Large Scale Central

Coke ovens: Anybody interested in a co-operative venture?

I’ve been wanting to do a row of beehive ovens since I built the mine. I just wasn’t quite sure HOW…

Oh, I’ve got bunches of pix, even a cutaway diagram or two. Then this pic got me to thinking today…

The solution itself seemed simple. N scale tunnel portals set into a random stone or even brick wall panel COULD just work visually… except those things are usually made of plaster and not particularly weatherproof.

Which brings us to the co-operative part. If I build a master (using the plaster ones) and a random stone sheet of plastic, would anybody that does resin castings be interested in casting up some for me and then as many as they wish for themselves to keep or sell? I’m thinking, since the tunnel portals come in pairs anyway, that multiple short sections consisting of two ovens should be easily cast-able, and then expandable to single and double banks of as many as you want. Shouldn’t they? So is there any interest?

How old are those coke ovens? Maybe Civil war era? I worked at Bethlehem Steel Coke Ovens when I got out of the service and they were OLD.

1880s maybe? Those above were at Coral, Pa. Where Kimmee grew up. I figure you could get away with just modeling the faces, and the charging chutes on top, glue them to patio block then use mortar or even gravel to hide that they’re just facades.

(http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/faycontin12.gif)

(http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/wilpen6.gif)

(http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/beehive.gif)

(http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/alverton1b.gif)

(http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/humphreys16.gif)

I want to do a single bank of about 8 or 10 with two 0-gauge charging larrys

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mRq2GstIOZc/TJQ0SapGE4I/AAAAAAAABB8/e3uDJgnwxVM/s1600/IMG_3773.JPG)

Since nobody else wanted to play…

(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/AlleghenyValley/P1010006.jpg)