# Mining industry questions



## jbwilcox (Jan 2, 2008)

I have just built a mine building (Colorado Models Structure) and now I need to have someplacae to deliver the ore to.

Can anyone tell me what type of a building would be at the receiving end?

It should be relatively small, maybe 18 inches by 24 inches maximum. Could be several buildings. Any pictures of possible buildings?

I also just finished a Sawmill. I guess the finished lumber could go to a cabinet shop or small lumber yard.

John


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## paintjockey (Jan 3, 2008)

Ore could be delivered to all sorts of places. A vendor who sells to the public, a transfer station where it could be loaded on trucks, concrete plant..... They could go up an elevated track to dump on the ground or dump in a pit. Or go on an elevated track and dump into trucks. Or they could dump into ore boats at a dock scene....


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

depends on the ore... 

If you're mining gold or silver, doesn't somebody make a stamp mill kit? 

If you're mining coal, a row of old beehive coke ovens would be rather cool if more modern, then a rotary dumper could be fun 

Or you can pretend it's like HO and have an 'off scene' fiddle yard? 

As for the sawmill, hardwoods or softwoods?


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

It does indeed depend on the ore but in most cases, the raw ore needs processing before shipment. There are some ores mined sometimes in open pits which are shipped direct - some salt and coal operations come readily to mind. But most ores require concentrating to avoid shipping a lot of worthless rock. Sometimes the concentrating takes place at the mine but most often it is done at a nearby site.

The concentrating is generally ore specific. Mik mentioned stamp mills for gold, there are washing plants for coal and a great many other different processes for different ores. While hard to generalize the typical concentrating operation breaks up the ore carrying rock, extracts the ore from it and discards the tailings. The highly concentrated ore is ready to ship then to a smelter or other user.

You did not say what your mine was producing. But if you have it produce something small and valuable -diamonds or gold for example - or something imaginary with unique invented properties - unobtainium for example - then a small concentrating facility would be the logical shipment point. Most concentrators of base metals are huge operations.

As an aside, shipment could also be offline via an interchange which would save the trouble of actually modelling the industries downstream of the mine while still getting the same car movement from an operations perspective.

Regards ... Doug


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