Here it is in all it’s glory. The beginning of the Merritt Mining Company. It has a long way to go, but it’s good progress for two days, I reckon. That’s a sector plate the loco and ore car are on. If anyone would like to see how I made it, I have some pics of it going together.
Hope it turns out great.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Ian
I’m new here and this will be my first post, and what a thread to start with. Well, that is a great start and worthy of a diorama 'till completion. Tks for sharing.
cooltech
Very nice! Congrats on the beginnings of a fine layout. Pardon my ignorance, but what’s a sector plate?
Sector plate is a bit like a turntable for restricted space layouts - a quadrant withaccess to 2 or more tracks that enables multiple trains to be stored like a turntable but with limited movement
http://carendt.com/microplans/pages/shelf/sectorplate/index.html
its most common in the smaller scales , certainly in the UK for exhibition layouts or in small rooms.
Not something with many full size prototypes tho…
Here’s the end building going together.
Ah, I see. Looks like something that might be used in a mine.
Looking great to me! So, how is mom/wife taking the use of the good table?[:D]
Have to say Ray yes the older industrial narrow gauge rail systems especially some with prefabricated track used a switch that was more like a sector plate >I suppose its a lot easier to make and at low speeds works fine.
Funny you should ask. She has actually encouraged this entire project. I am good enough to move at supper time. 
That is GREAT! She might be tring to get you out of her hair lol [;)] You using Gn15 track?
Nope. This is standard G scale. Gn15 uses HO gauge track. I couldda put a bunch of that on a 4’ X 18" piece of foam, but I thought it was more of a challenge with the 45mm stuff.
You thought correct.
In many of the old mines I’ve explored, where they used small ore carts on 12-18" track, they often used tiny turntables at junctions. These were used not only to switch from one track to another but also to make 90 degree turns in tight quarters.
That mining railway in Iniana Jones; does anything like that really exist?
I was pretty impressed by that.
Rgds Ian
Well, I came up with a brainstorm. I am turning the building into a hill with a coal mine in it. I will use a Gn15 critter and a bachmann On30 side dump car to transport coal from the mine out over a trestle, and dump it into the coal bin. The first pic, you can see the mine opening, and where the mine track will come out and go over the layout on the trestle. This will be a ton of action in large scale in a very small space. What do yall think?
Here are the sides covered with scrap foam. It doesn’t look like much now, but when it’s covered in plaster cloth like I will do the rest, it will really take shape.
Of course, we have to have an opening in the rear for fiddling with the mine car.
Robert, I would advise against having a set of points (switches) in a tunnel.
Rgds ian
Hi there,
Interesting looking project. I have plans to build an Amethyst mine here for my indoor layout. Not sure when though since a million other projects come first. Thanks for sharing the pics. Looking good! Later eh…Brian.
Well, this is only as far as the turnout will go into the tunnel.
I think since the entire layout is only 4 feet long, and I can lift the hill off anytime I need to, it’ll be ok. Besides all that, turnouts in tunnels is prototypical.