Kabayama Coal Mine

Started to assemble the Coal Mine model and am checking out where best to place it. Even though I never planned to add this particular model, luckily it fits quite well into the middle of the layout.

The plan is to build footbridges to the upper area where the minehead will be. Upper siding will be for worker passenger transport and materials, lower tracks for produced coal.

Tinycat approves.

Low view from the front of the layout. This model is really well designed, and will require just a little work to make it more realistic. The roof in particular will be getting a new coat, but the wooden slats look very realistic and weathered.

Weekend Update

Recently I've been continuing to add ballast and ground cover to the layout.

Looking away from the yard toward the freight depot siding. Better job on the ballast here, if I do say so myself. Working around the switches was a bit of a pain, but getting this filled in is really making this section start to look 'real'.

Close-up shot of the switches leading in to the yard area. Some of the crossing boards need another coat of paint, and the road still needs to be surfaced, of course.

A new addition! Or, I guess in this case, a subtraction. Putting in a small round pond near where the coal mine will go.

Finally assembled a crane that I had gotten as a gift nearly a year ago. It's normally an L-shaped construction crane, did some modifications to turn it into a yard crane. The scale is a little weird; in its original form, I can imagine it as a Z-scale structure. I think real construction cranes are quite a bit larger.

Near future: add plaster cloth to the new pond, and seal with a coat of patching compound, also finish the ground surface in the freight depot area.