Hi All:
I’ve spent some evenings recently trying to knock together an acceptable HO scale grain auger. Interested in hearing what you all think of it. The story is here:
http://look4trains.com/2011/06/tinkering-with-tiny-bits-of-plastic.html
Thanks, Jim
Looks convincing to me.
It looks like some of the ones I see on the farms here in Lake County…
Looks good from my view point.
I think you cobbled one together that looks as if it could be in use…
now to weather it so it looks like it’s been used rather than brand spanking new…
And you’ll havea great addition to your layout!
I think it’s great! Very good job. Like you said, all grain elevators, or at least most grain elevators, (though in the rural ones I’ve never seen an elevator without one) have an auger or two. Usually one that’s broke too. Living in a farming community, working on a farm off and on since I was a child, working on my share of augers, and having a wife who is the Assistant Manager at our local Grain Elevator, Odd I never thought of the auger in an HO model.
You mentioned in your narrative that you hadn’t worked out the motor yet. The obvious is an electric motor, but don’t forget many have a PTO driven gear box. That would be pretty easy to fab, just a straight piece about 4" in dia. coming out at a right angle from the gear box. You could also back a tractor up to it, and have it loading a semi for a nice scene (wouldn’t use an auger, especially just an 8", to load a train hopper. You’d be there til mid week).
Just a suggestion, but it definately adds realism if it’s just sitting next to a shed.
Very nice, and a good illustration of a point Dean Freytag would make in his famous clinics on building with styrene: careful workmanship and plausible dimensions, plus a few added parts, can make a model look super detailed when it is actually not. He would give examples so ridiculously obvious – adding a little disc of plastic cut with a paper punch, or an isolated piece from a cheap toy – that the audience would laugh in disbelief.
As to the need for a motor, Plastruct makes a very generic motor casting that in isolation does not look like much of anything but when placed in context looks very good indeed. I bought a “space ship” plastic kit model years ago and any number of parts from it look like little motors – I offer that just as an example. Some robot toys offer similar possibilities. There might even be small plastic moldings inside such things as dental floss containers that would be workable.
Dave Nelson
Dave, it’s funny you mention the paper punch. My wife was laughing the night I was trying to figure out a way to make tires and wheels-I had the 3 hole paper punch out and was collecting the little disks it made from plastic signs. Turned out they were just a hair too big for the shrink tubing on hand, so I had to figure a different method of wheels and tires.
I’ve never had the opportunity to see a clinic but can only imagine the ideas it would generate.
Jim
The PTO is a great idea, I will probably go with that and try to find the “right” tractor. Of course the right tractor will be green![:D]
JIM