looking for pictures of mine cars.

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

I am looking for pictures of old school mine cars on a HO lay out. I would like to add an abandon mine to my lay out, kind of off in the woods a little.

Should I use N scale track for that. I know that the old mine cars were about 2’ wide x 4’ long x about 2’ tall I think I think.

You guys have any good ideas? I am open to suggestions.

Thanks
Baker

2

James,

Here is a link to some ore car kits produced by Westerfield. They are a little expensive, but if you bought a couple of them and weathered them up, you could probably achieve the effect you’re looking for. They sell an undecorated version that you can letter for any company you like. If you click on the link next to the various pictures it will give you the history of the cars themselves. Good Luck.

Dave

http://www.westerfield.biz/

3

Sorry the link didn’t take you right to the page. Just scroll down until you get to #28, the PSC 3400 Ore Car. Hope this helps.

Dave

4

Ok I am looking for mining cars like the ones found in the old Indiana Jones movie and nother movie called white fang. You know the little push carts that had some type of hitch on them to link them together. Not mining cars to pull behind an Engine.

I need help with this for my HO Layout.

Thanks
Baker

5

N-scale flex would be about 30" gauge in HO, which is a bit wide for shoestring mine operations but could probably serve. Three items:

  1. Use code 40 or, at most, code 55 rail. Code 80 would be gross overkill.
  2. Cut every other tie out of the N-scale track. Mining operations weren’t overgenerous in providing ties.
  3. Typical turnouts for hand-pushed 4-wheel mine carts simply had one straight point, pivoted where the frog would normally be. No little niceties like guard rails, or even switchstands. The point was moved with a long hook (also used for coupling cars to cables) and, if necessary, locked in place with a stick.

I’m planning to build a fairly complex, active mine based on a prototype I saw in Japan. The working track will be 9mm gauge (same as N scale) and there will also be some non-working 7mm gauge track. (The prototype was dual gauge!)

Chuck

6

Do you have any pictures of this or know where I could find something for a visual?
Thanks
Baker

7

http://66.241.223.134/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SS9121&Category_Code=SS9000&Product_Count=20

http://66.241.223.134/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SS9123&Category_Code=SS9000&Product_Count=22

These are made by SS Ltd (Scale Structures) I have them, but have not made them up yet. They are white metal non-operating kits. I plan to use them around my mine as if they were up for repair. My mine is a shaft mine, so these would have been underground while in use and not on the surface.

8

simon1966
Thanks for the link. I did not think any body made them. I have looked around and just thought I would have to scratch build them.

Thanks
Baker

9

Mine cars? You want mine cars? We GOT mine cars. LOTS of mine cars (pictures that is).

And you have already paid for them with your income taxes.

Go to Library of Congress, www.loc.gov

Select “American Memory” which is a net-searchable compendium of millions of photos, architectural/mechanical scale drawings, maps, documents, etc.

In the search function of “American Memory”, I asked for “mine cars”.

Got 1011 hits. Mine cars in use, mine car FACTORY,…etc. I just looked far enough to see that WE GOT MINE CARS !!!