I’m really wanting to have a mine area in the corner of my layout and I just can’t find a wow factor. Are there any kits out and about for one? I know HO has a few and I really liked the looks of this, I just can’t find anything in O scale.
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You can always build your own from styrene or wood. That is what I am in the process of doing based on a combination of two mines. The Red Raven Ash #2 was on the N&W and the Nuttallburg mine complex was on the C&O and still exists as a refurbished tourist attraction in West Virginia.
You could probably scale up the HO mine pretty easily.
Attachments
An underground shaft mine with headframe and shafthouse can have a bit more visual business than the adit-style (horizontal tunnel) of mine and tipple, especially if you animate the wheels. Just an example here: https://www.wildwestmodels.com...ntic-cable-mine.html
If you go to the Norfolk & Western Historical Society archives photo section you can find all sorts of ideas. When I built the mines on Will Allen’s layout that is where my inspiration came from. There are also many photos in a number of books on the C&O. I would combine several to fit the scene as I envisioned it.
George
Do you have an era and geographical area you are modeling?
Dave
There is one large, expensive kit for what l would consider an Eastern U.S. coal mine. Posters on here have shown photos of their good models. Kit makers' names escape me but it is made in W.VA . Another tiny shaft coal mine kit in O is made in St.Louis and models an lllinois mine that was worked part time in winter. I have built that one but would like a large one like the two posted here. There are several small western metal mine kits, and l have scratched a couple, but just the one large coal complex l am aware of. I visited a privately restored coal camp in Kentucky right on a then running tourist railroad, and the mine was just (now) an adit with an open mouth into a bluff, served by a crumbling loading bunker, much smaller than those here.
There was a dealer in the Orange Hall at York who had a nice kit. Anyone remember who that was?
I agree with Chris. Unfortunately or fortunately O scalers have to build what they want. At the very least make alterations for their specific needs. Unfortunately my building skills are in their infancy and I need a lot of guidance.
If you don't want to go that route try B.T.S. Better than scratch. They have a couple of nice ones but you will pay for them.
Dave
Thanks all! I was just curious and I didn’t want to have to spend a lot but I see that’s not gonna happen now lol.
CAPPilot posted:There was a dealer in the Orange Hall at York who had a nice kit. Anyone remember who that was?
Probably K&P Brick Company. He is an advertiser in OGR. I don't think has an online presence.
Gene Anstine
Cabin Creek model. Click on the underlined for a slide show. This is a model of a drift mine tipple, requires a significant hillside detail not part of the kit. Kit is a card stock kit, made to order.
In the O scale listings on eBay right now, there are currently numerous kits offered for the Yankee Girl, Little Creek, and Virginia City Lucky Mine as well as mining camps--tents/shacks--machinery, ore tram towers and equipment, other buildings, and photo guides. Of course, there is also related rolling stock. Just search for "mine" in the O scale listings.