Walthers Blast Furnace kit - for Bilston steel works

[eagle50043]

hi all,

for my future (hopefully not too far away) layout i intend of having a main feature next to the running lines
of a steel works and reception sidings, as i have always been keen on industry and i love my steel trains.

As there are no british companies doing anything for the steel industry i had to go to the USA for kits, who
like there steel industry model railways. Walthers are great for this and do lots of different kits.

So here is progress so far on my Blast Furnace kit......

[eagle50043]

another weekend of work done......

[eagle50043]

A few days later and the roof parts around the Furnace are in place and girders in place above the cast house

[pmlondon]

Very nice kit, a lot of detail. Shame thought that some of this detailing is visible only at the stage of the construction many parts seems to be hidden as the building progress.

[thebritfarmer]

Very nice I had looked at getting this for my layout.

[eagle50043]

Its a large kit and will take up quite some space, and as such will also take some time to complete, but i'd say if you can have one based on these things - i would say go for it.

[eagle50043]

some more pics of progress

[luckymucklebackit]

That is one lovely looking model there sir, wish I had room for one!!

Jim

[thebritfarmer]

Very nice, I think I may have to get one..........are you getting the other kits that go with this one?

[pipparooba]

good evening this is my first time on the forum. i am 2 months into collecting for a layout im planning i still dont have anything set in stone on track design but i know what you mean about the uk models being a bit dull i was just wondering ive looked on a few sites in the states but the P&P is a killer. ..have you found a site that wont brake the bank . .


regards Ian

[eagle50043]

I can't remember exactly how much it cost me to get these Walthers models over from the states, it might have been £40-45......but i have seen them at a stand at Warley show, a stand that sells loads of USA and European model kits. They're not cheap, but if your into your steel industry as much as i am, they are worth it if you want a steel complex as part of your layout, and if your not modelling the steam era, which is what most of the UK kits are all about.

Yes I have this one (933-2973) and the Rolling Mill (933-2971) which is probably just as long! The Coke ovens were tempting but i think i have enough to be getting on with plus i'll only just manage to fit these on my future layout.

You can probably add 1/3rd onto the length of this Blast Furnace as its not finished, the other section yet to be started.

[buz]

Hi eagle50043
I don't envy you that construction job
The kit will be that big that when combined with the smaller sized British rolling stock no one will pick the buildings are the wrong scale
Have you got the pig iron trolleys and pigs, or any other internal rolling stock for this set up.
I think Walthers might have done a super cooled diesel loco for a foundry as well as the buildings and other stuff
Hope you have plenty of product rolling stock to ship it out by rail
Just with the internal shunting and shuffling about it could be a layout all on its own .
regards John

[eagle50043]

altho the model is HO, the way i see it is USA stuff is larger than ours anyway, so evens it out, so be OK scale to our OO.

I have 2 old Lima TORPEDO wagons already (might get more i see some).......yet to be finished off with weathering and decals.........

I plan on getting an american style 'switcher' loco and repainting it in british steel livery. so it would be similar to the one's
they have at Port Talbot. As my layout isn't based on a particular steel works/blast furness, thats how i can get away
with just making it similar

I have plenty of steel wagons and some older one's that will be 'Internal User'. I also plan on getting some plasticard and
making lots and lots of steel billots and steel bar's to add to the scene and as loads for the wagons.

[eagle50043]

update of recent progress;

there was a delay whilst i sorted out drilling the required holes in stoves (the three large tubular sections)
for piping to fit into. the pipe fittings themselves being tricky to get in the right place.

[eagle50043]

more progress, the stoves and stove pipes have all been completed. the only remaining pipe to be fitted connects from this part up to the top of the blast furnace. remaining parts to be done now mainly consist of staircases..........