kitbash walthers coal mine

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hey guys, does anyone know anything about this kitbash?

My understanding is that its HO Scale and took four new river mining kits from walthers to kitbash. Trying to figure out how the back of the structure my look?

So far am building one in n-scale but having problems with the back side of it?

Any more pics, ideas or info is thankful.

2

Don’t recall it, but like its looks.

If it was me and you can’t see the back on the layout, it would be blank. I’d reccyle the spare siding into something visible and useful. But that’s just me…

3

You have me re-thinking my New River mine which has been perched nicely on the mountainside of the layout for the past 15 years.

I recently picked up a Walthers Diamond Coal Company:

https://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-4046

for the sole reason because I like the looks of that slack hopper—and now maybe I’ll use the rest of the kit to add on to the old New River kit. I suggested to Walthers to make just the slack hopper available as a separate kit but so far, no dice.

I think the kitbash you’re looking for might be found here…

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/15674

Have Fun! Ed

4

The Walthers New River coal mine is based on the Oak Creek coal mine on the D&RGW Craig Branch in Colorado. There is some discussion and photo’s at the old Atlas forums here:

http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=54556

Naturally you can take components from any kit and kit bash to your preference.

5

The slack hopper has me puzzle the other parts of the builing like the front I figure out. What does the slack hopper do?

Thanks Ed

6

Ed,

Slack is the stuff sorted out of coal that isn’t coal. There can be inclusions of rock, etc that isn’t burnable. Whether there is a slack hopper depends on the coal quality and the means of mining it, so there may not be a slack hopper at some mines.

7

In the link I provided to the Walthers Diamond Coal Co. you can see the slack hopper as the round tank with the conveyor running to it.

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/Photo/-View-Of-Slack-Coal-Storage-Tank_30215/

The New River kit has a larger, rectangular slack hopper on stilts. Slack is the “fines” of coal dust and particles left after sifting. It can be processed into briquettes or sold to other industries that can burn it. It will contain lots of shale and rock dust, too.

Ed

8

Ok, thanks Ed. Maybe I can go from the link you sent me to build the back part of it.