Mining question - HELP!?!? Spent most of the afternoon working on the layout/family room, got the basic benchwork outline marked out on the floor with tape, and starting priming/painting the walls. The entire basement is finished in VERY DARK 70's-style wood paneling, the heavy-duty 1/2-inch thick stuff. We both hate it, and after researching some options, decided to prime & paint over it. We managed to get one wall primed, then spent a good three hours "negotiating" over paint colors. Anyway... I've been sitting here doing some more research on the DM&I, and I've hit a snag that I don't know how to resolve. I have a completed New River Mine kit that I am very fond of, I love the way the structure turned out, it's one of my best efforts to date. I really wanted to use it on the layout, but I know coal mining has never been done in Minnesota. Iron mines are surface mines, I think, which eliminates using it for that purpose. The only other possible use I can think of is as a taconite processing plant, but I have no idea what those look like. Is it feasible to use this mine for such a thing, or is there some other use that would justify it's existence on a northern Minnesota layout?
I wish I could help you on this one, but I have no clue. I say pull a modelers license and just do it anyways.
As you go past a scenery block, there should be a wavering of the atmosphere, as the rails and train transport (with or without appropriate Star Trek transporter whine) to a location where the appropriate mining occurs. Similar effect at the next scenery change.
If I can add my 2 cents, well ok with inflation its about .05 but….. I started out to model my DAV&P RR. As close as I could to the prototype. I had gotten a great set of track plans from the 1900’s, from a friend in the local historical society. I then mapped out as best as I could do to space I had available. I checked my plans over and over and re calculated things. Everything I had planned to fit looked like it would work out well. Needless to say, many concessions latter things have changed a bit. I had to move a few bridges and drop a few small towns and other small concessions. But what seemed to be the cardinal sin ( To me any how ). Was the last town I chose to model. Now I’m only modeling a short 30 mile segment of the line, but the last town had a “Y” where it met two other railroads. This was important cause I’m modeling a point to point line. Any way the space I had figured for the “y”, well there just was not room. A mis calculation and a pesky house supporting pole, that I swear was not there when I started. This all force3d me to really go free lanced in the last town. The junction is there, ½ the “y” and at the end I now have a turntable and 4 stalls. It looks nothing like the prototype town. This really bothered me, but made operations run so good. So just a few months ago I had my friend who supplied the track plans from the prototype railroad over to see what he thought. Now keep in mind he is a vary detailed modeler him self. He is what I call a purest when it comes to modeling prototype stuff. He is the president of the historical society and grew up near the line. So I was kind of nervous as to what would he think of my concessions. After all he had put off modeling the line because he said he did not have the room. The visit started off with a warm hand shake and greeting. Then as he studied the layout, there where some HHHmmmsss and few aaaahhh… and even an O! . Then after what seems like an eternity to me he turned to me and shook my hand. He said this is the railroad I remember so well. Look here is where I us to watch the yard crew work, and there is where I cut a crossed the line to go to school. Then came the shocker to me. He was vary impressed with the way I handled the end of the line. All the important parts of the town where represented and some free lancing has gone on to make it really nice. That was a real pat on the back. In short, sometimes a little freelancing is ok. In my case I got to model some of the things I really wanted to but just where not found on the prototype. I’d also like to point out it is your model railroad and the only person you have to please is yourself. Even when your trying to be as close to the prototype as you can.
i think I would have fought over the treadmill more. T They make flat screen tvs now with built in DVD players that would be perfect for right in front of the treadmill for less than $200. My inlaws paid $89 for some last year. No name brand but they have worked reliably for 18 months now and they are fine as bedroom TVs. I would have also thought longer about the firewood issue. Get a wagon, build tracks for it to run on under the layout to the patio door. have a rope on either end to pull it whichever way you needed to. open patio door from outside. Pull rope to get wagon to loading area. load firewood. close patio door. either A: you go around and pull wagon out and unload firewood, or B: someone else pulls wagon over and unloads wood and then signals you to pull wagon back for second load. It could even be on rails. You could even ditch the patio door totally and create a doggy door type aperture for wagon to go in and out of.
Upon further consideration, I'm transporting the entire layout from northern Minnesota to the coast of Maine. I already have two locos from that area, the landscape is what I want, and all of my existing structures "make sense" in that locale. Here are four photos of the room, two "before", two "after". These show about one third of the total room, this is all I've gotten primed/painted so far. The tape on the floor marks the rough outline of where I think the layout will sit.
That already looks 1000 times better than the old paneling. Keep the updates coming. I always enjoy reading about your modeling adventures. JSL
Almost halfway As soon as this primer dries, and I get it painted, and the lower half primed & painted, I'll be halfway done... :tb-wacky:
Undecided. Probably some combination, painted sky, with photo additions. The only backdrop will be along the wall where the yard/turntable are located.
The remodeling is looking great Tracy! The only thing that concerns me yet is that you mentioned bringing firewood in from the patio. Will that isle be wide enough to accommodate carrying an arm full of firewood with out risking anything along the edge of the layout? Perhaps you can build a conveyor belt under the layout that you simply place the firewood on from the patio and it magically gets moved under the layout and into a nice pile in the middle of the room.
Valid concern, but I actually have a "sling" sort of thing that I carry the firewood in, so it ends up being down around knee level. Maybe I should switch to G scale, and transport the firewood around the layout via log cars? :tb-tongue:
Switch? No no, expand! You get the G Scale logging operation going to transport the logs from the pile in the back of the yard to the porch.
Two-thirds done! Spent two hours Wednesday night trying to figure out the wiring behind the SIX three-way light switches. On the old switches, the terminals were all the same color, no difference between the various leads, nor was the wiring color-coded!!! The new switches were clearly marked, but I had to use my multimeter to figure out which wire was which. Thursday morning my wrist and forearm were so sore that I couldn't make a fist. Amazing how much installing/removing the same switches 10 times will strain muscles. One wall left, and the hallway. This takes FOREVER!!!!
Your remodeling looks FANTASTIC!! I can appreciate the effort and time remodling takes. We moved into our neglected 110 year old house a year ago...spent lots of money, time, sweat and expanded my vocabulary and it has been barely a dent on the "To Do" list. Office is next on the list to improve working conditions, more computer friendly space for my workstations and servers, and a home for a small railroad Don't you just love mystery wiring? I have blown a breaker or two here with improper color coded wiring done sometime in the past, just scary!!
FINALLY done After removing/reinstalling every switch and outlet (11 switches, 8 outlets, 2 CAT5 jacks) at least twice, I am FINALLY done repainting the room. A few more tweaks to the track plan, and I can start construction of the layout. Woohoo!
