# South Australian Railways 15 Tonne Coaling Gantry.



## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Recently a mate of mine and I got together and refurbished my late father's timber thicknesser. To test it after the clean up and repair, I cut down and machined a quantity of Jarrah garden stakes to size for a diorama project. A 15 ton coaling gantry seemed ideal to fit with the steam loco under construction at the moment.

I started it a month earlier, and worked through a number of problems. Constant reference to the prototype pics has been a must and thanks to Peter Knife for other valuable information.

This is to scale in 1:24 using the MRSAC plans. Once the diorama version is complete, I can build one for garden railway and also provide the basis for a written article. Here's some progress pics.

Layout and marking the gantry hopper sides.









Layout and glueing of the front and rear gantry bin panels.









Trimming and shaping the gantry bin sides


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

Would that be what we call a plainer here in the states. Lets you set a thickness then planes it down? The wood you are using looks really well aged. Nice.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Yes. It's adjustable up and down to set the thickness. The new handle Dave and I fabricated works a treat. The beauty of it is that it gives me the freedom to size timber to scale as I need it. Those stakes spent quite a few years outdoors getting that look. Jarrah is such a versatile hardwood.


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

The start is looking good, please keep us posted, I love the different meanings of words from the down under
thanks for sharing
Dennis


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Initial layout of hopper bin, with rear / front / left / right panels. Plus scale plan I'm working from.










Floor of the gantry and the underframe side support bearers.









Flooring support bearers and crossbeams frame. Working on St Patrick's Day.









Rear leg frame constructed, rear gantry panel attached along with right hand side of bin.









More updates to follow shortly.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Better side view of gantry sub-flooring support.










Angle view of hopper side - not fixed on yet, with the rear bracing and worker platform support beam attached.










Reworked bin side, discovered the long part was too short and so had to fix both sides and make a new floor. 










New floor ready to attach, after cutting to correct size and sanding the bin floor level.










More to follow shortly.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

More construction pics.

Front panel with stud markings.










Side view of bin assembly, with floor attached and underfloor support dry fitted. Front legs with cross-bracing attached. Assembly is being painted black, then attacked with a wire brush / sandpaper to create weathering and effects of the harsh Australian climate.











Front view of assembly, showing other details added prior to painting / weathering process. The assembly is being pinned as I go to add strength, but also to simulate bolts as used in the prototype.










Gluing on the front legs to the bin assembly. Clamped into position to prevent movement while curing. Also to maintain squareness of frame. 









Coming together nicely now.


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

Looks great, what timber are you using?

Alan


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Jarrah. It's a Western Australian hardwood, highly versatile and hard wearing. Used from outdoor furniture, railways sleepers, fenceposts, building construction to interior furniture. 

It's a solid sturdy close grained timber that ages well, polishes beautifully and is great to work with. I saw a guy when I did my wood trades course in 92 make a flying V guitar body out of solid Jarrah - heavy but had a good solid tone to it.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Looking good!


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Bin painted and ready for the next step.










Adding the side supports.










The rear of the front panel painted, weathered, chutes cut out and ready for install.










Front of the front panel. I've sanded the irregularities down, marked the vertical supports prior to fixing.










More to follow.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Looking good Scott.
Remember, there is no 'timber' in the USA. They have 'lumber'. 

Andrew


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Yeah Nah, we occasionally use that term over here. Same difference. lol


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Lumber sounds like what someone does when carrying heavy stuff. Isn't that what forklifts are for?
Just as well it is not in 1:1 scale. 

Andrew


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Isn't that's what a lumber Jack is for???? To lift heavy lumber up or is it that bloke Derrick??? lol 

Ahhhhh the English language, and its various branches.

Hopefully I haven't stumped anyone. lol.

Think its time to make like a tree and leave.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Derrick and Lorry are both English. Funny guys! 

Andrew


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I'm going off track a bit here Scott but have you seen this video? I was watching it the other day. Are these the lumber jacks you are talking about? 






Andrew


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

No mate not off track, more like onto a logging branchline lol. Those jacks are just something, I never ever seen the like of those or knew something like ever existed - very handy indeed. 

