Starting a new project – a wooden coal tower

A wooden coal tower

In last days I started a new project, building a coal tower.
I stopped my present project, the gondolas of Lake Terminal rr., because I built and built very small parts and I did not see a progress to reach the end of this job. This new modelling project shows the daily progress and that is what I need in this moment. And I hope that I can continue this without a new break – or I change back to the gondolas. However with the coal tower I have fixed date; the tower must be finished end of January 2009 because we US modeler of Dresden/Germany are involved in the next big model railroad exhibition with a very large increased modular US-layout. And the coal tower will be part of the stem locomotive museum with a few model locomotives pulling museum trains. And it is not a novelty that steam locomotives need coal for the fire and water for steam. However I’m not sure that the water tower will be finished until February 15th.

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The 150 ton old time coal tower is an older however fine craftsman kit made by Sheepscot Scale Products and it contains ten or more different sized stripwood, a few prescribed sheathings and clapboards and thirty pages of drawings and description – that is this what I really need. A few detailing parts complete this kit.

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First all wood parts got a thin black coating that I made from an ordinary black model color that I mixed with three or four parts of thinner.

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A mounting board is prepared and all footings for three different towers are set on place. The six big center footings are in place for the coal bin, left you see the footings for the hoist house and on right side are four holes for a sand tower. Because the sand tower will stand over a tool house there are not own footings arranged.

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Here two pictures how I started the modelling; front and rear elevations, bents including the floor joists for the coal bin are glued together. In all cases I used ACC glue for fast fixing so that I could work without big breaks.

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Already the next step is done. The coal bin is set on floor joists. That what I like to see are the many parts beside of such a wood construction like this coal bin; studs and walers around the bin and their fixing additionally by NBWs. All together a very well detailed construction.
The roof must follow at a later time because I will make a few modifications against to original blueprints.

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The hoist tower is under construction … and I think that next pictures will follow in a few days already.

Bernhard

PS. Avoiding questions - also this model is HO scale
 

Nazgul

Active Member
Bernhard...It looks like you have begun another awesome project!:thumb:
Obviously plenty of detail in that kit, and I am looking forward to watching it all come together. :winker:

Thanks for sharing :thumb:
 

steamhead

Active Member
Bernhard, just the mention of a wood crafstman kit makes my mouth water, but one in your hands will certainly take the whole cake..!!! Can't wait to see your progress...:thumb:
 

tetters

Rail Spiking Fool!
Hey do you think you could work a little faster! announce1



Just kidding! Honestly when I noticed you had started a new project thread I just about jumped for joy out of my seat! Yippee! sign1
 
Thank you to yoy all for your interest in my new project and for your friendly comments. I hope also for a godd success although I must made first changes in project today. So the ready coal tower will fit better the already existing track system on my friend's layout.

Gus (steamhead), Tetters:
I promise you that I will sit daily at my workbench for adding next parts and details. Can I made an exception on Sunday? (I hope that you can understand this as a joke.)

Bernhard
 

steamhead

Active Member
Bernhard....You can make an exception any time you wish....We're a patient bunch...Otherwise we wouldn't be model railroaders...!!! :mrgreen:
 
As I said, more pictures follow.

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First what you can see, I turned the coal bin for 180 degrees and moved the position of hoist tower from left side to right side. This will give us a better use while serving the model locos in the railroad museum. This is also the reason that I must made first modifications at the towers.

The hoist tower is ready except for roof and the missing handrails around the platform. However handrails are such a difficult job so that I will add them at one of last steps. After adding these thin woodstrips nobody should handle the model without silken gloves.

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This is the result of moving (and turning) the hoist tower from left to right. I must close the original door opening (now on the backside) by a bundle of boards.

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A picture as I built the tower. The elevation construction for the tower is glued in position while the hoist house and the roof stand beside as separate parts. With this method I can work with small components and I can turn and turn these parts getting the best position for gluing or cutting and so on. However I need good and simple connections between these parts. You see this at the roof; here I used balsa wood in order to set the roof exactly inside to the walls. A similar however bigger balsa wood block is positioned at base of hoist house. You see here on picture very right the overstanding posts of elavation posts which give the tower building a very well fixing also without gluing.

Can you see in pictures that inside of elevation tower are mounted two rails for the hoisting cage. Here I built strongly after the modeling sketches however I think this looks too strongly. I glued t-shaped blackened brass profiles on 4 by 10 scale inches woodstrips.
I think that must be the next correction. I will replace the rails "mounted" on heavy stripwood by single brass rails mounted directly on wood ties the tower. I will show this change when I corrected the original construction and I hope that this will give a lesser strong impression without to make a mistake in technical sense.

With other words – next pictures will follow.

Bernhard
 

Nazgul

Active Member
Bernhard...
I really like the looks of the hoist tower!:thumb::thumb::thumb:
Also, I really appreciate how you explain the thought process behind what you are doing. :winker: Gives me a lot to think about. I usually try not to think too much......it gets me in trouble!:rolleyes::mrgreen:

I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures and progress!
 

nkp174

Active Member
Looks quite nice. I enjoy the intricacy's of wooden structures. Look forward to seeing your modifications!
 
After weeks of working in my daughter’s new apartment I found time again for modeling my coal tower.

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Like I have written in my last post I removed the former strong fixing for the rails guiding the hoisting cage. You see the heavy bases which hold the T-shaped rails in first picture and you can see the light fixing of same rails directly on the rail supports – a solution that looks many more prototypically and a solution which is technically correct because there powers are working only in vertical direction.

Next steps are done.

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I started with upper walking way on coal bin however handrails will follow later because these are very fragile parts.

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Cutting stairway treads to same length.
Stairway stringers are fixed temporarily between waxed wood strips and treads are glued on stringers.

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And this is the present result.
The small sand tower is built as third tower and completed so the coal tower arrangement. The first stairway goes downwards from upper walkway to backside of coal bin. Next stairways will go down around the sand tower to level of coal tower's operator platform.
However this is already the preview on my next working steps.

Wish you all a very merry Christmas and all the best for a good New Year – Enjoy with our model railroading and model building also in 2009!

Bernhard
 

nkp174

Active Member
Merry Christmas Bernard, and thank you for this early present of viewing you latest work! I have enjoyed admiring the construction of that staircase. It is beautiful.
 
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