BOOK REVIEW: ‘Early Railways: A Guide for the Modeller’

Reviewer: Michael Keith

Title: Early Railways: A Guide for the Modeller

Author: Peter Chatham, Stephen Weston

Total Number of Printed Pages: 120

Rating Scale (1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent): 9

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When writing in this volume’s Introduction, the author states that ‘The aim of this book is to promote and assist the modelling of that formative period of railway history from the very earliest steam railways back to the reign of King George III, up to about 1880 or so, a period which, for modellers in Britain at least, has been covered scarcely, if at all, in book form’. As a precis of what to follow, it is excellent.

Within the book itself, an Acknowledgements section placed behind the Contents page thanks those individuals and organisations which contributed to its content. This is followed by the previously-noted Introduction. The Introduction is in itself a multi-facetted beast, as aside from précising the contents of the volume, it also explains in great detail, such aspects of its subject as railway and social history, signalling, materials, sources and paints, the three latter written specifically with railway modellers in mind. Internet sources are given where appropriate. It is, in summary, very comprehensive. The six Chapters which comprise the main part of the volume now appear. As evidenced by its title (Mike Sharman – a Pioneer Modeller of Early Railways), the first pays tribute to a specific individual ‘… Who modelled the very early railways’ and ‘…Tells the story of how he set about modelling and promoting the early days [of railways]’. Included within this section are track plans and photographs of a variety of subjects relevant to the narrative. Curiously, the Chapter concludes with a ‘Mini Bibliography’ (titled Further Reading) which lists relevant literature specific to it subject. It is a detail not found anywhere else within the volume. Chapter 2 (Infrastructure) now appears and is followed in turn by three others. Their titles: Locomotives (Chapter 3), Carriages (Chapter 4) and Wagons (Chapter 5) are indicative of their content. As will be evident from its title (Layouts and Models), Chapter 6 is devoted to models of appropriate period locomotives and rolling stock and, by use of photographs shows how the previously-provided information can be recreated in model form in a variety of scales. The models and layouts are a delight and are accompanied by informative notes relevant to the specific items on display. A two-page Appendix follows. Titled Sources of supply for modellers, its content is self-evident, and is described as being a ‘…List of prominent manufacturers’ of period equipment from whom such items may be obtained. Notably (and in addition to the expected O and OO gauges), these include several who have equipment in the larger (‘Gauge 3’) and smaller (‘N’) gauges; thus widening the potential audience for this volume. A Bibliography follows.  While, as expected, this lists the printed texts alluded-to within the volume, its authors have added title-appropriate notes below each entry to assist modellers in search of specific information; an unusual and appreciated touch. A two-page Index completes the volume.  Although largely British-focussed, the book also contains references to both contemporary Continental European and American practices. It contains numerous monochrome and colour photographs and lithographs, as well as relevant locomotive, carriage and wagon plans. A layout diagram (that of one of Mike Sharman’s efforts) also appears, and where relevant to the narrative, technical diagrams showing the evolution of railway track are included. All are captioned and, with a small number of exceptions, contain appropriate citations indicating their sources.

While this reviewer could find little to fault with this volume, he did have issues with the book’s Index. Random searching found several entries within the book that were not supported by Index entries. Of these (and in view of its prominence on page 85 (Carriages), somewhat surprisingly), he could find no Index entries for PLM (Compagnie des Chermins de Fer de Paris `a Lyon et `a la Mediterranėe) under either PLM or the full company name. There were other, similar, ommissions; a small matter perhaps, but enough to raise questions about what else might also be missing.

That detail notwithstanding, it is very evident that this volume has been a labour of love for the authors. It is comprehensive, very informative and very well written. It is likely to appeal both to railway modellers who have a specific interest in its subject, and to those of a similar ilk who are just interested in ‘early’ railways, but with no inclination towards actually modelling the era. Transport Historians with an interest in early British, Continental and American railways may also find it of interest, while Social Historians seeking depictions and descriptions of early Nineteenth Century Britain may also find it worthy of their perusal.

On a Rating Scale where 1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent), I have given this volume a 9.

It is well deserved.

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FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

As any reader who has been following this blog for a while will be aware, I have a certain interest in model railways and underground ‘Hard rock’ gold mining, and that at times these interests have a way of combining. What follows is the latest iteration of this interest; a small 1:43 / 7 mm: 1 ft scale model railway layout which I have christened Fidero Resources (No Liability).

The layout represents a departure from my previous modelling efforts in that it is in a larger scale (‘O’ scale; 1:43 ; 7mm: 1 ft) as opposed to my previous, long-held, enthusiasm for ‘N’ scale (1:148 ; 2 mm: 2 ft), with the latter-scale having reached the limits of its possibilities.

