Mine track size

D

Doc Holliday

Member
Oct 27, 2002
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16
Big Valley, California
Hi,
I've ventured over from HO land with a question for those with better eyesight than I have. I originally planned on having a mine with workers pushing small ore cars by hand on my circa 1880 Old West HO layout. Now I'd like to kitbash some type of stream powered unit (not a loco exactly, but smaller and pieced-together looking) and a couple of ore cars to run a continuous circle in and out of the mine. Anybody have any suggestions about sources for the engine and ore cars? Would something in N scale work? Or would Z scale be better? Could someone here let me know how wide standard gauge track is in N and Z scale? I'd be mighty obliged for any help.
Doc
 
Doc,if memory serves me right most mine trackage was 18" gauge or maybe even smaller.Since your looking to have a powered loco and ore cars I would suggest you look at Z gauge track .I think Merklin has some small locos you could bash and scratchbuilding the ore cars wouldn't be impossible.
 
Z is 6.5mm, but you'll have a whole lot more problem finding things. Why not try narrow gauge HO (HOn30?), where you stick to the HO scale and use N-gauge track? There are a lot of kits and even RTR trains available in that size, particularly relating to mining and logging cars...
 
Doc,

One of the guys in the Muskoka Model RR Club has an HO layout with a small mine done in N Scale. The track is N Scale, with small ore cars, he cut hoppers down, took out the middle section. Basically mounted the front and back on one truck. He has it set up with a (non-working) cable and winch to simulate how it would be hauled.

In your era, it would have been a couple of mules. :D
 
Doc - woke up this morning with a thought - on Carls Site http://www.carendt.us/scrapbook/page37/index.html there is a railway built on top of a music box, which is "powered" via a wire that runs in a slot. If you use a small stepper motor, this might work if you used rails made from wire, IE no ties, and had a LPB pushing a mine tipper car - or even two of them 180 degrees apart another possibility is a chain running round two cogs under the track with the tipper connected to it. If you can get rotating wheels you could have a tiny rare-earth magnet in the tipper, and another attached under the track - that way you could use Z track with ties and no visible connection.
Trying to think "out of the box"
Shortliner(Jack)away up here in the Highlands
:thumb:
 
Doc,

N-scale track scales out to HOn30. AHM used to make mining stuff in that scale.

I believe there is still quite a following for HOn30 with cottage-type kits available.

Do a search on HOn30, you should find something.
 
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