Hi everybody, my name is Tom. I’ve been a diecast collector for about 25yrs,and its all Mining or Caterpillar related. I’m in the start up phases of a coal mine diorama. All I wanted was a nice little coal mine, with all my diecast models, and a nice CP rail/HO ( static ) coal train going across the top of the mountain. But, then I came accross the Walthers New River coal mine, and just had to have it. So now I would like one track operational,and the other one will be a static train sitting in the load out. The working train will have about a 4ft radious, with most of it running through the inside of my open pit mine, so it shouldn’t be too hard, but I’ve never touched the inner workings of a model train before. I would like two engines, ( one would be a fake ) and about 8-10 coal cars, and a caboose. What I don’t know is, should I buy a CP Rail kit that you find at a hobbie store,if there is such a thing, or should I start watching ebay a little more closely,and buy piece by piece.
I’ve been a fan of MRing ever since I was a kid, and I’ve bought a few issues of MR for some ideas,over the last 6 months or so. The more I read and see, the more addicting this is becoming.LOL! I’m sure that most of the pictures that are in the Mag, are from people who chat in this forum every other day, so I applaud you all, on some very incredible model rail ways.
Thanks in advance if you can help.Just need a shove in the right direction.
IMO (In My Opinion), from the sounds of your post, you’re detailed, you’re meticulous, and you know quality when you see it.
With that said, I would highly suggest you avoid “train set” trains, and, with your limited experience with Model Trains, be very skeptical of “shopping” on Ebay.
I would advise you to go to your local Train shop, or Hobby Shop that carries a large amount of Train items (some hobby shops only sell “toy trains”). Look at what is available, talk to the sales folks, open the boxes (with the sales staff) and see what they are all about (some are VERY detailed right out of the box). If you can’t find what you want there, then, with that experiance, you can “shop” on Ebay, you’ll know better what your getting for your money.
Hi, and welcome. Did you happen to notice the sign above the door before you stepped through it. Hint: it begins as follows - “Abandon every hope…” You get the picture? You can’t just dabble in this hobby; it’s against the rules. So, I hope you can hang on ‘cuz yer goin’ fer a ride. [:D]
If you are comfortable on ebay, you are probably halfway there. Look for a CP junker or shell if it is offered, and try to get a newer engine, maybe one by Genesis, Atlas, Walthers Proto 2000, or Kato. Actually, if you can get a Broadway Limited Imports (BLI) diesel, you’d be well served. Check out Factory Direct Trains at their website by the same name…they have a real st/deal going on right now. Their Blueline series might be right up your alley.
You can keep it simple and as complex as you’d like. One 3’ section of flextrack will set you back CDN$5.00 and may be all you need…you need to think about this. Want one switch (we call them turnouts because switches are electrical in the hobby)? A turnout can run as little as $10 and as much as $40-50, depending on who makes it and what it allows you to do.
What scale are your buildings? Will this coal mine be to scale for everything else you have already?
Hi Tom. It seems like you have been bitten by the MRR bug. Well you have come to the right place for help.
A lot of us got started in the hobby because we received a train set as a gift. That’s how it was with me back in the 70’s. Most of us learned fairly early that the train sets are typically, (with a few exceptions perhaps) not of very good quality. If you are looking for quality locomotives and rolling stock you are really better off buying individual pieces. If you think you may become immersed in the hobby, you probably want to buy quality track products and accessories too. If you are just interested in building a diarama with a train on it and are not obsessed with fine detail and exact prototypical models, maybe a train set would work for you. From what you have written it sounds like you have an eye for detail and realisim so I assume you will not be happy long term with just a train set. As was mentioned I would visit as many hobby shops as you can in your area. Talk to the “experts” and look at what is available before jumping in. Ebay can be a good place but until you know what you are looking at it’s easy to buy junk or pay more than retail for items. Keep on buying those Model Railroader magazines. You might want to look into some of the books available from Kalmbach as well.