As with the other layouts that have appeared on this blog, it is again set in New Zealand and, once again, located in that  part of that country known as the Coromandel Peninsula, specifically ‘Somewhere North of Karangahake, Somewhere South of Port Charles’, and deep within the remote ranges of that part of New Zealand.

The layout is in the early stages of its development and it is hoped that as it evolves and develops over time,  this particular Blog will be updated.

However, by way of background, what follows is an introduction:

Back Story

It is 2018 and Fidero Resources (N.L.) is a small Auckland-based gold mining company employing 20 men and extracting profitable ore from several small reefs (lodes).

The Mine is located at the upper end of a valley and a small, 18 inch (457 mm) gauge tramway (aka ‘Tram’) is used to convey the extracted ore to the processing plant located some distance away. To do this battery-electic locomotives (Both built by PastaeSpghiti SPA of Bologne,Italy c/n’s 002 and 003) are used, and they perform their humble tasks efficiently.and reliably.

The tram itself has little to distinguish it from others of its ilk, with the only feature of note being a centre-rail brake installed on the line immediately after it leaves the mine. The severity of the gradient necessitated such an installation and it works well and without any problems.

Locomotives

Currently two are owned by the company. Both are battery-electrics.

No.1 (also by PastaeSpghiti SPA of Bologne,Italy c/n 002) has recently returned from a rebuild, and while leaving No.2 to do the majority of the work, is being ‘tweaked’ prior to re-entering service. .

Rolling stock

The tram’s rolling stock is exclusively of the 4-wheeled side-dump type, with the locomotive (aka a ‘Trammer’) taking empty wagons underground to the working faces then, after they are loaded, taking them back outside and along the tramway to the processing plant.

Utilising the wagons in this manner avoids double-handling and enables an increased volume of ore to be worked.It is also quite prototypical.

The Reality

The layout baseboard was constructed to operating stage by Bonjing Valley Group (P. Smith Prop.) on my commission; woodworking and wiring not being part of my skillset. It was received into my care on 27 January 2019 and I have had the pleasure of creating the scenery, locomotive/s etc. which appear in the images.

 

Scenery

This has been the most interesting aspect of this layout; my use (for the first time ever) of pre-formed plastic vegetation specifically intended to replicate local fauna and flora. The ‘plants’ are made by a local organisation and although nominally OO/HO scale (1:87) in scale, seem to be ideally suited for my purposes. Although it is in fact possible to purchase the key items separately, as used on Fidero, the vegetation has come in ‘mat’ form, needing only to be cut to fit. As such it has proven very useful, and as it takes acrylic paint well, has proved suitable for its task.

Vehicles

Because it is set in the Twenty-first Century, motor vehicles form an integral part of the layout. As a result several Landrover 4-wheel drive vehicles have made their appearance as support vehicles for the operation. They can be seen in various places.

Staff 

The Company has ben fortunate in being able to acquire and retain the services of ‘Bill’ a very amiable and competent Large Lizard (aka ‘Dinosaur).  He holds the position of ‘Curator in Residence’ and closely and carefully supervises what is being done by the layout’s  builders. He is not averse to Landrover rides…

Structures

As with all my models, these are mainly constructed from discarded Picture Matte Board (aka Picture Framing Card ) and are layout specific. As the layout is evolving,  at the time of writing they are at best ‘temporary’, and may change as more information comes to hand.

 

Technical Details

Title:  FIDERO RESOURCES (NO. LIABILITY.)

 

Type: Gold-mining tramway (light railway)

Location :Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Scale: On18 (1:148 / 7mm= 1 ft)
Track gauge: 18 inches (457 mm)

Dimensions:

Length: 42 in (1066 mm)
Width: 23.5 in (596 mm)

Track Geometry:

Distorted oval rising at both ends.

FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

Baseboard as received 27 January 2019

FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

As at 25 March 2019

 

FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

Trammer No.2 descending the Centre-rail section. Locomotive shed on left.

FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

Trammer No.2 ascending the embankment to the processing plant

Part of cyanide plant visible in background

(vegetation has since been added to this area; see next image)

FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

General view of Tramway and Processing Plant. Trammer No.2 is on gradient

Note vegetation, including Gorse (‘Furze’) in bloom.

FIDERO RESOURCES (NO LIABILITY)

Image showing Company  Landrover (Series I), Managing Director (in front of vehicle) and Curator in Residence (to right of image). 

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BOOK REVIEW: ‘Seventy Years of Railway Photography: Seven Decades Behind the Lens’

Reviewer: Michael Keith

Title:  Seventy Years of Railway Photography: Seven Decades Behind the Lens

Author:  Colin Boocock

Total Number of Pages: 255

Rating Scale (1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent) 7

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In this volume’s Preface, the author makes the following statement: ‘This book serves a modern need…by showing how anyone interested in railways can photograph them, and can keep up-to-date throughout a long photographic career as technology improves’. He then notes that ‘The book is also a celebration. The year 2017 marks the seventieth anniversary of the year in which I took my first railway photograph, 1947’. These statements are an excellent precis for what is to follow.

