North Coast Railroad

[ACL1504]

Dave,

Just getting caught up on this thread. Nice work and i really like the grain elevator. Those little brass locos ain't bad either. 

Tom

[Dave Buchholz]

I never had any plan to animate the project It will be static. It is articulated though. capable of being placed in any position manually.

Several hindrances  exist. The lack of room within the structure. Three Motors and gear reduction systems, and non operable pulleys. The torque applied would rip it all apart. It is very fragile and spindly.

And of course time. The basic track work is not done. Turnout motors and wiring need mounting. Finishing control panels. Nearly fifty other buildings. Landscape and a population of little people. Vehicles and boats barges and ships.

.....and I'm 74 already.

[Dave Buchholz]

An update of the base and tower as of 11/20/2025.

Gonna thread up the second set of pulleys today

[Jerry]

Jerry. Years back while on vacation in Connecticut we visited a famous B F Clyde Cider Mill. Someone had created a kit in 1/87 for it back then.  But before I sent money for it, I discovered the kit producer was in prison. That explained his lack of responses to inquiries..

Hey Dave,

I just saw this post you made about the B F Clyde Cider Mill kit and Hodgdon was the manufacturers name.
He was in prison because he murdered his wife. Anyway, I have the plans for that kit. Give me a hollar if you want a set.

Rich

An just because she didn't like apples!!!!

Jerry

[Jerry]

It's looking good Dave.  That's a pretty good size ship you have there.

Jerry

[Dave Buchholz]

Thanks Jerry. I got a good laugh about your remark as to the wife hating apples.

Dark twisted humor. I like it!

#5D

[Dave Buchholz]

I was actually able to thread the second cable in to the Marine Leg pulley system today
One of the little victories in life

No coffee before hand.

As proof of the  ability to function. It was hard to take the picture because the leg kept sliding down through the mounting channels.

[Bernd]

Pretty neat build.

B~

[Pennman]

Dave,

That picture above, showing hands, can't be the hands of a model railroader!
They're clean! Although, that does look like your wedding band... 

Rich

[Dave Buchholz]

The only reason my hands were clean was because I just washed three days worth of dirty dishes!
😅

[Dave Buchholz]

Now the question on the marine leg tower is how much to I light it up. Interior and exterior? To what extent? How to hide the wiring?

Since the real tower used electricity, I suppose power coming to it from a 1/87 junction box is reasonable. So cables to go from one end of the rails to the other might work.

Any ideas to share with me?

[Dave Buchholz]

Moving along to other areas of the mill and silos, the Walther's kit has a hopper car,un/loading canopy that would never be seen  because it would end up the far side of the mill.Nor is there much clearance for it there
So it is being repurposed for truck unloading on the near side.it just took a few simple cuts with the old Xacto saw to reduce dimensions

[Dave Buchholz]

The same concern is true of the length of the un/loading shed. Too long for the intended spot. Once again a square and a saw came in handy.

[deemery]

That's the kind of situation where the Micro-Mark thin beam (.040 deep) square is worth every penny they charge for it.

dave

[Dave Buchholz]

Dave, as luck would have it. My wife had a friend who's husband was a model railroader. She was kind enough to sell all his modeling tools and machinist tool box that is seen in some if my work bench photos.

She wanted to give it to me free. I wanted gave her $100, and she was not going to take it. So my wife and I went to the grocery store and and came back with that worth in food for her instead.