Having used a Lucas portable sawmill in the past they would be very welcome with the guys. I've moved logs of that size with crowbars and cant hooks it's pretty physical work. If we have it handy - a forklift or a Merlo works a treat.

That footage is quite amazing along with the bush carpentry and the Climax loco. Aussie workplace safety laws have come a very long way since then. You'd see modern day safety reps have a heart attack if they ever stepped on those sites.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

We have timber, once we run it through our saws we have lumber ...
That's a great looking bin.
John


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Totalwreaker, so that's it. I remember as a kid watching American cartoons. They would chop a tree down and yell 'TIMBER'. 

Andrew


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Right angle view, legs have been trimmed to right size and bin squared to be level standing upright.










Left angle view, showing the applied bracing detail. This is one model where the pins, bolts and other fixtures add character to the model.










With the front panel glued on, with a couple of pins for extra strength. 










I've realised now, that prior to fixing on the front panel I should have scribed and cut the top of the chute at an angle parallel to the base of the floor. The reality is I don't think it's going to be noticed that much.


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice work. Seeing it on the counter top makes me want to run coffee beans through it.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Burl, you know you could be onto something. A coffee gantry - it'd have to be airtight to keep your beans fresh for grinding and brewing. But I reckon it could work.

Anyone for a CARpuccino? Or, even a F-latte car in their consist. lol


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I like the way you went about your Coaling Tower 

It really turned out great. 

I had to do mine in steel cause the Arizona Sun would eat that in one Summer

I bought a wooden model a long time ago. It sat on a shelf for years.

Then I decided to to this in steel


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

John looks good, very durable. We have a similar climate with temperature extremes much like Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.


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## Zack72 (May 2, 2016)

precise wood work.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Cheers mate. More pics to follow when the coaling bay and pit is done. Currently sussing out how to set out the base of the diorama.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Alrighty. I've fabricated most of the coaling bay. Plenty of referring back to pictures and the plan. The chute layout isn't exactly clear and so I'll use my powers of guesstimation to determine the best fit. Here's what it looks like so far.

Sides, rear, pit and base.










Attached base to rear, showing the angle of the bay.










Front view of bay with sides added.










Right rear angle of bay.










I've used the smaller offcuts for this piece. Also the quality of the timber with it's imperfections on this, once weathered will give that hard used look about it.


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## jokensa (Dec 4, 2014)

looks great!


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I added one of the walkways to the frame of the gantry, which I fabricated while at the Adelaide Model Railway Exhibition. 

Plus also adding bolt heads to the front frame, it's a bit tedious drilling each hole and adding the pins. Jarrah is very hard, so you must be easy on the finer drill bits - too much pressure means the bits break easier. Already broke 4 so far - personal record.

The coal bay has been assembled, but still needs the chute door and end cover added - no pic as yet.


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Scott, I think this project has turned out really well. I also love the banter that's been going back and forth on the language even though it's all supposed to be English!!
I've never worked with Jarrah, but I have used red gum that was once a sleeper in its previous life. It's a great wood and your workshop turns red in an instant, that is RED..RED everywhere.
A nice project and really good results.
Cheers.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I've used Redgum and a number of gum tree varieties for building items. Gives a great look and finish.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Having consulted the pictures I have revised and removed part of the walkway to keep it in the prototype. Managed to finish the adding of pins to the front - next time will find a more effective and efficient way of doing this task. 

Have added the support blocks for the levers and the blocks at the base of the struts at the front. I aim to have the chute mechanisms and walkways done before adding the bucket assembly to the back. Once all the painting and weathering is complete any nail heads will be painted over with an enamel.


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice work. It looks good outside.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Ok, more stuff done. I've added the walkways, supports, handrails and the chute assemblies. Working out the lighting array and the ladder / bucket assemblies at the moment.


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

Do you ship to the US? Great work


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Sorry bout the delay in replying. Yeah no problems mate. 

Will look into shipping, customs, etc

Judging by the interest I am gonna building a few extra ones. lol


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I spent some time nutting out the winch shed, I've tried getting close to prototype and the next one will be improved on from here.

Peter Knife kindly gave me some rough dimensions to go by, and so worked out my own to suit my needs.