This volume is of the ‘Enthusiasts Picture Book’ genre of railway publications. However, unlike many of that genre, it has the bonus of both a well-written and very readable narrative and several sections about the actual process of railway photography; the latter being something rarely encountered within such books.

Within the volume itself, an Acknowledgements page placed immediately after the Contents page thanks those who contributed to the volume, while clarifying the matter of Copyright in respect of the small number of images that are not the author’s own. The author also notes that within the volume his ‘…Views are based on his own experience and cannot be attributed to the publisher or its agents’. A Preface follows. Within it the author simultaneously explains the volume’s rationale and clarifies various technical matters relating to the photographic equipment he has used over the years. The Preface is followed in turn by an Introduction within which the reader is introduced to both the origins of the author’s photographic passion and to descriptions of the various types of railway photography and the unique technical difficulties and solutions associated with these. The eight Chapters which comprise the bulk of the volume follow the Preface. Each Chapter covers a specific decade (for example The 1940s; The 2000s etc.). The Chapters are arranged in a standard format consisting of several pages of explanatory text outlining the author’s photographic adventures during that time, followed by a selection of photographs relevant to the narrative.  While initially the photographs are monochrome, over time (and as colour film became less expensive), these become increasingly of coloured format. Helpfully, and at the beginning of each collection of photographs, the author provides details of the camera/s used to take the images that are to follow. The Chapters are in turn followed by four Appendices.  According to the author ‘These appendices draw on my experience over the years’, and are devoted to the ’technical’ aspects of photography.  A two-line Postscript conveys St. Augustine’s thoughts on travel. It is the volume’s final section.  The book contains neither Index or Maps, nor a list of the photographs within it.

Unfortunately while this volume is both well-written and copiously illustrated, for this reviewer it is badly let down by the lack of an Index, with the additional lack of any Maps serving to compound the problem. In this reviewer’s opinion, without the assistance of an Index, it is unreasonable to expect a casual reader to (for example) know where an image of Ryde Pier Head (page 47) might be found, where a Eurostar (page 153) is located within the volume, or where to look to learn about Mobile phones as a useful photographic device (pages 242-243). The absence of such assistance reduces this volume to essentially a ‘Collection of Pretty Pictures’ with some useful words thrown in – if the latter can be found! A similar situation pertains to the lack of Maps; where (for instance) is Grindleford (page 81) or AoBaoGou (page 177)? The average reader (especially if they are a layman) cannot be expected to have to repeatedly confer with refer to an atlas when perusing this volume. Again, this lack reduces the volume’s value, particularly to the ‘off-shore’ reader not familiar with the geography of the British Isles (the book’s primary area of focus).

Because it provides a unique photographic record of the period 1947-2017, there is no doubt that this volume will appeal to readers with an interest in the railways of Great Britain over that time. In many instances, the images capture now-departed aspects of British culture, and as a result, Social Historians might also find the volume useful as a research tool. Photographers and railway modellers are likely to find the images and articles relating to their interests useful, with the qualified assumption (due to the lack of an Index) that they can actually locate such material. Non -‘railway enthusiast’ readers looking for pictures of ‘pretty trains’ might also find it worthy of their attention. In summary: An excellent, well written and very informative volume; a shame about the Index and Maps…

On a Rating Scale where 1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent, I have given this volume a 7.

It should have been much higher.

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Book Review: ‘Armoured Trains: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia 1825-2016’

Reviewer: NZ Crown Mines

Title: Armoured Trains: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia 1825-2016

Author: Paul Malmassari

Total Number of Printed Pages: 528

Rating Scale (1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent): 7

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To the general public, the idea that trains could be weapons of war is preposterous. Trains carry freight, they do not carry and use guns, and they definitely do not engage in hostile actions against an enemy, especially not in the Twenty-first Century.  This volume proves otherwise.

It is very evident that the author of this volume knows and loves his subject.  Originally published in France in 1989, this revised and upgraded English-language version is well researched and, due to the depth of information, is likely to become the authoritative work on armoured trains.  The book covers the development and use of the armoured train as a military device.  In most of the instances described within this volume, the armoured train was essentially a very mobile ‘fortress on railway tracks’. As such it could carry the battle to the enemy and cause havoc as a result.  It was not as mobile as aircraft (which were invented later), but was a definite improvement over its horse-based contemporaries. The major European and Asian powers were inevitably the largest users of armoured trains and as such their trains form the largest section of the volume. It does not however ignore smaller conflicts and combatants, and includes and describes all and any situations where vehicles running on railway tracks were involved in aggressive military activities.