There are lots of guys here with loads more experience than I have so I’ll let them take over. If you have questions don’t hesitate to ask. There is usually someone around who will be more than happy to help. Have fun!
Hi KingConrail76,selector,and BlueHillsCPR, and thanks for your help!
I know my way around ebay pretty good,so its a start. My entire dio,will be HO,the only place that you will see the trains, is going to be at the load out area, which will be about 2.5-3ft. There will be two tracks coming in from a tunnel, through the loadout and then back into another tunnel.The static track will be very simple,just track and coal cars. But the other track I would like running through the loadout and then under the mine site, with no turnouts on either track, so it should be quite simple, except the lighting for the mine site. Now, will any transformer work with any train,or do they have to be specific to each other. Also, can I use the trains transformer for a power source for any lighting that I might use in the dio, or do I have to buy another power source for all the lights. There will lots of lights thoughout the mine site. Thanks again for your help!!! Heres a couple pictures of some of the models I will be using in the dio.
TomCat- I tend to agree with the “piece by piece” crowd. If I know my geography, unless you are in Helena or Billings, you probably don’t have access to a local hobby shop, so this site and Model Railroader are probably your best links to the hobby. Unless you are in a big hurry, browse around here for a few weeks, you can pick up pretty quickly what manufactuers are highly regarded and those that are toy train quality. These days, even the cheaper engines run fairly well, and if you want one to run loops you might be dollars ahead picking up one of these. On the other hand, you never need make excuses for quality, and if you collect high quality die-cast (and some of those are FANTASTIC models!) you probably will want the same out of the trains, especially if the bug has bitten you. And by your comments about how addicting it is becoming, it sounds like it is gnawing away!
Another thing to remember, (man, I sound like my father now) is that your trackwork is at least as important as you engines and rolling stock. Bad trackwork can make the best running engine a “static display”, even if that isn’t your aim!
MR and RMC have all of the adds you will need to make a final choice, but this site will help you make a better informed one. Hang around here a few days or so, work on that diorama to fill the time, and then use what you have picked up to add a good running and looking train.
Good luck, whichever way you go. Hope you enjoy the trains as much as the die-cast.
TomCat- Just saw your post with pics, those are some absolutely beautiful models! As for your questions about power packs, you can use any pack to run your trains, and yes, there are terminals (usually marked Accessory) to hook your lighting system into. Again, a better quality pack will give you a more controllable power source. MRC is a good starting point, their packs are high quality and affordable. It sounds li
If the running of the trains is going to be a secondary thing, your one of the rare cases where a trainset quality setup will probably work. You’d probably enjoy adding the extra detail yourself. (sweet crane!)
Thanks philnrunt, the closest hobbie shop to me is in Kalispell. I spend my summers in Rexford camping. I actually live and work in Canada, but Calgary is about 3hrs, so the States will work a little better for me. I start my work set tomorrow, so I might not reply for a day or so. I’ll post some pictures of the Mine site loadout beside the shovel, in a day or so. Its off to bed for now, THANKS!!! again you guys for your help!
Tom, WOW! THose are some great looking models! This may not apply to your situation but if you have a lot of accessory lighting etc. you may want to consider having a power supply for lights and one to run trains. An old computer power supply works great for lights & things. They have 5 volt and 12 volt outputs. Since you seem like you will be running only one loco you will probably be fine with a single pack but it never hurts to have more power…ARRGG ARRGG ARRGG!
I agree with the rest of the group on buying by the piece. Stay away from the toy train sets. You can find lots of fairly decent locos, rolling stock and accessories that don’t cost alot.
Try Billings, Mt. for a hobby shop. I know they have at least one good sized model railroad club there. I don’t remember the name but you can do a search to find it. They might have some ideas too.
