1/300 scale wharf

[Sunray]

I am modelling a 1/300 wharf for river traffic.  Plagiarised and upscaled from the Peter Pig 1/600 Wharf.  About 10" long with a couple of buildings.

With its facilities for coaling, oil, and to embark/disembark  troops and vehicles the wharf becomes an objective.

A couple of modelling queries; -

1.  does anyone model coal pile in  1/300 ? How would I best create this effect ?

2.  A small wharf crane.  Happy to scratch build if I had a few parts.

Any ideas ? 

[FierceKitty]

Coal - what about poppy seeds with a gooey varnish mixed in so they can be stacked into a suitable cone?

[Kiwidave]

Maybe Z guage railway models? It's 1:220, so might be a bit big

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

The turret form the US lt recovery vehicle (cant remember the M no) might do - Soctia have one I think. Also many ports didn't have cranes - Liverpool for one, and unloaded via ships derreks. That's why the worlds largest floating crane used to be in Liverpool.

[Dr Dave]

What era are you doing this for - WW2 right?

[Sunray]

What era are you doing this for - WW2 right?

The Euphrates  (or similar middle east  waterway) the era is early WW2.  I saw many such wharfs on the Nile - they hadn't changed much since Gordon's day!

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Imagine most haven't changed much since Tutenkhamun's day!

[Sunray]

Imagine most haven't changed much since Tutenkhamun's day!

Well the odd structure, but the river tide,  accumulation of silt/sand can determine the position of a wharf/anchorage.  Add aspects like human settlement and the level of navigation.   A lot of old "landings" on the Mississippi predate the ACW but have a post bellum life servicing leisure craft as well as commerce.

Now ...you do get a bit more modern artefact littering the wharfs of the Mississippi ! 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hello again

For coal at that scale I'd use salt set with sprayed white glue and then painted with a semi gloss black.

With the crane that's pretty hard, I'd look at ship fittings and see if there's anything you could use:-

https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl?page=search&SS=crane&PR=-1&TB=O&ACTION=Go%21


65mm high around 3 quid


brass IJN Crane set 1/350 around 4 quid.


A davit 20mm 30p maybe use it with scratchbuilding.

Cheers

GrumpyOldMan

[Sunray]

My thanks to forum for the advice/ideas .    I fully take Ian's point about the deep water ports like Liverpool using ship's derrek.  A derrek  requires a deep draft vessel to command the leverage.  In a shallow draft river vessel the fulcrum is too high, and the vessel risks capsizing as there is insufficient mass of her hull in the water to counterbalance the movement of the forces generated by the load on the derrek. (In his grave, and old and bold Royal Marine Staff Sergeant is smiling. Young Sunray was listening to the "improvised movement of logistics lecture").   
Besides - without derreks, the river based flotilla will be forced to make the wharf a key objective of the game.
I prefer the realism of taking objectives as opposed to simply killing all your opponents men and vehicles.

1.  Coal dump - went with ebay Busch coal Z scale at £3.84 - will build my own mini yard out of card.

2. the crane - first looked the same place as Victor (GOM) - the 1/350 ship cranes. In the end might use a crane jib from the spares box and an Irregular 6mm wild west railway guards van as a steam crane cab - and mount it on a circular base (not unlike a village well).  The 20mm davit with a cog wheel added could well pass for a small dock yard crane. Thanks Vic - good find! 

[paulr]

...
(In his grave, and old and bold Royal Marine Staff Sergeant is smiling. Young Sunray was listening to the "improvised movement of logistics lecture").   
...

Well done Staff Sergeant 

[Sunray]

Thinking of a railway spur up one side of the wharf.  :- ??

Not sure to use 6mm track (IR) or that plastic network small scale builder which is close to 1/300 . Or again simply mark the plastic card with lines as you find at the docks.   Although in the Third World tracks with sleepers often run to the docks .  :-

Ah the joys of scratch building in 6mm.  :

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

You have several options, Junior Generals do a flat track that can be re-sized to any scale with care. Hornby, or who ever they are now do a planning pack at 1/4 size, so about 1/280th or so. That does fit both irregular and H&R rolling stock. Finally both H@R and Irregular do pewter track.

IanS