The volume describes itself as an “encyclopaedia’ and as a result is  more suited to ‘dipping into’ rather than a straight ‘cover-to-cover’ read.  An Introduction provides general background details, and precedes the largest section of the work. This consists of 72 sections (aka ‘Chapters’) arranged by country and appearing in alphabetical order. Within each section information is given concerning the armoured railway vehicles that operated in or were owned by, that specific state. To this reviewer however, some of the inclusions are at best tenuous, and he considers the inclusion of New Zealand as the owner of an ‘armoured train’ while part of British Forces in the Middle East during World War II to be drawing  a very long bow.  At least one image (frequently more) appears within each section, while numerous line drawings are included.  Drawn to HO scale (1:87) these are of both rolling stock and locomotives.  Two Appendices are included; one containing numerous art-works of armoured trains, the other ‘… Original Factory Drawings of Armoured Trains and Trolleys’.  An Index and an Acknowledgements section are also provided. Sequentially-numbered Footnotes are used within each section while a Sources sub-section replaces a designated Bibliography. No maps of any sort are provided.

Unfortunately, this reviewer has two major concerns with this volume. One is with the complete lack of maps within the work, a situation which means that, unless they are geo-politically aware, a reader will have absolutely no idea as to where the trains actually operated. As several of the nations within the volume have also changed their names, this puts the reader at a major disadvantage. The other concern relates to the Index. Although the names of specific countries (for example, France, Russia, United States of America, South Korea, Georgia) are listed as Section (Chapter) Headings on the work’s Contents page, a random search within the Index found no evidence of  either these or any other ‘country’ names within that section. While it could be argued that a Contents-page listing is sufficient for the purpose, and that most readers will turn to the Contents before the Index, observation indicates that although purchasers of such a volume will initially only peruse the Contents page, they will eventually seek additional information within the Index section.  The absence of specific ‘country’ names makes such searching at best very difficult.  To this reviewer, this is a major failing as in his opinion, the seeker of specific information  needs to be able to quickly and positively identify that train X belongs to country Y (or vice versa). For this reviewer, being unable to do so, considerably-reduced the value of both the Index, and the volume.

The limitations outlined above notwithstanding. this volume is likely to appeal to several different groups.  Railway historians and enthusiasts will probably find it of interest, especially if they are interested in military railways, while both general and military historians could also find it informative.  Irrespective of the scale they work in, model-railway enthusiasts could also find it useful, especially if their interest is in military railways.

Due to its specialisation, this volume is likely to become the authoritative one on its subject. The lack of both maps and an incomplete Index do however reduce its value considerably.  On that basis, and on a Rating Scale, where 1: Very Poor, 10: Excellent, I would give this volume a 7. It should have been higher.

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 nzcrownmines is also available for book reviewing: Contact: nzcrownmines@gmail.com

Te Kereru Mining and Investment Co. Ltd.

I have long been interested in the nineteenth-century underground gold mines of New Zealand’s  Coromandel Peninsula. The need to develop these mines to their fullest potential required very large amounts of money and the latest technology – at that time only available from London, the financial and mining-technology centre of the world. Thus were British capital, Victorian-era steam-powered machinery and British manufacturing skills brought to bear on the Coromandel.

However, two problems needed to be solved: how to remove the gold-bearing rock in the most efficient manner, and having done this, how to extract as much gold as possible. The pursuit of these aims constituted New Zealand’s first heavy industry of any consequence. Developing the necessary technology, especially the use of potassium cyanide for gold-extraction, meant that for a period the New Zealand quartz gold mining industry led the world.

In one way the Te Kereru Mining and Investment Co Ltd. layout is a homage to this era and industry. In another it is also a teaching tool, showing in miniature how things were in ‘the olden days’, and introducing the viewer to a little-known aspect of New Zealand history.

The Backstory

1893: While hunting Kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae; the New Zealand  Pigeon) in the hills of New Zealand’s Coromandel Penisula, W.V. James discovers a gold and silver-bearign reef (‘lode’) near Toi Toi Creek – somewhere north of Karanagahake, and south of Port Jackson.

1895: The Te Kereru Mining and Investment Company (Limited. is formed in London and is soon driving horizontal tunnels (or adits) into the reef to explore the size of the deposit and commence the mining of the ore it contains.

1897: The Company begins constructing a 40-stamp battery / reduction-works for use in conjunction with the recently-introduced MacArthur-Forrest cyanide process. The work includes the construction of a steam-powered railway to connect the mine workings with the battery. This required the construction of a short tunnel through an adjacent ridge.

1898 (November); Ore trains begin running.

1900:  Having found that the reef system descends much deeper than can be reached via horizontal adits, the Company sinks a shaft (the Toi Toi) to better mine the reef and to prospect further.