Cherry Creek Hobbies located in Torrington, Wy. also have a good selection of m.r.r. products and their prices are very reasonable. Great service, and fast shipping too. I live in Michigan and can get stuff from them in 2 days. Most places in the U.S. are pretty good at getting you your goods fast. (cchobbies.com)
Shop around on the net and you’ll find a kazillion model railroad sites.
Don’t know if you have seen this thread, but last year it ran for quite some time and has become one of my favorites. Many people added images of their New River Mining kit and scenes and discussions ran from building the structure to running empties and loads through like the prototype. Here is the link: New River Mining Co and the URL is listed below:
Just a question are the scale’s of the items the same? Your mineing equipment looks like 1\64th and “HO” is 1\87th or am I wrong on the scale of your equipment if it’s 1\87th let me know where you get it I could use some Or does the scale even matter for this project?
Hello Silver Spike & Cprail, OMG that post with all the New River mines blew me away. The detail is what I’m looking for, and the weathering you guys all did is what I’m after.
CPrail, I have a mixture of scales going into my dio. The rope shovel is 1/87, but the 1/87 models are quite pricy. The shovel was about $525.00 by the time all the shipping was done, and there’s a lot of 1/87 mining models out there. Take for instance the Caterpillar 797B,1/87, rock truck sold for about 500-600 when it came out 3-5yrs ago. One went on ebay about a month ago for ( take a deep breath ) $1500.00. There were only 50 made, so there quite rare.I can’t afford a diecast toy like that, I’d have no money left for my Lawyer when the divorce would be all done.LOL! But the nice thing about Cat equipment they all look the same. A 16G grader looks the same as a 14G just bigger. Heres an example, the smaller 1/87 ( 400 ton )truck is like the one that went for 1500.00, the bigger 1/50 ( 100 ton )truck is sold for 35.00, but you detail the big one with thin brass railings, and a smaller cab. You saved your self a ton of money, and its still a great looking model!
I have all the models I need for the dio, and I’m sure I’ll do fine with the train,because I’m learning from the best detail modelers on the planet, with you guys. My biggest challange will be the detail of the rock work. Cripple bush makes what I’m looking for, but I’m a long way from that, because of the train being added to things has thrown me a bit off pace. If I had my way, I would do the dio. in N scale, but there’s no equipment out there to fit. Here’s a picture of a guy who did 1/50 scale,but who can give up that much room.
For all you guys who want the diecast, DHS is the best there is, heres the link:
I can say for sure that I will have future questions for you. I want to model an open pit coal mine like the one located at Beinfait, Sask. to provide the coal to a scratchbuild of SaskPowers coal fired Boundary Dam power plant. The coal is actually trucked to the plant I believe but I think I’ll use a freelance railroad to haul the coal between two prototype industries.
I can’t even afford the lawyer I would need to handle the divorce that would follow me purchasing a $500-$1500 model. Can I find less costly 1:87 scale mining equipment…probably plastic that might look half decent on a layout?
Now I’m off to look at the diecast stuff available at the link you posted.
Hi Kevin,I didn’t realize there were coal mines in Sask. I thought it was all potash mines.That one picture with the dragline and shovel is Luscar Mining,they used to own one of the mines about 15 min from where I live.The 1/87 mining models are very pricey,but the nice thing about Cat equipment they all look the same.All the models that I’m using for my dio,have been disasembled and painted in my companey’s livery.When you do that it makes it easyer to mix scales,thus bringing down the overall cost.The only thing that looks awkward is the cabs are a little to big.Heres another couple sites that has tons of stuff you might find interesting.
These are the best sites that are out there,and theres tons of stuff that might work for you guys.Hope this helps anybody whos looking to add a little iron to there railroads.
This is a great place to hang out. You will find lots of ideas from a great bunch of modelers. We share with each others challenges and try to help.
One of the best wish books would be a Walther’s Catalog. We have found good buys at www.1stplacehobbies.com. Their stock number will be the same as that in the Walther’s catalog.
Or does the scale even matter for this project?
