HOn3 Rio Grande Southern First District 1938-1945

[Dave V]

Aerial tramway? Do tell!

DFF

Eh, somethin' like this:

[CRL]

Pretty common in mountain mining operations.

[davefoxx]

That’d be cool if you could make an operating aerial tram.

DFF

[Chris333]

That’d be cool if you could make an operating aerial tram.

DFF

Especially off the edge of the layout 

[Dave V]

That’d be cool if you could make an operating aerial tram.

DFF

It would be but I won’t.

[Chris333]

I think it was Jim Vail who did one in the Gazette. The upper end was just a little diorama that hung on the wall like a photo.

[Dave V]

To do an animated tramway I'd still need to tear apart that ore tipple to install machinery, but then I'm stuck again.  The other end should be at an actual mine high up on the hillside across the valley.  These trams only ran at shift change or when there was sufficient ore to load...not exactly like a ski chairlift.  So having it stationary would be perfectly normal.

[MDW]

A static model would be cool and with your skills, you could easily pull it off.  No need to consider animation....... I like having the trains be the only animated part of a layout.

Michel

[Dave V]

A static model would be cool and with your skills, you could easily pull it off.  No need to consider animation....... I like having the trains be the only animated part of a layout.

Michel

The challenge I'm running into is that the angle of the receiving area in the bin would require the first tram post to be unrealistically high, since in reality the bin was much closer to the hillside it served.  I know that's not a well-worded explanation...maybe it makes more sense if I say the buckets would have to come in from some point significantly higher than horizontally level with the open part of the bin.

I'm moving on for now.  Next task is to build another pair of stock cars.  The Grandt Line kit (I have another two-pack to build) only builds a specific configuration; the C&S/RGS Type III single-deck stock car.  They represent a relatively small fraction of the RGS' total former C&S stock car roster, however.  The Type III is categorized by having a steel underframe and cast steel trucks with a metal-sheathed roof, and I've already built two of them this way with the single deck.



An prototype example:

https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD150-RGS-Freight-Equipment/G0000x6vuqB5CCo0/I00002jCsmjBFEtI/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

Almost half the RGS roster of stock cars were Type III double-deck (not surprising since the RGS hauled many more sheep than cows).  The good news there is that they're essentially identical to the Type III single-deck other than the visible ends of the 4 x 4s that support the upper deck.  So kitbashing one of my two cars to be one of these will be quite easy.

https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD150-RGS-Freight-Equipment/G0000x6vuqB5CCo0/I0000_A.b7lTnV6k/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

Lastly the RGS had a collection of Type I and Type II stock cars.  They're less consistent with spotting features other than wooden truss rod frames, although generally speaking the Type I had arch bar trucks and the Type II had cast steel trucks.  Most also had wood plank roofs. 

So, if I wanted a Type I or Type II, I'd have a project on my hands to fashion a complete wood underframe with truss rods and associated brake rigging and a plank rood to replace the metal Murphy roof.  But....here's the great news.  C&S and D&RGW stock cars were very close in dimension and I happen to have an old E&B Valley (now MRGS) kit for a D&RGW wood-underframe, plank-roofed 5500-series stock car.  Some test fitting tonight confirmed that the frame and roof from the D&RGW 5500-series stock car will mate almost perfectly with the sides and ends of the C&S/RGS style car.  So, I'll do a Type II so I can use the cast steel trucks that come with the kit:

https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/RD150-RGS-Freight-Equipment/G0000x6vuqB5CCo0/I0000Vk4361aMR_s/C0000Vd2qoA2MbNU

By the way, in that first photo...7402 has incorrect decals, so she'll be redone now that I have a few extra sets rom San Juan Decals.  I'm debating renumbering her as 7403 or 7406 (both Type III single-deck cars that survived to the end of the RGS) or just leaving her 7402.

[wm3798]

There were a couple of tramway coal mine operations along the Potomac along the Western Maryland  from around the turn of the last century into the 1920s or 30s.  Fascinating stuff.
The coal was on one side of the river and the railroad on the other.
More than one way to skin  a cat!
Lee

[Hawghead]

Dave,

Great work as always.  Did you scratch build the Post office and General store or were they kits or kitbashes?

Scott

[Dave V]

Dave,

Great work as always.  Did you scratch build the Post office and General store or were they kits or kitbashes?

Scott

Thanks!  No, both were kits.  The M&M Mercantile store is actually a Monster Model Works kit which should now be back in production.  The post office building was a cheat...it's a Walthers "Jim's Repair Shop" building.  It actually doesn't look that much like the real post office at Placerville other than the color.

[Hawghead]

Dave,

The kit isn't available, but I was just chatting with them on their site and they told me they plan to re-release it in the beginning of the new year.  I got their Placerville garage, now I've just have to see when Narrow gauge Colorado is going to do another run of the depot.  I've adjusted the plan and will be able to fit all the iconic buildings in Placerville and get them in their proper location (or at least pretty close).

Scott

[Dave V]

Dave,

The kit isn't available, but I was just chatting with them on their site and they told me they plan to re-release it in the beginning of the new year.  I got their Placerville garage, now I've just have to see when Narrow gauge Colorado is going to do another run of the depot.  I've adjusted the plan and will be able to fit all the iconic buildings in Placerville and get them in their proper location (or at least pretty close).

Scott

Check with Ragg's to Riches....  He does the Placerville depot in HO also and he may have one in stock.

http://www.raggstoriches.biz/

The website suggests it's still available.

I'm debating ordering the Ridgway depot if I can get it to fit.  I have exactly as much space as the building's footprint, but I don't want the roof overhanging the floor, LOL.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Check with Ragg's to Riches....  He does the Placerville depot in HO also and he may have one in stock.

http://www.raggstoriches.biz/

The website suggests it's still available.

I'm debating ordering the Ridgway depot if I can get it to fit.  I have exactly as much space as the building's footprint, but I don't want the roof overhanging the floor, LOL.

Oh man, I love this:
http://www.raggstoriches.biz/RWSMainpage.html