1901: The Toi Toi Shaft reveals that the reef system is increasing in value as it descends, and as a result, an additional 20 stamps are added to the battery.

1911: The cyanide plant is updated. This includes four tall Brown and McMiken (B&M) air-agitator tanks measuring 13.7 metres x 6.0 metres( 45 ft. x 20 ft.) placed towards the rear of the site. A vacuum-filtration  plant and hydraulic classifier are also added.

1913 (The present time): The Company’s upgrades are payign off and its gold and silver production is the alrgest within the district. The Toi Toi Shaft is currently 144.7 metres (475 ft.) deep and values are showing no sign of decreasing at this depth.

The Model

Te Kereru  (pronounced Tea -Care-Rare-Roo) was intended to portray by way of a small layout,  the main elements in this fictional history, a scenario that drew heavily on large-scale gold mines once found at Thames, Karangahake (Car-rang-ah-hack-ee) Komata (Co mah-tah), Coromandel and Waihi (Y-he) These and my own personal experiences provided the technical background.

My intention was always to make Te Kereru a technically and historically accurate portrayal of a neglected part of New Zealand’s history. I wanted the layout to be in N scale, portable, and able to fit between my car’s rear wheel arches. And it had to be ready for public exhibition within three months! It was, and at that and several other exhibitions has received encouraging comments from both the public and other modellers.

Of course I did not start from scratch. Te Kereru is the final development of a series of micro layouts beginning in 2006 with the Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co (NL) cutlery drawer-based layout seen at the 2008 New Zealand Model Railway Guild convention in Taradale (Napier).   I subsequently enlarged the ‘Kaiser’s concept, and created the ‘Te Kereru Mining and Investment Co Ltd’ , (‘Te Kereru’ being pronounced: Tea Care-rare-roo), a portable ‘clockwork mouse’ layout designed for exhibitions and, for ease of transportation, capable of fitting in between the wheel arches of my Nissan Primera sedan’s rear seat.

Construction

The baseboard measures 1066mm x 508mm (3ft 6in x 2ft), comprising a sheet of MDF with strips of 20mm x 30mm pine glued on the outside edges to form a frame for a 12.7mm–thick sheet of ‘Pinex–brand  soft-board laid on top. A three-ply scenic divider conceals a small fiddle yard and work area, while a tall ridge separates the site of the Toi Toi (Toy-toy) Creek mining operations from the ore processing area. I have employed self-developed a New Zealand-specific variation of UK N scale (1:148), with suitably modified N-scale rolling stock.

Track and wiring

The track is roughly oval in shape, laid with Peco N scale Code 80 flextrack pinned to the Pinex. Exhibition-based experience and discussions with respected model railway peers convinced me that points can be a source of many problems, and since the viewing public rarely commented it seemed that omitting them would be a contribution to reliable running. The layout does however have three nominal sidings (at the mine, the battery and the locomotive shed beside the battery). These are supposedly one-blade mining tramway type units and are non-working.

Power feed is simply two wires attached to my veteran Hammant & Morgan power unit.

Scenery

Basic scenery was constructed from blocks of high-density plastic foam overlaid with kitchen towels. Pollyfilla was applied over this, followed by acrylic tube colours, predominantly white, black, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, yellow and blue.  Vegetation is Woodland Scenics Coarse Foliage. Ground cover consists of a variety of dried sawdusts, held in place by PVA and superglue.

The sky is deliberately white in colour — to help portray the anti-cyclonic gloom frequently found on the Coromandel Peninsula and emphasises the contrast between the bush and structures. Comments from residents of the area, indicate that I have successfully captured the atmosphere of the area.

Structures

All Te Kereru’s structures are scratch-built, designed to provide examples typical of the various evolutionary phases of large-scale nineteenth century underground goldmines in the Coromandel.

As well as the major mine and battery buildings there is a water-race, with race inspector’s hut, a locomotive shed; goods sheds at both the mine and battery, and various other tanks and buildings.

At Toi Toi there is a substantial amount of trestle work and a large dump for waste rock (mullock)  from the mine.

An abandoned traction engine remains at Toi Toi from when it served as a stationary boiler to power an air compressor in the mine’s early days. Contrast that with the new fangled telephone recently installed to connect the General Manager’s office at the battery Te Keruru office with the Mine Manager’s at Toi Toi.

The tall B&M (Brown and McMiken) air-agitator tanks at the battery form part of the battery’c cyanide plant and are typical of early examples, while the Toi Toi Shaft’s 65ft (20m)-tall head frame (or Poppett Head) is similar to those at Thames, Waihi and Coromandel.

Material and methods

A wide variety of discarded materials were used in constructing Te Kereru. Almost everything was made from off-cuts, such as the scraps of picture framer’s matte board used for buildings, or the discarded overhead transparency film used for window glazing.

