Author Topic: Textile Mill Diorama  (Read 112198 times)

Offline J.L.

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Textile Mill Diorama
« on: February 24, 2018, 02:34:11 PM »
I have been searching for a suitable horizontal mill engine for my next diorama. I think I have found it, but am awaiting shipping information.

The diorama will represent the first floor of a mulit-storied textile mill with a little single storey woodworking shop attached at the back.

Three casting sets will be involved; the horizontal engine, a line shaft driven power saw and an old fashioned foot operated treadle lathe. So it will fit nicely into the kits/Castings catagory. The diorama, however,  will be designed and built from scratch.

Research has shown me that long ago, textile mills were very tall - up to seven stories high. Brick and timber were  the main construction materials. A good sized boiler was required to drive all the carding and weaving machinery. The vibration created by machinery became a structural problem, and later in the United States, the mills were lower, perhaps only three storeys high but spread out over a much larger area. Concrete and steel became the building materials of choice.

This diorama is a mixture of this transition. Many will find flaws in the historical accuracy of some of its parts, but the goal is to give the flavour of the use of steam at its zenith to power these mills.

So, we are off and running with a new project.  :)

John

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2018, 03:11:21 PM »
Wonderful John. This already sounds like another great journey into the world of your excellent dioramas!!!  Looking forward to it eagerly   :whoohoo:

Bill

Offline mklotz

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2018, 03:18:52 PM »
Sounds fantastic.  Will there be a model loom, presumably serviced by tiny 1/12 scale children?

I'm guessing the line-shaft driven saw and treadle lathe will be the PMR models?  I've built both and enjoyed making them.
Regards, Marv
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Offline scc

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2018, 04:58:21 PM »
Looking forward to this one :)               When we first moved to Lancashire my wife trained as a weaver.....the mills have all gone now :'(

Terry

Offline Jasonb

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2018, 05:04:32 PM »
I hope your shipping costs aren't too high, it will be good to see a build of that seldom seen model.

Have you given up on the boiler as you did not mention that?

Offline J.L.

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2018, 09:22:25 PM »
Hello Fellows,

Thanks for your early interest in the project.

Yes, Marv, those two aluminum casting kits are the last two I have not built from PMR. I just had to find a spot for them in this diorama. You know your history when you mention children. A quick Google search about child labour in the textile mills will reveal countless photos of very young children staring at the camera standing in groups in their bare feet!

Hi Jason,
Yes, I haven't heard anything about that enigne and the cost of shipping it in over a week. The site is down, so I can't order it online. Interesting you should mention a boiler. It will be the starting point for the entire project.  Thank you for identifying that stationary engine.

Terry, the boiler in the mill will be a Lancashire boiler!

Cheers...John



Online Dave Otto

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2018, 10:17:28 PM »
Hey John

Looking forward to following along with another one of your interesting projects.


Dave

Offline Larry Sw

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2018, 12:44:53 AM »
So will you make some weaving machinery too with all the associated thread runs ?  :>)

Larry S

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2018, 01:14:45 AM »
John, when I was a kid of maybe 9 or so, I was travelling with my dad once during the summer (he was in the mill supply business) and he thought I might like to see the inside of a textile mill which was one of his customers. Come to find out that in Georgia at least, the child labor laws which ended child labor in the mills was so strictly enforced that even visitors under the age of 18 were not allowed to set foot in any production area. Oddly enough, when I finished college and grad school, my first job was with the largest textile producer in the southeast. Though most of the mills had been modernized, there was one plant that still ran off of line shafts (though not driven by steam). As you noted, parts of the various mills I worked in were still of beam construction with hardwood floors with literally thousands of discarded ring travelers embedded into the hardwood. As the mills modernized the beams were replaced by steel and concrete. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of my early career. I was sad to see textiles leave the country, it was a fascinating industry with so much history to it.

Bill

Offline deltatango

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2018, 11:20:32 AM »
Hi John,
I'm really looking forward to following your next diorama build.

While visiting the UK last year we went to Quarry Bank Mill near Manchester which is run by the National trust as a working museum. If you haven't been then it is well worth a visit. They even have the maintenance fitters' workshop set up with its own little steam engine, bolted to a ceiling beam to drive the line shafts to the machines. The mill was originally water powered only but a beam engine and horizontal engine were added later, the originals went for scrap but typical examples have been used as replacements.

I've attached a few pictures that may help with details, if you need full size ones, please say so and I'll send them on.

Regards, David
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Offline J.L.

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2018, 11:27:59 AM »
Hello David,

Thank you so much for including these wonderful pictures of the Quarry Bank Mill near Manchester. You have added much to the background and focus of the thread.

Cheers...John

Offline crueby

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2018, 03:26:57 PM »
That ceiling mounted steam engine in the shop is quite interesting!

Offline wagnmkr

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2018, 03:32:17 PM »
Although that ceiling mounted engine is hanging there, could it ne mounted on a wall as well? Would that have been known as a "wall" engine?

I see very little sleep for John in the future.

Cheers

Tom
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Offline Gas_mantle

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2018, 06:48:56 PM »
That ceiling mounted steam engine in the shop is quite interesting!

Stew Hart modelled that engine as part of his Potty series, it is on my to do list when I have a bit more experience.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBEsz7imfh8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBEsz7imfh8</a>



Offline crueby

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Re: Textile Mill Diorama
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2018, 08:35:05 PM »
That ceiling mounted steam engine in the shop is quite interesting!

Stew Hart modelled that engine as part of his Potty series, it is on my to do list when I have a bit more experience.

...
That is a brilliantly done model! Now I understand the angled section in the middle, in the original photo I thought the cylinders were angled, now I see its the valve chest. Thanks very much for the pointer on this one, need to go look up that build!
Anyway, back to John's thread!
 :popcorn:

 

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