Footing - 8 1/2 foot x 7 1/2 foot 
Shed - 8 foot wide x 7 foot deep 
Roof - (Front) 8 foot to top of fascia x (Rear) 7 foot - to top of CGI.
Rear door - 6 foot x 2 1/2 foot - 1 of.
Front Doors - 6 1/2 foot x 3 foot - 2 of.
All dimensions are for 1:24 scale.

Footing is smooth sided MDF 3mm sheet, All framing is made of pine strips, Door and jambs - paddlepop sticks, front doors Balsa wood and CGI is plastic moulded sheet

Shed frame layout 









Shed frame painted - prior to adding CGI.









Layout of gantry, placement of other structures and layout with track distances.









Time to start working on the bucket and loading assembly.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Cool!


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Great Video. I either have never seen those type of jacks. they really were useful, amazingly fast too, geared up fast, and those guys were REAL MEN, I read in a logging book the life expectancy of loggers was 42 yrs. Between extreme hard work, DANGEROUS conditions, poor medical, produced short lives. 
One thing for sure they did not experience overweight workers, this book said average size was, 5 foot 7" 145 lbs.
BUT consumed on averaged over 5000 calories per day, They brought the southern tradition of Fried food.
Fried food raises the caloric count in food, so less food was needed, but still produced a high caloric count.
WOW much different than todays life style.
As a business owner of a steel fabrication business, I do cringe on the safety violations that happens back then, but back then they could not have built this country without pushing the safety limits. 
I loved that video though.
Dennis


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Scott
that is really a very nice structure, really done a great job showing us how you built it
Dennis


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks Photobucket for doing this. Like my other posts, the ability to view the attached pictures is now rendered null and void. As a result I will be posting my pictures via another site. 

I will advise when this is done and attach the relevant link. After much colourful language expressed, Photobucket's services will no longer be required.

Not. Happy. Jan.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Ok, New Year, new focus and new picture hosting site. I've gone with Flickr and I do apologise for the delay in posting back on this thread. All my pics are being uploaded to Flickr and I am also re-familiarising myself with the site to maximise what is has to offer.

Since the last post I have progressed a fair bit with the build. 

To recap:

The gantry is done and fixed to the bin and supports - all that is needed is to add the bucket and a couple of supports. 

I am in the process of making lampshades and the electrical piping involved.

The ladder has been built, painted and weathered as well as fixed to the structure.

Placement of bin with concrete supports and initial weathering to the ground around it.

Removal, and construction of several braces that also hold the ladder in place. Due to misinformation I hadn't factored that. It's now remediated.

Thanks to Peter Knife for his help and assistance in procuring information / pictures.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 48 by taylorplains, on Flickr

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 49 by taylorplains, on Flickr

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 50 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Apologies for the delay in updating my posts. Here are some progress pics of my work so far.

Side view of gantry for positioning and fixing track.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 51 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Font view of gantry for positioning.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 52 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Detailing of diorama with earth, some ground scatter and coal.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 53 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Initial laying of gravel path.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 54 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Laying the ballast, a cardboard wall used to prevent ballast from going everywhere until the glue sets.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 55 by taylorplains, on Flickr

More to folllow.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Some more progress pics:

Side view of finished diorama from the ladder access side.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 56 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Front view with winch house on the right.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 57 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Side view showing rear of winch shed, electrical conduit for lights and side profile of bucket hoist.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 58 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Rear view showing hoist assembly, coaling bucket, and coaling bin.

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 59 by taylorplains, on Flickr

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 60 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Great job! It's been fun watching your build. 

Should be a prize winner for sure.


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

I have donated the finished model to Eyre Peninsula Railway Preservation Society (E.P.R.P.S) who have a museum in Port Lincoln, South Australia for permanent public display. 

Prior to handover I've taken a few extra pics including outdoor location shots.

Overhead view of coaling bay

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 62 by taylorplains, on Flickr


Overhead shot of winch shed and loaded coaling bucket

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 63 by taylorplains, on Flickr

Side shot from winch shed end

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 65 by taylorplains, on Flickr


Front shot

15 Ton Coaling Gantry 67 by taylorplains, on Flickr


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Wow, awesome model!


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Cheers mate


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## Nick Jr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scott, you are surely an artist. LiG


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

Excellent photos


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks Nick and Burl.


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