The battery’s windows, having multiple panes, were first scribed to create the mullions, then covered with white paint, which when wiped off with a damp cloth left paint within the scribed lines – instant multi-paned windows!

Mining plant, having only a short life-expectancy, was constructed as cheaply as possible, and in New Zealand low-cost corrugated iron was the primary form of cladding. My ‘corrugated iron’ was 1970s-era embossed wallpaper and I made the B&M tanks from toilet-roll inners, with propelling-pencil leads being used for over-flow pipes and card for the deflectors installed at the tops of the tanks. . . The Toi Toi Shaft head frame was built from square-section strip balsa and card, and the mine ore trucks from cork roadbed, with propelling-pencil leads for the axles. Items I could not make, (such as track, people and animals), were purchased.

Detailing

I enjoy the possibilities for detailing, and as a result various small vignettes appear on the layout. These include a cage in the Toi Toi Shaft head frame with a worker putting a lot of effort into manoeuvreing an empty ore wagon back inside before it returns underground, two men using a pinch-bar to get an ore-truck back on the rails at the entrance to one of the tunnels, and the telephone-line repairman up a pole near the water-race, replacing a line that has been broken.  His two pack-horses (one carrying saddlebags) graze below him.  There are other similar mini scenes as well, though they may not be evident at first glance.

Rolling stock

Motive power is an N-scale Bachmann 0-6-0 Plymouth switcher reworked to look something like a Manning-Wardle street tramway locomotive.  This was supposedly imported by the company from a bankrupt British system.  Wagons are scratch-built, mainly of the mainly of the side-tipping-type and mounted on single N-scale bogies’.

Several flat-deck wagons do static duty at the goods sheds at Toi Toi and the battery.   Because of the severe curvature, a simple type of hook and pin coupler is used. At the standard N scale viewing distance of two feet (600mm), these rarely elicit comment.

People and creatures

Te Kereru has various people and animals within its boundaries.  People are doing a variety of jobs, from shovelling coal outside the battery’s boiler house, to the telephone-line repairman previously-mentioned.  At Toi Toi, pit ponies haul ore and timber wagons as needed.

Things that lurk in the forest

There is a resident dinosaur in the bush country between the battery and the mine. A reclusive creature, it is only seen at exhibitions, mainly by small children. He has proven singularly successful as an ice breaker with members of the public.  With the children indulging in a dinosaur hunt the parents can be engaged in conversation and left free to actually look at what is on the layout.

Is it narrow gauge?

I am frequently asked if the layout is 009 or some narrow gauge variation on Z gauge (Nn3 perhaps). The questioners are invariably surprised that it is in fact conventional N scale, rather than the apparent narrow gauge that prompted the question.  The narrow gauge look is not intentional, but seems to have evolved of its own accord. For that I have no explanation.

Public reaction

My wife accompanies me to exhibitions, and she has noted that because of the clockwise direction that model railway exhibitions tend to follow, members of the public mostly approach from the Te Kereru  or battery (left hand) end.  Having given the layout a quick once-over, and seeing little to interest them, they then move on, to suddenly notice Toi Toi at the other end, hiding behind some hills and trees.  The reaction is frequently one of surprise accompanied by a ’wow’ of amazement, and followed by a closer investigation. Some people have even been observed dragging their mates back to share in the discovery.

Frequent comment is made concerning the detail that has been incorporated into Te Kereru, along with surprise as to how much detail is possible in such a small scale  and space. We have also noticed that because of its height — it simply rests on a conventional trestle table — small children and people in wheelchairs seem to get the best of views.

The future?

Te Kereru has so far attended several exhibitions and been well received. It is reliable and fun and gets lots of positive comments from viewers, so its appearances will continue. In between times it is still being detailed and added to.

Layout at a glance

Name: Te Kereru Mining and Investment Co. Ltd.

Scale: N (1:148).

Size: 1.066.8mm x 508mm. (42″ x 24″).

Prototype: Various Coromandel Peninsula gold mining tramways.

Period: 1913.

Locale: Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand

Layout Style: Portable.

Height: Approximately 1m (height of trestle table).

Length of mainline: 2.72m.

Track: Peco code 80 flextrack

Points/Turnouts: None.

Control:  Conventional 240-volt transformer.

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TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

General view of layout showing Toi Toi mining area at bottom of layout and battery/ reduction-works site visible at upper LH corner.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

Detail view of Toi Toi Mining area showing various adits and tramways. Poppett Head of Topi Toi shaft visible at center-right foreground.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

A view from Mullock heap (Waste rock) area showing surface buildings associated with the Toi Toi shaft. The tramway goods shed and the tracks of the steam-powered tramway. are visible at LH centre and at bottom of the image. Various adits and mining-related tramways are visible in the background.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

View along Mullock Heap trestle, looking towards Toi Toi shaft

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

View of Upper Toi Toi Valley showing various adits and mullock heaps (Waste rock dumps).

