take to load a hopper car. Seems like it would take forever.

    Beautiful model!! [​IMG]
     
  20. Coaltrain

    Coaltrain TrainBoard Member

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    My guess would be one or two cars a day. I would depend on how much coal they could get by dump truck and how fast they could get it dumped.
     

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