Miller coal dock

After removing the car float and it's dock, we decided to put in a coal dock to replace it.  The roadbed had to be raised to the height of the coal dock and new scenery applied.  The coal dock was designed to take 3 coal barges on each side, and 4 hoppers can be unloaded at a time.  All of the wood needed for the project was weathered with a mixture of India ink and alcohol. A piece of grid paper was taped to a ceiling tile and 2 strips of upside down masking tape was laid down to hold the posts in place for gluing. The height and length of the dock was drawn on the grid paper. One of the upper stringers was used to help line up the posts at the correct height. Then that stringer and a smaller one were glued on to the posts.  Two rows of posts were made with the stringers on the right side and 2 on the left. The bin to hang below the dock was drawn up and cutout to fit and glued between 2 rows of posts. Cross stringers were added at both ends and then the deck of Northeastern scale lumber, 1/8" scr. was glued on, leaving a slot for unloading coal into the bin below.  Chutes were made and gates were glued on.  They are operated with a pulley system, operated from the cross decks at the barge level.  It was painted and weather.

stained wood

posts and stringer glued and held in place with push pins

stringer and ore bin, bottom covered with card stock to look line steel

rivet detail put on with a pounce wheel

dock test fit

roadbed raised

finished coal dock