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

Braceman maneuvering ore wagon into cage on upper Brace of Toi Toi shaft.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

View of western section of Toi Toi mine workings, showing No.6 adit and ore-Bins and  steam-powered tramway tracks. The Toi Toi Shaft and Winding-Engine House is visible in background.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

Steam-tramway locomotive No.1 arriving at the battery with a rake of wagons. General view of 60-stamp battery/reduction works and cyanide plant. B&M tanks visible at left, with tracks of steam-powered tramway visible at bottom of photograph.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

A general view of the battery / reduction-works area  The 60-stamp battery is in the taller part of the large building that also houses the cyanide plant. There is a hand-fired boiler in the smaller foreground shed. The tracks of the steam tramway are just visible

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

Detail image of the modern Brown and McMiken Air-agitator tanks installed at the Te Kereru Mining and Investment Co. Ltd.’s battery in 1912.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

Aerial view of Battery, Company offices, Cyanide plant B&M Tanks, Pump House Tailings Dam and Locomotive Shed.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

A detail view of the Company’s water-race headstock and siphon, with waste water discharging over the spillway to the right. The Water-race Inspector is visible on the bridge, while his hut is visible behind the telephone pole.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

An image of the Company’s water-race  and its recently-installed and modern telephone system which connects the Battery with the mine. A recent storm has removed the wires so a repairman can be seen on top of the pole, reconnecting the line. His pack horses are grazing patiently below him.

(Scale: 1:148)

TE KERERU MINING AND INVESTMENT CO. LTD.

Tramway locomotive shed.

(Scale: 1:148)

__________________________

Note: No photographs of the dinosaur have been discovered.

The ‘Kaiser’s Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).’

I have a long-standing interest in model railways., and over the years have built several small layouts, largely based on gold mining themes. These layouts have come in a variety of sizes, but tend towards the ‘Micro-layout’ concept, largely as a result of my living in a small house.  What follows will necessarily be long, but will serve to introduce one of my creations: the Kaiser’s Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability). a small world which resides in a 1930’s-era Cutlery Drawer.

As with all my modeling, what you see before you is NZN-Freelance (1:148 scale)

The Kaiser’s Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

(Scale: 1:148)

History

The ‘Kaiser’s is a medium-sized underground gold mining operation, situated on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula. The year is 1921, and the mine is slowly declining, but still producing enough to make a profit for its London-based shareholders. While a steam-powered tramway is employed to move the ore from the mine to the crushing plant (aka ‘Reduction-works or ‘Battery) at the mine itself, a horse-drawn tramway of 3 ft gauge is employed to move loaded ore trucks to the bins, and to return empties underground.

Background

The Kaiser’s was built as a ‘fun’ exercise when I was resident in another location far from my family, and ‘needed a model railway’. Whatever was built had to be similar to the numerous tramways (light railways) employed within the now-largely-extinct hard-rock (underground) gold-mining industry on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, and had to be as authentic as possible. It  did not however have to be based on any particular prototype. I had no money for the task, a single locomotive, the contents of a scrap-box, a transformer and a Cutlery Drawer. I had also never built anything like it in my life!! As a result, everything, (with the exception of the obvious items: animals, people, and track) is scratch built, and uses whatever could be ‘scrounged’ and modified to achieve the end result. Inventiveness ruled as a result, and nothing that appears on the layout is in its original form!!

Layout sections

The layout consists of two sections, located one on each side of the ‘Scenic divider’. One section consists of the ‘Mine itself, which is dominated by the ‘Thorndon’ Shaft (current depth 758 ft) and its associated surface buildings, with various horizontal ‘tunnels’ accessing both the shaft and the adjacent workings. The previously-mentioned 3ft-gauge tramway also provides access to the adjacent Mary-Anne section, which is reached over a bridge that crosses the cutting made for the steam-powered tramway.

The layout’s other section is the Battery (Reduction-works: the terms are interchangeable), which consists of 50-head of stampers to crush the ore to talcum-powder fineness, and a full and complete Cyanidation plant (including an early form of B & M Air Agitator Tanks) to extract the gold from the ore, along with sundry associated buildings and the tramway’s locomotive shed.

Materials

With the exception of four lengths of Peco flex-track, some Balsa Wood (in both stick and sheet form) two Atlas points (subsequently removed as being too unreliable), the track, people and animals (the things I can’t make myself, together with and some spackling compound purchased new for the project, everything on the layout is scratch built and made from scavenged materials, and the contents of my scrap box. The total cost of materials would probably be USD40. It can therefore truthfully be said that the ‘Kaiser’s is a whole lot of ‘Rubbish’. The list of materials I have used is large, and includes such things as lollipop sticks, wallpaper, picture framing board, computer-screen packaging, propelling-pencil leads, beads, cork tiles, milk-bottle lids, pins and empty paint tins; I’ll let you guess as to what has been used where, although it should be remembered that everything has been significantly altered in some way; nothing remains ‘as found’.

Rolling Stock

The tramway locomotive is ‘Jess’, a Baldwin 0-6-0ST which wears side-skirts a la’ the Glasgow Whiskey Distillery locomotives, and was evidently purchased second-hand and exported to ‘the colonies’. The rolling stock consists largely of 4-wheeled side-dump wagons, built by the company, although there are a couple of flat-deck types as well. All rolling stock rides on old N-scale bogie-units of indeterminate origin.

Base Board

As noted in my introduction, the ‘Kaiser’s resides in a 1930’s -era Cutlery Drawer, which measures 24 in x 15 in. The actual ‘working area’ inside the ‘drawer is 22 1/2 in x 13 3/4 in. The ‘Scenic Backdrop/ Divider’ rises 81/2 in above the baseboard’s surface.

Scenery and Track

The previously-referred-to Scenic Backdrop / Divider is made from Coreflute / gatorboard from a discarded Real Estate sign. It runs diagonally across the ‘Drawer, dividing the layout into two sections – the Mine on one side, the Battery on the other. Terrain is made from a type of ‘bubble packaging’ that was wrapped around computer VDU’s and which my employer had dumped. It cuts easily and takes acrylic paint, spackling, PVA and CA very well.

The track diagram is a simple oval, with (approximately) 61/2 in curves at each end, although due to my doubtful track laying skills the radii may be even tighter.in places. Everything still manages to traverse these however so they can’t be too tight.

Operation

The ‘Kaisers is a ‘Clockwork Mouse’, and simply chases its tail for the entertainment of any viewers. As previously noted there were Atlas points originally, but these were simply too unreliable, so they were removed – the resulting ‘oval’ of track proving quite adequate for the task.

‘Outings’

Although originally built ‘for fun’ others have seen fit to invite the ‘Kaiser’s to various exhibitions, where it is an object of interest due to its size and the fact that it is built from recycled materials – this latter point being a special ‘hit’ with the environmentally-conscious child viewers. The layout’s ‘Moment of Glory’ was an invited-attendance at the New Zealand Model Railway Guild’s National Convention in 2008, where it was favourably received, and performed flawlessly over four days.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view of Western end of mine and tramway.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view of Eastern end of mine and tramway, showing Poppett head (Headframe) of Thorndon shaft (758 feet deep at time of writing), together with associated tramways .

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view of Eastern end of mine and tramway, showing Poppett head (Headframe) of Thorndon shaft (758 feet deep at time of writing). Blacksmiths shop in centre foreground, goods shed in immediate foreground,

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability)

General view of Eastern end of mine and tramway, showing Poppett head (Headframe) of Thorndon shaft (758 feet deep at time of writing), together with associated tramways, adits (horizontal tunnels into the rock) and storage bins.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view of Eastern end of mine and tramway, showing Poppett head (Headframe) of Thorndon shaft (758 feet deep at time of writing), together with associated tramways . Steam tramway to battery / reduction-works visible in bottom RH corner of image.Mine Manager’s house at extreme RH edge of image.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view showing Poppett head (Headframe) of Thorndon shaft (758 feet deep at time of writing), together with associated tramways .

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability)

General view showing (from Left) locomotive shed, loco water tank, B&M Air Agitator tanks (‘Pachucca’ tanks) and part of Battery / reduction-works.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view of Battery / reduction-works. Cyanide-filed settling tanks visible in middle foreground. Mechanical agitator tank visible behind them (close to battery building). Steam-powered tramway tracks visible in lower foreground.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

Detail view showing B&M Air Agitator tanks (‘Pachucca’ tanks) and part of Battery / reduction-works. Sptizluten hydraulic classifier visible to extreme RH edge of image.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view showing B&M Air Agitator (Pachucca) tanks and part of Battery / reduction-works. Cyanide-filled settling tanks visible in middle foreground.

Tracks of Steam-powered tramway in foreground.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view showing part of B&M Air Agitator tanks and Battery / reduction-works. Cyanide-filed settling and agitator tanks visible in middle foreground. Spitzluten hydraulic classifier on roof of main battery building.

Tracks of Steam-powered tramway just visible in foreground.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view showing Battery / reduction-works. Cyanide-filled settling and agitator tanks visible in middle foreground.

Scale: 1: 148.

Kaisers Reef (Hauraki) Gold Mining Co. (No Liability).

General view showing Battery / reduction-works. Cyanide-filled settling and agitator tanks visible in middle foreground. Spitzluten hydraulic classifier visible on roof of main battery building.

Scale: 1: 148.